If there was a GE today who would you vote for?

when you have perspectives like this as an example, could politics be reformed based on multiple choice questions about different policies which then match to a party ?

This is surely not a serious comment? I despair. This is why we have ended up with Brexit and the Tories.

As with much of inner London, our MP is Labour. I only see her when she wants my vote, and doesn't ever want to discuss the issues I'm interested in.

So if I was feeling rational I'd vote LD (Tories are nowhere here) even though I don't like their views on gender identity and women's rights. If I was feeling like I can't even give the LDs my vote without feeling icky, I'd vote a fringe party. Most likely, I'd spoil the ballot. In the last GE I wrote something rude across it. Because they are all a bunch of ___.

Two observations.

1. Starmer will be running against " the most dishonest prime minister in the history of the country" at the next General Election, so that Starmer is more honest is important.
2. Whilst we are on the subject of changing policies, are any of the current government's policies those which they ran on in their manifesto - like raising taxes to their highest ever levels, abandoning climate change, HS2 and so on?

Oh he's great if you don't mind being the punchline. Joke is on us, isn't it?

I cannot believe people fell for his end of the pier act.

Is this how we ended up with Boris as PM? He behaved badly, but he wasn’t dull. At least he was a laugh, LOL.

I have to say @fridaynight1 that those are possibly the most vacuous reasons I have ever heard an actual grown-up admit to in writing. It really did make me laugh out loud. Which is a first for this thread!

It’s between the Tories and Lib Dems here. The Tories are destroying public services and not doing enough to protect the environment or prevent climate change, so they need to go.

I’m not sure if I can bring myself to vote Lib Dem though. They seem to despise feminism. Also, according to my friend, our local candidate is a dodgy, unethical landlord.

what lies has Starmer told that even come close to the porkies Boris and Sunak have come out with... bear in mind KS isn't in power either.

Can you substantiate your view that Starmer has broken every single promise he has ever made?
Circumstances change and so Stamers position has to as well, the most obvious one would be on the EU, re join isn't on the agenda now and neither is joining the SM and/or CU, its not anything the EU has offered the UK.

I read the right wing Tory press headlines and nowhere do i ever see them supporting Starmer, quite the reverse, the recent ones on Starmer will reverse Brexit being the latest.

Starmer being a tory media stooge is as bonkers as Sunaks 7 Deadly Bins whopper!!!

Labour but as I live in Toryland I'll vote Lib Dem to get the local Tory MP out. Voting for the Greens and other minor parties is a wasted vote.

Oborne also rubbishes Johnson and Sunak far more though, calling them liars as well.

Again - the fact that Starmer is not quite as brazenly dishonest as the most dishonest prime minister in the history of the country, is not recommendation enough to make me willing to vote for him.

& tbh why would a Tory have a good word to say about any Labour leader? his paper, whilst he worked for them... absolutely trashed Miliband.

But the points he makes, about Starmer's absolute and unrelenting dishonesty since running for the Labour leadership, his willingness to abandon every promise he's ever made and his position as a puppet of the Tory media establishment, are factual.

Oborne also rubbishes Johnson and Sunak far more though, calling them liars as well.

& tbh why would a Tory have a good word to say about any Labour leader? his paper, whilst he worked for them... absolutely trashed Miliband.

For anyone with 10 minutes to spare, this pretty much sums up why I won't be voting for Starmer:

https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2023/september/25/peter-oborne-absolutely-demolishes-keir-starmer?fbclid=IwAR1j266uls_IIY11JvaNzIwELIaPSfyrOganIIEsMpGR-4L3j_UuO5vtkIM

Peter Oborne is a Tory btw. Probably the only time in my life I've ever cited one to explain my point of view.

You don't think it appropriate that a multi-millionaire should at least pay the same proportion of his income in tax as teachers and nurses.

+++

The problem is that the multimillionaire will make sure his actual annual income is low in order to pay less tax.

The multimillionaire's real value is in assets and investments which is under taxed relative to income and is why a wealth tax would make sense provided it collected more than it cost to collect.

This is a really good article by LSE on a wealth tax:

www.lse.ac.uk/research/research-for-the-world/economics/how-much-tax-do-the-rich-really-pay

green or lib dem

Why not? it was just a political advantage. A Labour gov who wanted to hide the massive cost

One which was pushed by financial backers

We have higher tax rates now and yet so much more in the economy due to the global boom back then

If there was a time when we could do higher tax it’s boom time

Not quite sure how hiking tax rates by 4% or more is good for the tax payer or the country.

Perhaps we should look at why the NHS was in such a state in 1997? and try not to repeat that.

However, i do agree with your more general point that its going to be a lot harder for Labour, if they get in, which i believe is not a done deal at all, a lot can change.

But is Sunak going for a spring (or earlier) GE ? a lot of new policies coming out now!!!

I will vote for the candidate who stands the best chance of removing the local Conservative. Personally he is a reasonable guy but his party is nuts.

Sorry Bob, but it's anyone but the fruitcakes you have to associate with.

Well of course it was political. That’s Blair’s success. It didn’t mean it was right for the taxpayer, still paying higher amounts

It does make them look good. It’s not on the books but incredibly high private debt. Like magic

I see a lot of I wish we could have that again.

How was it paid for? High mark up, like HP

Doing it again? No

Ok so what’s the plan? You have a load of people who do not realise how it was funded and it won’t be repeated but expect the same again

You don't think it appropriate that a multi-millionaire should at least pay the same proportion of his income in tax as teachers and nurses?

Tax? so an incoming Labour Govt sticks 4% on income tax... (would have raised about 12bn in the early 2000's) how regressive would that be on the lower paid and not in their manifesto either, Blair would have been kicked out 5 years later.

Odd you suggest that, yet believe lower taxes increase revenue, both with CT and higher rate cuts from 50% to 45%.

Of course there was an alternative

Tax for a start.

It was pushed by financiers and the public loved it as they got stuff without recognising the huge mark up or even that it was wasn’t on gov debt books

It was a bad decision, as others have said, and one that won’t be repeated

And if you think there was no alternative then when we were on the upward swing of a global boom you’re not going to see it now after a war and a pandemic

Which is why no one in Labour can answer how will you pay for it

I'm not keen on Starmer but will vote Labour. Need to get the Tories out.

I never said it was "Good" i just asked what the alternatives were and you cannot suggest any.

Truss is estimated to have cost the UK at least 65bn and in terms of increased inflation and interest rates, has cost house holds far more, then there is the collapse in the bond markets and the impact on pensions/govt borrowing, yet we all have got nothing for these costs.

I just think that PFI was an ok idea but very badly implemented, hence why some contracts have been renegotiated.

The problem for Lab, should they get in, is how to afford to fix the NHS and social care... among other things.

All those questions do not change the costs and it was criticised heavily on many fronts

Which I quoted below. To add - In total, PFI repayments are expected to add up to nearly £82 billion. So pretty high

None of those questions change the outcome. The huge markups which increase the cost to the taxpayer massively and that no one will touch it again.

If it was as good as you think it wouldn’t have been abandoned by all parties

So how will they do it this time?