Labour and democracy

[noddle55]

AIBU to be worried about the direction this Labour Government is heading?

In the last few weeks we have had;

Labour wanting to end right to trial by jury after 800 years for certain crimes.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/25/jury-trials-scrapped-most-crimes-lammy-murder-rape-backlog/

Postponing of four Mayoral elections for two years.
https://news.sky.com/story/labour-accused-of-scandalous-attempt-to-subvert-democracy-as-four-mayoral-elections-to-be-postponed-13479074

Not to mention Rachel Reeves disastrous budget and implications in the media that she may have misled the public about the £22 billion black hole.
https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/30/conservatives-launch-petition-called-sack-reeves-budget-24987892/

This does not look like a Government that cares for or represents the interests of the British people.

And before anyone starts, I thought the previous Government were an abomination, but they're not the ones in power now with a huge majority making these decisions.

YANBU - These events are worrying.
YABU - Nothing to see here.

I voted Labour. I'm very proudly left-wing.

But I wish I wouldn't have voted for Labour in the last election. Because under Kier, they're just Tories but in red. I'm seriously considering voting Lib Dems in the next election because I like their manifesto and I think it would be a breath of fresh air

I have never voted anything other than Labour
I will never ever vote Labour again
Anyone but them
They seem to be on a kamakasi mission
It has go to the point for me I just find it hilarious other tuan the damage they are doing to the economy

They’re all the same. Looking after their own jobs and their party before the country.

You are being unreasonable to not use the politics board

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/politics

I agree with removing trial by juries. I’ve been on a few juries and had been called for jury service a number of times. It seems like such a poor administrative mess to get those jury members to the court. If your child has been stabbed or you have been sexually assaulted do you really think it’s acceptable to be told that you’re going to have to wait 5 years? Because it’s not.

What's the saying "If I'm innocent I want a judge, if I'm guilty I want a jury"

They're not acting in the best interests of the country and they're actively trying to harm us now. It's a mixture of arrogance, ideological change and orders from above.

I am not fussed about the jury trials. We had to do something to crack the chaos in the courts at the moment
I am not fussed about the mayoral elections. It's only a couple of years delay

I do think the budget was poorly handled and that they badly misread the mood of the nation.

No thanks. I'm exercising my democratic right to post on the AIBU board (presumably not something which Labour has banned yet?).

What if the judge is biased? At least with a jury of peers you get a variety of different people with different opinions and life experiences.

If any other country banned elections, they would be accused of being undemocratic or authoritarians and Labour would be criticising them.

Wouldn't listen to anything Farage comes out with .

They aren't banned.

Stop lying

They aren't banned, they have been moved backwards two years. There aren't t mayoral elections in these areas previously - Labour are introducing them!

If opposition parties feel so strongly about the democratic role of mayoral elections it's interesting they never did anything about it in these areas previously

Those of us in part of the SW have had no effective representation since our MP, Dan Norris was arrested. He's suspended from the House and denied access to the computer services.

We are constantly fobbed of with being told his constituency team are excellent but essentially we have no MP and no one to raise our issues in the commons.

This really should not be allowed to continue like it has.

Yes apologies, not banned just delayed two years. Still not a good look.

I've done jury service and several people just wanted to get away as quickly as possible, we were being directed to go for a guilty verdict and they had no interest or time for discussion.
Before this I would have been screaming to keep the system.

Given it's a layer of government we never had before it's hardly the end of the world.

A lot of people understand that the loss of juries is a bad thing. One of those people is Mr David Lammy who said, in 2020:

"Criminal trials without juries are a bad idea. You do not fix the backlog with trials that are widely perceived as unfair."

Andy Burnham has asked the government to pause

Richard Burgon, a Labour MP spoke for many-including judges when he said these plans sent, " a chill through his heart."

There are many more examples and they can all be found on the BBC.

You do not jettison a historic right in order to clear and administrative jam, especially when there is broad agreement that it won't even do that.

It is appalling and yes, of course Labour is against democracy....cancelling elections and having one man decide a case that could involve the loss of freedom.

Will people accused under the new Islamophobia laws be entitled to ask for any judge except a Muslim? I know it has now been re-worded to "anti Muslim hostility" , although Lord Khan said in October, the original wording should be kept.

What if you are a woman accused of being transphobic and the judge is sympathetic to men, like Lammy, who believe a man can grow a cervix. Will you be able to ask for another judge?

Of course, Labour have said it will all be fine as Judges are professional and they have all had diversity training. That's OK then,

Labour are pretty dangerous. I know many think they are just stupid but being stupid doesn't mean softness-stupidity can often be dangerous.

They aren't cancelling elections. Repeating the lie does not make it true

Why come on here and lie? What's the point?

Are they not? Are all the local elections going ahead then?

Are you going to say they are postponed? 😂😂

It does appear it might not just be the mayoral elections delayed but the local ones as well, that will mean they are 3 years late. Some people might feel they could be justified in delaying paying their council tax in such circumstances.

They've been delayed, not cancelled.

Repeating the lie does not make it the truth

Why are you lying?

Yes, I thought you might say delayed or postponed...I even said that, complete with laughing face! I wish I'd put a bet on it!

A bag of shit by any other name is still a bag of shit!

So you're just here to push misinformation? How tedious