Yes I do think the left have a propensity to create ‘I’m alright, Jack’ outcomes. More so than they right. Virtuous intentions and bad results is what the left is all about.
I completely disagree I think you're talking about a certain type of person who CLAIMS to be left leaning but actually isn't. I've come across them too. Claim to believe in fairness for all...until it DARES to cause any inconvenience for them! Scratch the surface and they may not be Tory voters but likely vote snp, Lib Dems or similar but NEVER labour, even when it was new labour! (Which was Tory lite anyway but this kind of person didn't even vote labour then)
True left leaning people want fair and humane treatment of everyone from basics (housing, warmth) upwards even when that causes inconvenience for those better off.
Problem we have now is that our economy has been structurally weakened by people who have only opinions but no ideas
Again I disagree
Our weak economy ALSO goes back to Thatcherism as Blossomtoes has already referenced.
Thank you Blossomtoes it is NOT the left that tend to be nimby/I'm alright jacks at all!
Thatcher and thatcherites didn't care about the society them and their policies created - as long as it didn't negatively affect them! (See my earlier point re left and right)
Housing was sold off purely for short term gain, the same applied to school fields and outbuildings, council owned sports fields, almost every manufacturing and resource based industry we had! Coal, steel, tin, electronics manufacture, energy, telecoms, public transport...
The list goes on and on.
They sold pretty much EVERYTHING without giving a fuck as to the long term consequences for the country.
They'd have sold the nhs too if they could have got away with it! They absolutely wouldn't have at that point as their main voters very much remembered a time before the nhs.
Since then NO uk govt has truly invested in uk industries and talent. We have among the most skilled and talented people in the world with regard to IT and electronics, mechanical and civil engineering, the arts (theatre & cinema not only actors directors etc we produce the best special effects techs etc too, music we have not only great artists and songwriters etc we have fantastic technicians and producers), economics and accountancy, environmental science, pharmaceutical science and several others - we lose them to USA, Asia, Canada, Australia etc because we don't only not pay them properly (not talking loads enough to live on in some cases!) we don't value them and nurture them and their industries
With regard to energy we are an island with a huge amount of coastline in proportion to land mass, we get high winds in most elevated areas and yet we don't maximise the potential of tidal and wind power. This would serve the environment AND keep bills low IF publicly owned and controlled within the uk
We have amazing scientists who've developed and invented various ways in which to reduce energy use, use alternative sources of energy eg for fuelling cars but we don't support and develop this.
I'm old enough (just) to have known and paid certain bills and known how costs related to income BEFORE Utilities etc were privatised/sold off and shareholders decided on costs to maximise profits.
Worst thing that EVER happened to this country in living memory (for most) and definitely in terms of the long term ramifications to not only costs but environmental damage, health effects etc too
Short sighted, greedy, corrupt politicians is why!
But also people continuing to vote for them!