So frustrated and desperate for Labour to be bold and give the country something to believe in.

[youlookradishing]

This is my take on what is happening today.

I really do believe that the last decade and a half has left the country (Western world, actually) in a terrible situation and that any government with any moral values are in a totally impossible situation.

The economy needs fixing before the lasting change can happen and the public can reap any rewards, but the people are too desperate and cynical to wait. The vultures are circling and we are turning to populist voices who are looking to take advantage of our desperation by promising the impossible and delivering only for themselves to the detriment of us all.

Labour have actually tried to put the very limited public money in the right places (eg tightening up winter fuel allowance) but caved in and U-turned any time they face opposition. Policies like scrapping the two child benefit cap brought them negative press rather than positive, because of the fannying around.

Likewise they are actually bringing NHS waiting lists down and getting more houses built, but their messaging around this is utterly woeful and nobody seems to notice it’s happening.

Kier is FAR too bothered about being popular and trying to please everybody. He won the mandate in 2024 and he should have built a narrative of ‘this is gonna be shit for a while, but this is WHY, and this is why it will be WORTH it. He is trying to deliver but any positives are being utterly drowned out because there is no vision for us to believe in! At the end of the day, nothing he can deliver will ever be enough in the short term, when we’re starting from such a low baseline. This is about vision and messaging. Look at Trump, the guy is a complete lunatic, but he has charisma and tells a good story and THAT is what gets people on board long enough to actually have an impact.

I honestly believe that this Labour government are the best hope this country have got - come on Kier, time to turn it around and give us something to believe in, because we have everything to lose if you don’t!

Not for lockdown itself, but it being dragged out for months and months and months. In opposition, Labour could have pointed out the damage prolonged lockdowns were causing to the economy, prolonging the period of paying people to do nothing, damage to education, and to the well being of children; they completely failed to do so. They were complicit in “frightening the pants off the public”, and in destroying children’s futures: by silence would have been bad enough, but they were actively clamouring for more and more lockdown restrictions. I think the government would have liked to reopen schools in June 2020, and not to have closed them after one day in January, but the clamouring made it politically impossible. (Also that the government painted themselves into a corner by saying “we will do whatever it takes to protect you”, when their only tool was lockdown, and fear mongering.

Labour were then quick to criticise Partygate, but had absolutely nothing to say about the reason Partygate happened: that many of the restrictions were utterly absurd, and the government knew it.

A simple statement of “we are sorry that we supported prolonged lockdowns, we can see the damage that it caused” would take the sting out of a lot of things. But the closest we will get to that is a whispered “lessons will be learned” when the inquiry reports.

Labour will change leader. The change will take Labour to the left with higher tax and spend. The higher taxes will yield lower growth and the UK will struggle. The bulk of the extra tax will be paid by higher middle earners as is always the case. Burnham will also tax London and South East properties higher. Life going forward will be tougher still.

A simple statement of “we are sorry that we supported prolonged lockdowns, we can see the damage that it caused” would take the sting out of a lot of things

That is true but it’s hindsight. IIRC at the time people were terrified and were quick to criticise anyone who defied the rules. I remember reams of threads on here along the lines of ‘do you want people to DIE?’

Re your first wish ......Labour already floated this and were told in no uncertain terms by all those with the slightest thread of economic acumen that it was madness, would paralyze the housing market and ultimately result in less tax take overall. So would you press on in these circumstances?

How do you know I'm not rich myself?

I very much doubt this will happen. Burnham is going to struggle to get elected because Reform will pull out all the stops to make sure he doesn't.

Oh, I remember them well: and the sad thing was that nobody was brave enough to challenge this narrative. It’s all very well Kemi and the like saying their “shocking but truthful” stuff now, when nobody did so then. Ironically, if Johnson had been in opposition, rather than government, I think he might have been one of the few who dared. It was obvious that he thought it was madness, and “my handlers made me do it”.

Oh seriously, is there anything you won't blame Labour for??
Did they force Boris Johnson to hold those parties? Perhaps they started Covid in the first place?

Next you'll be saying that Labour forced Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng to try to bankrupt the country in a few short weeks!

What is it with that old buffoon Boris Johnson that right wing supporters will literally forgive him anything?
Couldn't have been his fault 'eh?
"They made me do it, honest, guv!"

Because you’ve given it away with that comment right there. Socialists normally think that anyone not on the breadline is rich.

When in reality, the rich who pay the majority of the tax in this country make up a very small number, and getting smaller all the time.

I’d wager that you are not one of them.

And let’s suppose you were. So what? Doesn’t mean you have a scooby about fiscal reality.

Let’s hope they do. And successfully.

Have I really? Well, just shows what you know doesn't it?

Interesting that you assume that anyone with any money and who earns well is going to resent paying tax and going to be right wing...

Yes it does show that I know. Thanks

Yeah, but you don't though. Thanks. Have a nice evening. Best wishes to you. 🤣💰💰

.

I’m actually one of Labour’s supporters! I’d rather have them than Tories or Reform. I don’t blame them for lockdowns, and certainly not for Covid. But I do very much blame them for their complicity in lockdown and the campaign of fear being as damaging as they were, and completely failing to voice any opposition to both.

There is no certainty I agree, but in Manchester Burnham is popular and there is a strong likelihood he will get elected. If he does not then Streeting becomes Prime Minister which would still move Labour leftwards and make an eventual Reform victory more likely.

Streeting is more right. Although that will become futile as the same hard left backbenchers will continuing not giving support to any leader who isn't on the left.

Don’t know what?

I don't think those that are a bit better off resent paying tax. I think they resent paying more and more and seeing the services they are paying towards getting worse and worse. I think most people wouldn't be happy about paying more for less, whether that's tax or something else

He doesn't stand a chance. Anyone with an ounce of integrity and reasonable judgement would have already accepted their failure and done the decent thing. It's a great pity Starmer is a self serving individual who has placed his own interests above those of the country.

And by the time you’ve paid for education, healthcare and all the other public services you take for granted you’d be no better off.

Possibly, but will have far more choice over education, healthcare etc,rather than having to take the lottery of school allocations for example

I’d vote for you!