To ask what the country was like under a Labour government?

[user6776]

I'm too young to remember a proper Labour government. I was 12 when the Tories got voted in back in 2010 so that's all I've ever really known.

How much better was it than it is now? Why did Labour lose the election back then anyway?

Interested to hear people's opinions.

Chilcot exposes how Blair kept ministers and generals in the dark.

Iraq war report underlines how decisions about legality and execution of military campaign were not discussed by cabinet.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/06/chilcot-exposes-how-blair-kept-ministers-and-generals-in-the-dark

If anyone raised any concerns about the speed of change, they were branded a racist.

They still are. There has been no change there. I can only imagine those so happy to fling out that insult when discussing these matters are either completely unaffected or their opinions are completely frozen and unable to adjust when given new information. Or more generously, they’re scared of being called racist too.

Good Posts @Tallisker

That’s what I said.

I seem to remember reading late 2022, somewhere, that Tesco's ClubCard statistics suggested the actual population of the UK could be nearer 75m than the official 69m. Regardless, the population has increased as @Tallisker said, but the country hasn't built the houses, classrooms or hospitals to cope, and the landmass hasn't grown either.

Very disillusioned with current politics and politicians. We need an infusion of fresh ideas, but nothing I see, read or hear from either major political party suggests any being forthcoming. And no minor party is any more appealing.

Oops. I lost my Tesco clubcard and their website kept logging me out when I tried to order a replacement. So I got one in my dog's name.

Maybe some people have more than one Clubcard @Papyrophile? Are we really reduced to relying on a supermarket loyalty scheme for population stats?

@Papyrophile the official stats say 67 million, but last I heard Tesco and the water companies were saying it was at least 70 million. Interesting Tesco have now estimated higher again.

We're either all eating, drinking and peeing very much more, or the population has increased 😁

@Blossomtoes It's a large scheme with millions of members, all all three of our family use the same Clubcard number, so we probably balance out some of those with multiples. Via mathematical extrapolations, it's likely to be a little less accurate than census data but some people don't complete that either!

I was born in the sixties so remember the real Labour Governments of the 70's. What I remember is strike after strike, going home from school to power cuts, the three day week, rubbish mounting up and bodies unburied. It was not a happy time, the country was in thrall to the Unions. Although anti union measures may have gone too far now, this was what happened that led to this. And I only speak through the eyes of a very young person at the time.

Blair and Brown were a completely different ball game and tbf, I could not even tell the difference from the Tories other than better ideas. The problem with this as another poster has said, is that those ideas were not properly costed nor managed. One in particular was an excellent project keeping young mums in education. But there was no project coordinator locally, it being managed remotely, leaving unsupported young people falling by the wayside. They also bought in private healthcare to disperse the long NHS waiting lists. I know because my dd benefitted from this.

They also brought in Special Guardianship as a measure between residence orders and adoption. Again, good idea but ill conceived legislatively in that the very issue it sought to protect children from, it failed to do ie constant court applications by the bio parents.

Not too sure about Keir Starmer tbh but he will get in at the next GE so everyone will get a chance to experience life under Labour - or a sort of Labour.

The rank incompetence of Labour worries me greatly. Starmer is no Tony Blair

What about the rank incompetence of the current bunch?

Does that not worry you too?

I lost my FS (DB) scheme but it really wasn't Browns fault, the industry just realised that a) they weren't economical as people lived longer & investment returns just aren't good enough and b) they can make far more money from DC schemes.

Truss actually put the final nail in DB ones, as companies have had to take from DC pensions to prop up DB schemes as she collapsed Gilts.

But once again, if it was Browns fault, the Tories have had 13 years to put it all right again.

Well you hated Blair too, so i doubt you'd give either a glowing reference.

I 'd look at what Suella is telling us about the current PM for his "competence"

I’m no fan of either Sunak or Starmer, but you’re really telling us to believe Suella Braverman about something?

Are you still trotting that graph out. You know there was a global economic crash in 2008. GLOBAL.

Before that Labour had been in power for the longest period of economic growth in 120 years.

what was it like under Labour @user6776 ? I’ll tell you on one word: fairer. No it wasn’t perfect. No not everyone did well. But there was a lot lot less of this “I’m alright jack” mentality that seems so prevalent now.

Well, if she is a liar and dishonest, one would have to question Sunaks competence in having her in Govt for a year? he could have sacked her at any time or not even bought her back into Govt.

But what if she is telling the truth about him? & he lied to the nation with his 5 pledges.

Can't have your cake and eat it.

Oh, I’ve no doubt he’s incompetent. But if Suella Braverman told me that water is wet I’d feel the need to get a second opinion.

I think I agree with @BarneyAteMyHomework 's comment on Suella Braverman, and most of the talentless occupants of the high offices of state since BJ became PM.

But seriously, we do need to do better and fairer. I recall the poster above who said that her SiL and partner had seven kids, and couldn't afford to take a job because it would not have replaced their benefit income. While I am happy to swallow that with a tablespoon of salt because it was probably vanishingly rare, the idea that able-bodied people could be better off on benefits than working offends people who go out to work everyday and still struggle to make ends meet. There really is nothing more divisive that people striving to do their best while others take the Michael.

For the record, I also think Brown and Darling, especially Darling, did an awesome job during the GFC. It really isn't possible to predict every wrinkle, but they navigated an out-of-control bus through some shocking hairpin bends.

Cold, dirty, grim. That’s from the 70’s. Homework by candlelight, rats in the streets
Homework by candlelight and the 3 day week was under a Tory government. Go and check your facts.

Much better than the way we are now

@BitOutOfPractice

What do you object to about my "Size of NHS Waiting List" graph?

I do too.

We didn't feel it anything like we're feeling the pinch right now.

The Labour Party or the New Labour Party?

verdantverdure
What do you object to about my "Size of NHS Waiting List" graph?

September 2009
The NHS will have to find ways of saving up to £20 billion, Health Secretary Andy Burnham has told think tank, the King's Fund.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/6208651/NHS-told-to-find-ways-of-saving-20-billion.html