Good things that the Labour Government has done in the last 12 years.

[MrsMerryHenry]

Come on, with an election due, shall we see if we can come up with a balanced appraisal of them before we vote?

(keep your eyes out for Thread 2 on this theme)

[Marioandluigi]

Tax credits
Raising Child Benefit

[GoppingOtter]

that sounds a bit ranty sorry i found the 'other' thread before this

[GoppingOtter]

I find it HARD to go to ANY town and NOT see huge amounts of rebuilding developing and modernising of all schools

In our town of 35000 ish ALL the schools have had huge projects undertaken in the last 12 years

shitty prefabs removed - the local comp doubled in size and thus facilities. A primary school re built entirely on a plot promised to it over 50 years ago

other primaries re landscaped - outdoor classrooms removed and lovely new extensions

taking kids into schools for over 12 years now i have seen this change

I wish parents would stop whingeing about what labour have not done and look at what they HAVE

[GoppingOtter]

i might need to cut and paste from the other thread

[fembear]

I don't think that NuLab can take full credit for Northern Ireland - they took over where John Major left off (or do I mean Bill Clinton?)

But what about taking credit for pissing off Muslim extremists so that we now have a different bunch of people bombing us?

[JollyPirate]

Ignore all typos in my previous post - tired.

[JollyPirate]

Children's Centres have been fantastic because as a HV there are now resources to refer into - which were not there under the Tories. I have downloaded the plans the Tories have for health reform and one of their plans is to drastically increase the number of HV's by doiing away with Children's Centre Outreach Workers. TBH I think this is a massive mistake (and have written to DC to tell him so). Some of the families I work with in very poor circumstances welcome an outreach worker with much more enthusiasm than a HV. The outreach worker does not feel like a threat and befriend them - they often achieve far more than I could because some of these families distrust the title HV (and often with good reason at times).

Perdsonally I think Childrens Centres and Outreach services are Labours crowning glory and I will be devastated if we lose them under the Tories. I don't trust the Conswervatives as public health was never high on their agenda in the past (well down the list of priorities).

Their housing plans look good though.

As far as I am concerned some of the less desirable underclass have been created by poor investment in families and public health during the Conservatives previous administration - let's hope they have made changes but with 3 ex-members of the infamous Bullingdon Club in the shadow cabinet I don't hold out a lot of hope.

Or am I wrong?

[notagrannyyet]

Limited infant class sizes to 30. If I remember correctly paid for by scrapping assisted places in private schools.

Think they have brought in nutritional guide lines for school meals. Maybe that was Jamie Oliver.

[Wonderstuff]

I'm intrigued as to what Tony Benn, lovely chap and outstanding speaker that he is, has actually done during this government??

[Wonderstuff]

Had GB not deregulated so much of the finacial services I doubt we would have been hit so hard by the current recession, he allowed this rediculous trading to take place. He is definitly more part of the problem than the solution imo.

daftpunk I think that DFID is more important than ever now actually, the link between poverty and unstable government is clear. There are good reasons why DFID's budget has been protected at the moment. The worlds problems are our problems because the economy is so globalised.

[ilovemydogandmrobama]

Human Rights Act
Tony Benn

[daftpunk]

mimimum wage.

PW;

doubt many people give a toss about DFID...esp when this country is in such a mess....sort your own problems out before taking on the worlds..

have to disagree with you on all-women shorlists aswell....sexist.

[MarthaFarquhar]

repealed clause 28

[DrNortherner]

I loved Mo Mowlam. RIP Mo.

Met her on a few ocassions, even had tea in her Redcar house. Lovely lady.

[DrNortherner]

Getting rid of double jeapordy law
Civil Partnerships
Extended MAT leave
Paternity leave
Free fruit for Key Stage 1
More money to schools & NHS
Hunting ban

[policywonk]

Macpherson inquiry

all-women shortlists

[notagrannyyet]

Not sure if global banking crisis can be blamed on GB alone.

[policywonk]

Ed Miliband's recent carbon plan took lots of green campaigners by surprise, in that it's actually rather good

Labour's budgets, according to independent research by the IFS, have been consistently redistributive - ie, they took money away from the richest and gave it to the poorest.