To think Labour is not the party of the working people.

[pinkpalmleaves]

I voted for Labour as I believed their election pledge of being a party for the working people but genuinely I can’t think of one thing, since they’ve been in power, that they’ve done to help me (a single working mother on around £42k a year)! I get zero help from UC, these mystical breakfast clubs don’t exist, people aren’t employing people due to their ridiculous NI implications, they aren’t building affordable housing, energy prices are insanely high and all they talk about is grants (which won’t affect me as I live in a flat)! Genuinely I can’t think of one thing that they’ve done to help working people in the middle. Why are Labour sticking their heads in the sand? Why do they refuse to help the squeezed working class? They are stopping this economy from thriving - as
nobody can afford to spend anything extra (treats, holidays, meals out etc etc)!

No, but how much do you want to bet that they’ll be taxing working people more to pay for the energy bills of people on benefits? So we’ll end up having to pay their energy bills, as well as our own.

By GDP but not per capita...so a large population (which is increasing) that isn't driving GDP growth. More people -!same size pie means less for everyone.

The UK owes so much money and now have to pay more interest...similar to a bank raising interest rates on someone with a poor credit rating.

The recent employment changes just burdened employers hence unemployment.

Benefits will have to be cut (including triple lock) employment has to be increased and legislation reduced to stimulate growth. Starmer has no authority in his party to implement changes, hence the u turns. Rayner would be a disaster.

Not sure we have a leader who can set the right course because the standard of MP is very low. They are career politicians who adopt whatever policy is likely to keep them in their seats.

It's extremely depressing. We are all heading for tougher times but it would be better to have sharp, painful policies for a few years rather than the awful slow decline that is the current tractetory.

sadly, they’ve become the party of the underclass on benefits. Squeezed middle classes be damned!

TBF Labour was specifically established to represent working people. How far they have come off track.

At one time it was, but in my lifetime, I would say it's more for professionals really. The old Labour voters wouldn't have been happy about their MPs having/renting multiple properties etc-they would see that as Tory.
And removing the grant from students, something that was meant to get people from poorer, working class backgrounds, into uni, would again have not been seen as a Labour thing-they would have thought it was Tories who would have removed that.

@Nomdemareyep!!! And the irony is if we ever complain we’re guilt tripped into being horrible people. How many years until the next GE! 😭😭

Which party do you feel is going to be able to turn things around?

The polls aren't exactly overwhelming for Labour...they got a very small amount of votes in the election and thats before people knew how hopeless they are. So the majority of voters don't support them. There are a vocal few still here on MN but they aren't representative. So I don't really pay much attention to people who call other people horrible for not supporting a very bad government.

Agree - but the benefit claimants will vote for them because that’s who they protect and represent. What happens when everyone is on benefits?! Who will be paying?!

Labour is the party of the benefits demographic. They’ve done nothing of consequence to help working people .

That is the question of the decade. Its not going to be Labour though. 14 years to prep and they've blown it comprehensively.

What's 3 for £100?

What is to blame? Genuine question

Net zero (government policy).

None of them, it isn't possible to halt the decline.

But the numbers of students dramatically increased which is why grants had to go.

What would you have preferred, less people attending uni or fewer students with grants for low income households? Genuine question as it isn't possible to subside vast amounts of students. Perhaps they should have looked to induce employers to offer funded degree apprenticeships to lower income students and capped salaries of VP at universities so costs were not as high

Agree with housing, creating professional landlords has distorted the housing market as well as allowing foreign investors to buy vast amounts of properties in the UK.

@PandoraSocksfor working people…. Greens - nope, Reform - would never vote for this horrendous party…. Depending on how Kemi keeps performing I think she speaks to me the most of any of the leaders (and yes I am expecting a tsunami of abuse for this opinion)! However, I think her party is the only party that actually want to get the economy moving - not pressing pause and screw over small business and working people!

@IrregularMo0nid agree. Net zero and millibands ridiculous grants and policies which most can’t access!

Benefit claimants make up Reform's core support rather than Labour's, funnily enough. Reform being the party that is promising to slash welfare.

This. I don't know what people are expecting

Whenever I hear people talking politics it seems to boil down to the government isnt doing enough for me, but is doing too much for someone else.

I like Kemi. For a start she doesn't look like the sort of person that would allow a donor to buy her clothes and glasses. She doesnt look vain, unlike the son of a tool maker with his greased back hair.

@hattie43the weird thing is, they have done nothing to help drag people out of poverty they’re just enabling it! So it will be a vicious circle. And the irony none of them will vote for Labour at the next election either!

Maybe benefits claimants dont want to be on benefits for ever and want a party that gives them hope.

I think the Conservatives were good at that witb IDSs approach.

Badenoch is not doing well in the polls though (yes I know Labour are doing terribly too, before anyone starts) and if predictions for May are correct she might not be leader for long.