Well exactly...talk about clutching at straws. I don't undertand why the British are so negaitve about those who suceed in life. I did not have a deprived childhood by any meaningful measure, but we didn't have satellite TV or even a VCR. And at the time, when many of our friends did, that did feel like being deprived. We did have a large house and garden, 3 cars, and even in the early/mid '80s computers, CD players, foreign travel and a wine cellar. That's what my parents thought important And I'm grateful to them for that. It would be unreasonable for someone to judge me on decisions my parents made.
I disagree vehemently with the direction the Tories have gone, but I'd much rather be led by a sucessful person than a dreamer. I note that the IFS are scathing on Labour's manifesto when it comes to spending...:
“On current forecasts, and especially with an extra £17.5 billion borrowing over five years to fund the green prosperity plan, this leaves literally no room — within the fiscal rule that Labour has signed up to — for any more spending than planned by the current government, and those plans do involve cuts both to investment spending and to spending on unprotected public services.”
"This is a manifesto that promises a dizzying number of reviews and strategies to tackle some of the challenges facing the country. That is better than a shopping list of half-baked policy announcements but delivering genuine change will almost certainly also require putting actual resources on the table.”