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Original poster

Labour isn't working - Thread 23

991 replies

TheNuthatch · 03/12/2025 14:58

A chat thread for those who don't like this Labour government. 💙

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

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https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5450671-labour-isnt-working-thread-22?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

Labour isn't working - Thread 22 | Mumsnet

A chat thread for those who *don't* like this Labour government. 💙 ^The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's mone...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5450671-labour-isnt-working-thread-22

OP posts:
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63
Upstartled · 04/12/2025 12:56

It's so odd when you land on one of the verboten words and hit with an instant removal, and makes you look like you've been on a falling down rant session!

Yes, I saw that donation run through the news cycle. I was surprised to see it is the biggest donation that has ever been made - a million more than was donated to the LibDems previously.

SpaceRaccoon · 04/12/2025 12:58

SWmom1 · 04/12/2025 10:15

She comes across as very capable, but the issue is she was the Climate woman when the Tories were in office. I put them 90%+ responsible for the position we are in regarding energy....which is a mess.

Loads of the Tories are spouting what Labour should and shouldnt do, Kemi amongst them. However when they were in power they did the opposite....perhaps not as destructively bad as Labour but going that way.

They talked right and governed left.

Show quote history

And that's exactly why I thought they needed a spell out of power. But bloody hell it's coming at a price.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Politics
Upstartled · 04/12/2025 13:00

SNP - £0 (they don’t seem to take donations from what I can see?)

Have they checked inside all their caravans?

SpaceRaccoon · 04/12/2025 13:05

@EmeraldRoulette I completely agree with you about the lack of care and competence through all levels of society, and it's writ larger than large when we look at the PM and cabinet. It's quite frightening.

I do think covid massively accelerated it, people got the sense that you could just... not. Or stop. Or whatever, and that there would be no consequences.

And of course there are consequences. I'm sure this is why Tunbridge Wells has been without water for almost a week thanks to the supply being poisoned by a fuck-up.
More tragically, they let a baby die of neglect right in a hospital.

I've been doing my best to cope with this eerie feeling by using and praising any company that is efficient or seems to put in the effort. I'm also living in an area that is rural so tends towards self-sufficiency (no wonder Labour hates rural areas), but looking at the overall picture, where the hell are we going to end up as a country with a prevailing culture of both dependency and inefficiency.

A further thought - it seems to somewhat tie into the culture that everyone is ND or has a mental illness and that therefore doing X, Y or Z is too difficult for them and they can just not do it, even if it's their job. This mass pandering.
I do actually have an autism spectrum diagnosis myself so I really hope no-one thinks I'm being ableist or anything.

CaveMum · 04/12/2025 13:22

Upstartled · 04/12/2025 13:00

SNP - £0 (they don’t seem to take donations from what I can see?)

Have they checked inside all their caravans?

Oh I miss the laughing reaction 🤣🤣🤣

Upstartled · 04/12/2025 14:22

Reform -
Conservatives +2
Greens +1
Labour -2
LibDems -1

Labour isn't working - Thread 23
Upstartled · 04/12/2025 14:26

Highest score for Conservatives with this poster since April (+4 over the last four weeks) and the lowest ever recorded for Labour.

EasternStandard · 04/12/2025 14:30

Upstartled · 04/12/2025 14:26

Highest score for Conservatives with this poster since April (+4 over the last four weeks) and the lowest ever recorded for Labour.

Edited

Nice. Some clear water there between them. Well done Kemi

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 14:58

@SpaceRaccoon Thanks for your reply, I am relieved to know I'm not the only one noticing it. In a way, I kind of do know that because there's a couple of posters who occasionally appear and say the same thing.

But people who work with me do think I can be overly efficient...even though that's probably why they've hired me, I think it makes them eye roll a bit sometimes.

One reason I couldn't work in a highly bureaucratic place is that it's often way of spreading responsibility so that nobody can be blamed. I suspect large organisations employ this tactic quite a bit.

In the end, it complicates things to the point where the water company in Tunbridge Wells will really struggle to pinpoint what's gone wrong possibly? Or is it just that they don't care?

Both possibilities are alarming.

I think something similar happened with the water supply in Surrey last year but they didn't actually tell people not to drink it, they told them it was okay to boil it and drink it. Which I think is where they've ended up in Tunbridge Wells but I haven't kept up with that

Honestly, that's the kind of thing that should make headline news IMHO.

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 15:08

Following on from that point, I also think society has lost a lot because of the extended adolescence problem. I know a lot of people on here will talk about brain development and the age of 25 blah blah

But actually, I think we miss out on younger people in the workplace, and I think younger people miss out. I haven't actually looked at the stats though.

I had someone approach me about finding a 26-year-old some work experience.

I can't get my head around 26-year-old who has just been studying but not for anything that has a solid career base. Just studying for fun. And then expect expecting to find work and being shocked when he can't.

Pacificsunshine · 04/12/2025 15:10

You are definitely not the only one @EmeraldRoulette .

I am not sure how we got here. I do think the arduous process of firing someone for cause is part of the problem.

SpaceRaccoon · 04/12/2025 15:15

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 15:08

Following on from that point, I also think society has lost a lot because of the extended adolescence problem. I know a lot of people on here will talk about brain development and the age of 25 blah blah

But actually, I think we miss out on younger people in the workplace, and I think younger people miss out. I haven't actually looked at the stats though.

I had someone approach me about finding a 26-year-old some work experience.

I can't get my head around 26-year-old who has just been studying but not for anything that has a solid career base. Just studying for fun. And then expect expecting to find work and being shocked when he can't.

I honestly think the (piss-poor) interpretation of that particular study has done a huge amount of social damage.

Of course younger adults have cognitive differences to older adults (although the study cut off at 25, it's not that the actual brains stopped developing), but so what? Apparently the propensity for higher risk etc was socially useful for millenia for actually getting stuff done. It was the time in your life where you're bold, have the least to lose and the least concept of failure. And you are an adult, then - you're in an adult body, what else could you be?

Instead of people then using those crucial years for learning and developing, and bringing their own value to society, they're infanatised and coddled. And then there's this huge issue of failure to launch - but of course they've failed to launch, they've been held back right when they're at their bravest and most adventerous, they've not learned how to be an adult, they've been rendered dysfunctional for life.

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 15:16

Pacificsunshine · 04/12/2025 15:10

You are definitely not the only one @EmeraldRoulette .

I am not sure how we got here. I do think the arduous process of firing someone for cause is part of the problem.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this either

I had this conversation with a contact a few years ago. Admittedly, I don't know what may have changed recently.

She used to talk a lot about it being very difficult to do in terms of how unpleasant it is, but she felt organisations were avoiding it due to the unpleasantness, rather than potential legal problems

Interested to know your view, if we're not derailing this thread too much

I'm not working today and somehow I'm talking shop 🤦🏽‍♀️

Woollyguru · 04/12/2025 15:25

Wishihadanalgorithm · 03/12/2025 19:21

Thanks for the new thread!

I’m loving watching Kemi at PMQs. She is ferocious and really clear. My favourite part is when the camera cuts to Reeves and Starmer - they both look so uncomfortable and I swear they would run out if they could.

How long either of them have left don’t know but surely they will be gone within the next six months.

Who is left though?

I hope people will start to see the good work Kemi is putting in. She is holding a mirror up the the government and making them accountable whilst they they try to slither and writhe away from her questions. She has PM written all over her.

I can't stand them and they should definitely go. But at the same time we have to be careful what we wish for. What if one of/both Angela R and Torsten B get take over? The backbenchers are ruling the roost and they and the leadership would then be on the same page.

The bond markets would freak out though...

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 15:28

@SpaceRaccoon brilliantly put

I never saw the actual study. I just remember becoming aware of extended adolescence and then hearing all sorts of weird excuses for it which apparently had scientific backing.

But at the moment, people also believe they could be storing trauma in their shoulder so I no longer know what to make of a lot of of "science"

When I was 25, it was absolutely normal for workplace full of 25-year-olds to be working long hours at building their career. It's key career building time.... except now it's not.

I have recently met a couple of 25-year-olds who are following that kind of old model. Also, one of them is helping out with her dad's gardening business at weekends. Honestly, it was
an absolute joy to meet someone like that.

I joke about my young exboyfriend on here but in real life, someone who has worked since he was 16 years old actually isn't a norm in terms of 20 somethings. it's almost as if young people are encouraged not to work and not to take responsibility.

I don't get it. But I guess that makes me old and out of date.

Woollyguru · 04/12/2025 15:37

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 11:01

With delaying of local elections, their excuse is the local government reorganisation. I actually don't know who wanted this reorganisation. Does anyone here know?

This is slightly off topic for where we are currently, but I watched the latest Triggernometry interview with Graham Linehan. at the very end, like the last 10 minutes, they talked about politics and society more generally. One thing Graham mentioned was that in the past, you could be confident that somebody knew how to do their job, e.g. the bank manager etc Now there is this sense of nobody knowing what they're doing. And he said that it's like if you opened the cockpit door and just found the cockpit was empty - applying across all areas.

I know exactly what he means, and it really bothers me. I posted about it on here, and I mentioned it in context of work, and the threads didn't get any engagement really.

I asked a couple of contacts about it - I realise you have to be careful about that - and one of them said she thinks it's a demotivation issue. But the other actually said to me bluntly "you know what, I am terrible at getting back to people, I have left people waiting weeks for a response, so I'm not in a position to complain". And she's quite casual about it.

In a way, I do think it's a reflection of politics. If nobody can be bothered with administration, everything falls apart. Worse than that, you get people proposing crazy "solutions" which in turn starts me off wondering if all the neglect and decline is deliberate. Because it's much easier to bring in a new system when you can argue that the old one doesn't work at all, even if it's a fake argument, how many people are going to see that?

I have got the big 50 coming up next year. I'm sorry if this comment doesn't belong on this thread, but it's another example of "hopefully I won't be here when the shit really hits the fan". But it does seem to be speeding up. Which it always was going to under a Labour government.

I've had someone at work who submitted an invoice and thought it would be ok if she guessed the VAT!

SpaceRaccoon · 04/12/2025 15:46

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 15:28

@SpaceRaccoon brilliantly put

I never saw the actual study. I just remember becoming aware of extended adolescence and then hearing all sorts of weird excuses for it which apparently had scientific backing.

But at the moment, people also believe they could be storing trauma in their shoulder so I no longer know what to make of a lot of of "science"

When I was 25, it was absolutely normal for workplace full of 25-year-olds to be working long hours at building their career. It's key career building time.... except now it's not.

I have recently met a couple of 25-year-olds who are following that kind of old model. Also, one of them is helping out with her dad's gardening business at weekends. Honestly, it was
an absolute joy to meet someone like that.

I joke about my young exboyfriend on here but in real life, someone who has worked since he was 16 years old actually isn't a norm in terms of 20 somethings. it's almost as if young people are encouraged not to work and not to take responsibility.

I don't get it. But I guess that makes me old and out of date.

Due to a new house purchase, I've met a few apprentice/newly qualified tradies recently and it's such a huge relief to meet younger people with their shit together.

Yes I remember 25 as a crucial age, it's when you'd maybe just changed to your second job, a bit more experienced and senior than a grad position, and you worked all the hours God sent and definitely didn't argue back with managers and senior colleagues.

I'm agog at the VAT thing. They'll rapidly learn that if any efficiency still exists in the world, it'll be HMRC calculating how much VAT you owe them.

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 15:52

@Woollyguru "guess" as in, confident she could do the calculation in her head or just picking a number?

@SpaceRaccoon I do hope we get more young people going into trades. We really need them.

LupaMoonhowl · 04/12/2025 16:47

redange · 04/12/2025 16:16

Gosh that would be good !!!!!

Upstartled · 04/12/2025 16:49

It's like Where's Wally trying to find the Labour seats on that map.

Upstartled · 04/12/2025 16:52

I hope we get some proper MRP polling soon. It would be interesting to see how things are looking with all the big changes over the last few months. They must be due soon.

DancingFerret · 04/12/2025 18:09

EmeraldRoulette · 04/12/2025 12:30

@Upstartled sorry for the gloominess!

I think I was just relieved to hear the cockpit analogy because I sometimes find myself going "is it just me?" But being honest, I don't really say this stuff to anyone except my mum - I hadn't thought of it has been too depressing. That's a helpful comment. I actually avoid the topic because I wonder if it just makes me sound like a crazy person and perhaps like an out of date person who isn't getting on well with the more relaxed attitude that seems to be prevalent.

I couldn't help but smile at the cockpit analogy. While there's a definite sense of lack of leadership and professionalism in many sectors, you'll be pleased/relieved to know aviation (my industry) remains regulated to the hilt.

DancingFerret · 04/12/2025 18:23

TheNuthatch · 04/12/2025 10:11

Enjoy, sounds lovely. 😁
Its grey, wet and miserable oop north today.

Hope you're getting somewhere with the leak repairs at home.

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Water leak repairs have ground to a halt. The contractors employed to re-lay the flooring and redecorate the affected areas don't respond to phone calls or emails. Poor communication is discourteous and makes me see red. It's turning into a saga and definitely won't be finished this side of Christmas given the work involved. The only positive is the floors are dry and apparently they have the very necessary drying certificate.

I envy you Yorkshire Pudding wrap; hope it met with your expectations.😋