If Labour came into power

[Rosewaterblossom]

If Labour were to come into power tomorrow, what is it people think they would do better?

Not what Labour governments of the past have done.. I mean Labour 2022. What would be new/better?

@Mundra

Increased tax and increased borrowing.

Have you see how many billions the Tories have wasted over the past couple of years?!

Test and trace, PPR, unrecovered fraudulent business loans.....

I am a Labour voter. If they were to take over tomorrow they would get all the blame for the inflation/govt debt/cost of living crisis that's coming our way and be out of power again for another generation.

But would they be better? Yes. For a start some common fucking decency - I'm so angry about the cynical ghouls that form this Government.

I would vote for a pig in a muffler if I thought it would get this bunch of wankers out.

I've emailed my MP (whom I voted for) to say I won't vote for him or his party while Bruised Johnson is PM.

If everyone that feels the same way I do did this, it might have some impact.

Labour policies can be found very easily with a quick search of the internet. <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=inews.co.uk/news/politics/labour-party-conference-2021-announcements-policy-climate-crime-education-1222508/amp&ved=2ahUKEwjyuriT0er1AhVMZMAKHWOAARcQFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0n4opgu0RTirJz6YGcFNy7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here is a summary of policy proposals from the last party conference in September.
These are the their proposals re. the energy crisis.

@FlapsInTheWind

I've emailed my MP (whom I voted for) to say I won't vote for him or his party while Bruised Johnson is PM.

If everyone that feels the same way I do did this, it might have some impact.

I did the same last week. Not feeling confident about the response I got back though!

You have misunderstood me. This is about what labour would do better.
Increased tax and increased borrowing are necessary.
We need huge investment in public services. Schools and social care are falling apart.

@Redgreenbluehooray

Labour in charge in Wales for 22 years has gone so well. Health service and education dire (worse than England) and eradicating women more important than sorting out the big stuff. Incompetent and hellbent on pushing ideology.

God help us if they get in at at UK level although I agree the Tories are a bunch of lying bastards too.

Yes, why don't you look at Wales to see how well Labour are performing?

Labour are not fully in charge in Wales though. Despite devolution their powers are too limited by being part of the UK under a Tory government.

@lumpofcomfort

Labour policies can be found very easily with a quick search of the internet. inews.co.uk/news/politics/labour-party-conference-2021-announcements-policy-climate-crime-education-1222508/amp&ved=2ahUKEwjyuriT0er1AhVMZMAKHWOAARcQFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0n4opgu0RTirJz6YGcFNy7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here is a summary of policy proposals from the last party conference in September. These are the their proposals re. the energy crisis.

The most important comment on this thread!

Labour don't really get a look in with a lot of the right wing MSM. They need to find another angle such as social media (or anything really) and quickly. I don't know much about Kier and he's too low profile. If there's any hope getting the Tories out they need to be more visible. So much corruption and sleaze going on and I've heard barely any opposition at all - there's so much they could be doing

Labour are not fully in charge in Wales though. Despite devolution their powers are too limited by being part of the UK under a Tory government.
That's nonsense.

Labour in Wales are charge of key areas that are doing very badly, imho because they're terrified of falling out with the trade unions - eg education, health, public transport.
They've failed to create a skilled workforce and prefer fiddling with stuff like the LGBT action plan while happily erasing women and shutting down dissenting voices and blaming the UK Government for all the failures.

Well, for a start, I think they would focus on the business of actually governing the country rather than trying to defend the indefensible. That would be a good start.

Then I think that they would implement policies that would benefit the most vulnerable in our society rather than lining the pockets of their rich friends. That would also be progress.

I think they would invest in public services rather than just talking about vague notions of "levelling up" that don't appear to have any substance behind them.

I am not particularly enthused by the current state of the labour party, and I am not happy with their stance on women/trans issues, but I do think that they would be a million times better than the shit show that we have in government right now.

And yes, Keir Starmer lacks charisma but at least he has integrity. That counts for a lot in my book.

Only have to look at London with labour mayor to see how bad it'll be. Pay per mile charging for drivers, mismanging funds, bad at crime. .with knife crime on the rise. Money spent on pointless vanity projects.

@Redgreenbluehooray

Labour are not fully in charge in Wales though. Despite devolution their powers are too limited by being part of the UK under a Tory government. That's nonsense.

Labour in Wales are charge of key areas that are doing very badly, imho because they're terrified of falling out with the trade unions - eg education, health, public transport.
They've failed to create a skilled workforce and prefer fiddling with stuff like the LGBT action plan while happily erasing women and shutting down dissenting voices and blaming the UK Government for all the failures.

Can the Labour government in Wales raise taxes to spend more on Health or Education?

@Dreamstate

Only have to look at London with labour mayor to see how bad it'll be. Pay per mile charging for drivers, mismanging funds, bad at crime. .with knife crime on the rise. Money spent on pointless vanity projects.

City councils have a legal duty to meet clean air targets, central government then washes its hands of any ideas of how to achieve that, so clean air zones are one of the few tools available to the cities. See also their implementation in Birmingham and Glasgow, which as far as I know are not Labour mayors/councils.

I've not seen anything in their recent manifestos that was any different, so I honestly don't know.

I'd like to see better support for the NHS, a period of stability for education, a shortened but wholly committed-to list of levelling up measures related to education & early years. A limited rise in corporation tax - probably 1%.

Removal of VAT from domestic heating bills up to a max of £1500 p.a. I don't see the 'value-add' in preventing your granny from freezing.

Safe spaces for women re-established everywhere immediately, and scrapping all the ridiculous when-is-a-woman-not-a-woman crap.

Well they tend to be less openly hostile towards the lower classes.

Honestly at this point I’d vote for a llama in a fez over the Tories.
They’ve been in power for a long long time and they have completely and utterly shit the bed. Poverty, food banks, “jobs for mates”, the Prime Ministers ridiculous comments on everything, corruption and coronavirus parties- do any of you SERIOUSLY think they’re doing a good job??!

Can the Labour government in Wales raise taxes to spend more on Health or Education?

Yes, they now have tax raising powers.

BBC News - New income tax powers for Wales to come into force
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-47787228

@Mumoblue, If the lower classes want to continue to be the lower classes, then I can't find a great deal of sympathy.

However, if there's some ambition to do a little or a lot better than the parents generation, then the best advice is still to force your children through the educational mill... because only after coming out the other side will your children have choices available. Do not tell DD that she can be a Disney princess by doing dance and drama A levels, or DS that a sport science GCSE is going to turn him into Mo Salah. Teach them about the work and effort that goes into success. Old chestnut from an old teacher, possibly from Bill Gates: the only place that success comes before work is in a dictionary.

Which has b-all to do with Labour policy.

Frankly it's hard to imagine worse than the current shower.

@XingMing I think very few of us want to stay where we are, and -now I don’t mean this unkindly- I don’t want your sympathy, or anyone else’s. I just don’t want to be treated like scum of the earth because circumstances have meant I can’t work right now.

But I agree, education is important.

@Mumoblue, I wasn't offering sympathy, I was trying to be realistic. And I have no wish to treat you or anyone else as less important. If my post sounded like that I apologise wholeheartedly. If you can't work, then I think your basic human needs should be met, respectfully and politely. But if you want the thermostat set at 27C rather than 19, I might quibble that you should buy a warm jumper and wear it.

I suppose I am saying I can't imagine defining myself as the "lower" classes. I have hope and optimism that work and education would be a path to middle class. Although most of MN seems to think that's a dire fate.

@XingMing

No offence taken.

My thermostat is at 15, and me and my son are wearing our jumpers inside already. We’re coping well for now, who knows what will happen when the energy prices go up.

Circling back to the topic I think the Tory government and the media have been too happy to blame the supposed “lazy poor” while turning a blind eye to corruption and millionaires/billionaires getting away with murder. My hope is that now the middle classes are feeling more of the pinch, they won’t be putting up with it much longer.

I've given this some thought and the only clearly stated Labour policy I can remember I'd get rid of student loans and tbh I'm not sure that was Labour. It's shocking that all Labour seems to stand for us name calling and virtue signalling I genuinely don't know what they would do.