If Starmer and Reeves fuck this budget, Labour will be out of power for ANOTHER generation.

[Ozgirl76]

I was hopeful when Labour came into power - I hoped a calm sensible bunch of economic policies that would help to level things out a bit was on the cards and given that they had so long to prepare, I assumed they would spring into action and at least have some plans.

But now I’m just reading more articles about the huge swing towards Reform and I can’t believe it’s coming to this.

I actually live in Australia but I run a business in the U.K. and we have just had a second term of a very boring and sensible labour government over here who aren’t fixing things yet but they aren’t actively making things worse and I just think, it is possible to have a Labour government who don’t actively hate the richer people, but also are trying to work towards a more equal society.

What do you think is causing the main swing towards the right? Is it all the immigration stuff? Surely that can’t be everything?

given that they had so long to prepare, I assumed they would spring into action and at least have some plans.

This is where I feel let down.

I didn't have great hopes as I'm in Wales run by Labour since forever - and I knew they were walking into a difficult inhertiance - but I did think they'd have some plans - some vision and it was what I liked about New Labour that had plans and got on with them from day one.

Wes Streeting and I think it's Darren Jones - more being interviewed - are only ones I have any time for the rest seem to be not up to the job.

I don't think Tory are any competition in their sorry state - and I'm really hope Reform is just people letting of steam in polls rather than a serious option. If Labour continue on like this no idea who will get in next.

Looking at things logically, why does anyone think that Reeves will do anything other than deliver an absolute horror show of a budget?

1. Last October’s budget was a disaster
2. Starmer was unable to get through cuts of GBP 5 Bn (growth) from a welfare budget of GBP 313 bn
3. The messaging has been all ‘inherited black holes’ and ‘Brexit’, ;broadest shoulders’ and a ‘different world’ other than when Labour came into government - excuses piled upon excuses.
4. They have been tinkering around the edges with VAT on PS fees etc - all probably net negative
5. Above-inflation pay rises given to the public sector
6. Etc etc

Let’s hope that the budget is an absolute disaster, that bond yields blow out, that the media do a job on her, that she turns on the water works again.

The sooner that we are rid of this pox of a government, the better.

Taxing the super rich more has never worked

Yes it has. It worked in Britain in the decades after the second world war (including under a Tory government in the 50s), when social housing was rolled out on a massive scale, the NHS was created and the living standards of working people improved dramatically.

Safe spaces for actual women is sooooooo boring!

I think it's their over arching arrogance ,some humility would be good and keep their brains open to new ideas.

They are so arrogant, so right ...so right on

They are also ruining education and pushing the wrong things.

One would have hoped they would tackle various issues with enlightened thought and sensitivity, such as absenteeism but no the sledgehammer came out

Micheal Charles is a well known solicitor who advocates for the rights of send children. He's crying out for us to be aware of sneaky clauses put in various bills ...he said massive erosions of our freedoms are happening but they are buried in text

Anyone with a send child check him out on Facebook

Free school meals are not sustainable ,the ni rises have hammered eduction , unis are laying people off the unions are up in arms

My new Labour MP ousted the previous local Conservative MP (brought up by single mum on council estate). Labour chap is from landed gentry and looks about 13!

You’ll be one of the only people who do lol. And I doubt it will keep out reform anyway. This government is fucked! Starmer and his cronies have made sure of that. I think labour will not get into Downing Street again anytime soon. But you keep on voting a failing party to keep another one out. Great logic that 👍
I mean we ended up with this shambles of a government in the first place because people voted labour to get the tories out!

Yep Digital ID is already built into Schools Bill.

May I suggest that was a different world when people and capital weren't mobile at all (as they are now)? Even if it did work it would raise a fraction of the money needed. The govt needs to cut our bloated welfare state and public sector drastically and stop penalising the productive parts of the economy.

You may suggest whatever you like. The claim was that "Taxing the super rich more has never worked", not that it wouldn't work under the current circumstances. I was just pointing out that the claim was wrong.

Bugger all. A few hundred MPs compared to 60+ million residents in the UK! The amount paid in wages and expenses (and security) for MPs is literally a drop in the ocean. Probably something like 1p per person!

We didn;t have the same kind of "super rich" in the post war years. Current "super rich" are the billionaires and oligarchs who can afford to live in tax havens so outside the scope of country taxation. They know how to play the system. You can reduce the amounts too, to multi millionaires, such as sports personalities, pop stars, etc who do the same, i.e. pop stars who "arrange" a World tour with dates to avoid paying taxes in the countries where they perform, etc., or the likes of Lewis Hamiltion buying a helicopter through the Isle of Man and Trusts to avoid paying VAT on it. All those British born, but non resident Olympic athletes who only came to the London Olympics after being given an immunity from liability to UK tax, etc. None of that happened in the 1940s/1950s! We're on a different World, a GLOBAL World, especially with internet and e-commerce.

There’s a long time to go until the next election. I expect by then, Labour will be listening to the left more, have a new leader and the immigration policies will be kicking in.

🤣🤣

I admire your optimism. Starmer et al won't relinquish power unless forcibly ejected. He is the gift that keeps on giving for Reform.

Who are you planning on voting for?

Surely Cameron is the worst (Brexit) or Liz Truss?

Yes well your comment is technically right but doesn't add anything to the conversation as its irrelevant now.

Agree. There’s a lot to deal with. Total sh*tshow thanks to the previous govt.

And You seriously believe that? The whole friggin’ party is a walking disaster. 🤣

By Labour's accusations against Truss ie crashing the economy (bond markets) they've done it several times over.

Many commentators now reflect that she was right in that we needed something radical, she just botched the execution and message. So same as people saying about Labour that all they need is better comms/PR

No cameron was not as bad as starmer (he at least had abit of charm and came across as a human and Truss had the right ideas but went about them the wrong way (despite what the telly box told everyone).

I doubt Starmer will relinquish power, and if you want a shift to the left you’ll have to watch the markets. Even a tear from Reeves or smidge of a sideline sets them off let alone full on spending changes.

I wasn’t expecting miracles from Labour. I am well aware the country’s finances were fucked by 15 years of Tory austerity, and that the Tory party managed to just ship just as the wheels started to fall of the economy.

I just wasn’t expecting quite so many unforced errors and u-turns. Have a policy, stick to it. Be proactive not reactive. It really feels like they are just reacting to reform and have no actual ideas of policies themselves. It makes you pine for the glory days of John Major or Theresa May, and I did not like or vote for either of them at the time.

And Wes Streeting is a sly little weasel. He definitely should not be the next pm.

We are all basically fucked. Sorry to sound so down about it all :(