Labour - Buyer’s Remorse?

[MyNameIsX]

A simple question for those of you who voted Labour at the last GE - tactically or for the first time etc., (not those of you who are dyed in the wool socialists).

How are you now feeling about your decision, honestly?

Honestly, when I read the papers I think they are disappointing BUT when I think about my actual life they are not. I am no better or worse off than I was plus it’s quite nice not to have the political chaos we had before. 3 prime ministers in such a short time was ridiculous. A few less U-turns would be good though.

This, basically. I’m glad I voted Labour. Would the Tories have been better? They hadn’t been in the past decade.

Same here.

KS is a bit of a disappointment but things are getting better, despite the naysayers (improvement on NHS waiting times, more spaces for NHS dentists, improvement on renters rights, train strikes, a start on recruiting more teachers and doctors).

Happy not to have the Tory chaos.

No remorse here as the alternative is even worse. It is a shit state to be in but who the hell is there to vote for that would make the right positive changes? If an election was called tomorrow I have no idea who I would vote for.

I wish I felt the changes you say are happening. My DD is still waiting for foot surgery after a year on a waiting list (and in the news recently, figures show that Wes Streeting has somewhat massaged the figures of extra appointments), trains regularly cancelled on my lines to work due to shortage of train crew.

Not sure about renters rights - isn't that still going through Parliament and was introduced under Tories in any case so would have happened.

My life feels no better, just slightly worse due to tax changes that impact me.

I knew that personally I would likely be worse off under Labour but regardless of their current performance, there was no other viable alternative at the time of voting. Or now, to be honest.

Same here. People have short memories if they think the tories would have been the better option

I didn't vote Labour, but this is pretty much how I feel too.

I AM a dyed in the wool socialist and don’t think much to KS or Labour. But, I didn’t before the election either, and the Tories would have been (and had been) far worse.

I wonder if even a lot of dyed-in-the-wool socialists will have been very disappointed to have ended up with red Tories - as there does not actually appear to be a proper left-wing alternative right now.

It's one of the big problems with UK politics: one of the parties gets into power because enough people have grown to/always did hate the other main party.

It's like offering people a meal choice of either dog poo or offal - and then using the results as 'proof' of just how very much people clearly 'love' offal as their very favourite meal choice of all.

I used to be Tory but they had 14 years, 10 of which there was no Covid or Ukraine & they totally messed it all up.

I also remember the Brexit debacle, Liz Truss and the damage it did to my pension and a whole lot more, so no i don't regret voting Labour.

They have 14 years of failure to deal with, the state of our country isn't on Labour yet.

Btw Socialists wouldn't vote Labour, any more than fascists would vote for the Tories.

The choice between dumb and dumber means there really is no positive choice is there?

That’s pretty much where I am. I’d like to have a more dynamic leader but I can’t think of a government since the 70s that’s inherited more of a poison chalice. My biggest frustration is the way they’ve hemmed themselves in with their manifesto tax promises.

I think now what I thought then. That they're far from perfect and that there are many things that I would like them to do differently, but that they're currently the best option that we've got.

They set themselves up for a fall full of hope and promises and they have failed to live upto this

tbf any party would but they lead us to bet the streets would be paved with gold

My life feels no different to how it’s felt in the last 3-4 years in the UK. High cost of living, high taxes, little return. I feel no positive impact of any changes made by labour (yet). So in summary, it may be too soon to tell.

Alike other posters, I’m also thankful not to have the Tory chaos and constant changing of PMs. There seems some stability in KS at the very least.

No they didn't, well that wasn't my take away - Starmer also said pre election, 10 year plan to rebuild NHS.

But they really did fuck up with expenses & WFA, 2 massive own goals & now benefits climb down.

They are also very timid, often continuing with Con plans.

Agree @BIossomtoes. The tax commitments that they made in the manifesto are one of my biggest frustrations.

Labour have certainly inherited some major challenges - public services in chaos, a failing economy, massive geopolitical instability, the growth of the far right etc. I certainly wouldn't want to be in charge right now! And to give credit where credit is due, Starmer has done pretty well on the global stage. But he needs to get more of a grip at home and convince us that they actually have a plan. I think they need to sort out their PR as well. They have actually done some good stuff but they're not very good at telling anyone about it.

I think that there might well be a few more labour prime ministers in the exact same short time…Kier Starmer can’t last out much longer. He is extremely unpopular. For a first term government their approval rating is lower than any other at the same time and lower even than the tories were before the election.
He won’t lead the party into the next election and win.

You can’t win an election on policies which only align to the liberal left - he’ll need to attract the working class who are defecting to reform. So he absolutely needs to get control of illegal immigration. He also needs the votes of the middle ground, middle aged,historically Tory voting electorate. He is increasing losing their support by talks/introduction of wealth tax, house value tax and pension taxes.

I’m not quite sure where he goes from here. Zero economic growth. An increasingly expensive and bloated public sector. A chancellor chasing her tail to ‘balance the books’ who won’t be able to service the debt without increasing the basic rate of tax - which she’s promised not to do.

they do need to be bold. Scrap expensive planning laws and get building nuclear power stations fast. Ditto with railways. Copy Denmark re immigration issue. Lower corporation taxes and attract businesses to domicile here. Build good social housing fast.

Absolutely this.

All of what you want costs billions - where from??? Reeves would love to do what you suggest.
Scrap planning laws? and have even more unfavourable headlines? even reducing them has the Mail in a fit.

Starmer, as a PM is more popular than Farage and Badenoch, so wont be going anywhere.

However, at present, Labour wont win outright, but 4 years is a very long time.

For a first term government their approval rating is lower than any other at the same time

That’s not quite true, is it? It’s exactly where Thatcher was after the first year of her first term.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/18/Mrs-Thatcher-called-Britains-most-unpopular-leader-since-WW-II/7728377499600/

No remorse here. Yes, I'm disappointed but they were - and are - the best of a very bad lot.

The Tories have been asset-stripping the country to make themselves and their cronies wealthy for 14 years, and pretty much dismantled the country's infrastructure the process. City councils are bankrupt.

The final Tory government lied and covered up how broke they'd left us , so all plans and manifesto pledges made by Labour (and the other opposition parties) went up in flames when the real situation came to light.

It's shit. Labour are making a hash of it. But less of a hash than their predecessors would have.

No remorse here.

After 14 years of Tory shit show, it was obvious that the country wasn’t going to miraculously improve in the first year under Labour. I understood that when I voted for them. KS never promised it would.

I feel confident with KS as PM, particularly in a volatile world. When you listen to Farage et al, the sort of country they would create is not a country I would want to live in - divisive; lacking in empathy; uncaring; insular; xenophobic.

Sure, Labour don’t shout loud, but they’re quietly getting on with the job. I feel that the country is in safe hands!

Not happy, but what other choice is there