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)!

How unnecessary, if your posts get deleted that’s on you. Not on those who report them.

You don’t need the first part, well unless you get the same back. I’ve been clear I don’t know how to make it more digestible to you.

Higher taxes won’t get you growth. And you won’t get better services with lower growth. Higher debt is also a major issue

Who do normal slightly left of centre people vote for? Genuinely stumped. Used to be Labour but they are now the party for benefit claimants and I’m a business owner taxed to hell. . Reform over my dead body. Greens seem frankly mental. Is it full circle to the conservatives? I admit I like kemi. Never saw myself as a Tory voter but strange times.

Care in the home is already paid for by anyone with savings above £23.5k. May wanted to make a house taken into consideration so a charge would be levied on it to be repaid after death if the savings ran out. That’s fair enough when someone is in residential care because they don’t need the house any more but not for in home care.

@Blossomtoes

I meant to include the house value, a charge after death. I think it should be capped and a %. Why do you think that’s unfair?

I’m in that earning bracket and would not dream of claiming this.

@EasternStandard Im asking you what you would do to improve growth?

I don’t think anyone has argued higher taxes = higher growth have they? People were talking about tax vs the expectations of public services….

And you haven’t been clear at all, you have just constantly accused me of being a labour stan or whatever.

@Labelledelune I don’t get the 30 hours as dc are older but I use tax free childcare. Why wouldn’t I?

Hi all,
We have made several deletions on this thread and would strongly invite everyone to quit making personal attacks and get back to discussing politics.
Further, we'd really like to make clear that we welcome reports from allcomers, and that we will consider each one against our guidelines and delete if we deem it appropriate.
Posters who don't report with a view to maintaining standards of behaviour on the threads are really just contributing to the problem.
Best, and have at it once more. Goodness knows there's plenty to discuss without sniping at each other. Peace and love.

If you’re saying higher taxes won’t get you growth then you’ll struggle to maintain public services anyway.

Even Labour know that which is why they sold in pre GE the idea of growth for spending. They then forgot their other line you can’t tax for growth.

The way to do it is incentivise, particularly SMEs. Not what’s happening now which is the opposite.

Of course she has a choice! Good grief, she is not a child. And if that is where the local clubs can get pitches then it suggests that the schools are providing facilities where the council/government otherwise cannot.
Bloody stupid to be up in arms about these schools whilst happily playing fixtures on their pitches.

Not to mention that many private schools fill in gaps in state education that the government (this and previous) have failed to address - usually sports related but also other collaborations.

But I don’t want to derail the thread - point was about their braying from the opposition benches and blatant hypocrisy once in government.

@InWithPeaceOutWithStressyawn!!! No, I was saying I expected Labour to give help to those on UC which isn’t me! But I also expected them to help working people not on UC (that is me) by doing something/anything - perhaps taxing their tech buddies that they seem intent on protecting instead of me and my megre 43k salary to the hilt!

God I knew I tempted fate by flagging early on that this was a well meaning and balanced debate with no personal attacks! Came back on and what happened?

I wouldn’t worry it wasn’t much.

Wasting it on free meds, free bus passes for pensioners, translation services for NHS appointments, council vanity projects, HS1/2, etc.

Other European countries make pensioners contribute (with some % caps but they still pay), foreigners use apps or family to communicate if they can’t speak the language, etc - just to name a few things

Taxes are low compared to other countries but too many people aren’t contributing enough - some pay no NI at all or a pitiful amount.

If I’m honest I can’t rationalise it, it’s pure instinct. I guess for the reason I first stated and also because the cost of care in the home is a fraction of that in residential care.

Most pensioners are also tax payers.

How does a few small frictions in what is technically a free trade deal ruin an entire economy?

We are 23rd once you account for population. And even that is massively skewed due the large number of high earners in London and the Southeast. We also have incredibly low productivity once you get out of London and the SE due to lack of investment in modernisation, automation, and skills.

Ultimately, while we may have the 6th highest GNI in the world that is spread among a very large number of people.

I don’t know why you’re yawning. Your comment was a little confusing which is why I asked you to clarify. You said “I get zero help from UC”. That infers you’d like some help from UC.

What would you like the government to do to help you? Were you better supported under the last government and there’s something you’d like brought back?

I find the blanket blaming of governments a bit tiresome at this point, there’s only so many levers they can pull in the face of wider economic impacts - Brexit, trade wars with America, global energy prices, globalised wealth (ie the very wealthy moving all their wealth off shore) etc.

People in the U.K. are so entitled, they demand high quality services, a social safety net, and low taxation. Labour are bending over backwards to not increase the tax burden and are then constantly attacked for the poor public services which result from that.

Yes, Brexit was a disaster for the rest of the EU too. The UK was 18% of the whole EU economy prior to Brexit and losing that from a single market is obviously going to have profound effects. It would be the same as if California was no longer part of the US.

You think what’s happening to the EU economically is due to Brexit?