The Labour Government

[meltonblue]

I think it is very much an emotional attachment for many, and to be honest there is not alot anyone can do about it, even if they wanted to.

Pretty much. I used to live next to a retired doctor, who although living in a house that was clearly unsuitable for his needs and it ending nearly killing him three times due to him falling down the stairs, would never move as that was the house he’d spent pretty much his entire adult life in. His wife had passed a decade before and the house held too many memories that he was never going to leave.

 

[Brewster's millions]

This short video sums up pretty well why Europe, and the UK in particular, are in such a depressing mess...

Because of chancers and know nothings like Richard Murphy making videos like this? Completely agree.

 

[Brewster's millions]

I’m not defending the current system. I’ve already said it was implemented in a ham fisted manner. Linking it to CT band will lead to all sorts of anomalies. It needs to be linked to income with a line drawn in a different place than the current system. Makes much more sense than arbitrarily linking it to a measure that might be just a general indication of wealth and affordability rather than something that would be unarguable.

The problem here, as is well documented, is the historically low rate of applications for pension credit and then the more recent issues around processing these claims.

Again, these problems are well known, and so Reeves and Co can’t claim ignorance of them when they made the decision to remove the WFA. The Council Tax banding idea has its drawbacks, but at least it would have been implemented prior to the winter weather.

Of course they could simply have delayed the withdrawal of the WFA for a year, and many of these issues and the opposition to it would have been greatly reduced. As it is they’ve managed to hobble their administration in its infancy, and all for a cost saving which is essentially a rounding error in the grand scheme of things.

 

[BayernMan]

 

[The perfect fumble]

Because of chancers and know nothings like Richard Murphy making videos like this? Completely agree.

You really do cut your nose off to spite your face.

You don't have to agree with Richard Murphy to appreciate that without a viable left, there is no opposition to the extreme right. Fascists have always understood that the left must be defeated first, once that is accomplished, the centre right will fall in line.

You're centre right, pithy little posts like this might make you feel warm and fuzzy, but that's because your politics is in the shitter, it's just piss running down your legs. A weak centre right's solution to countering the extreme right is, and always has been, to ape them, the centre right has never defeated its extremist elements in such circumstances, it has always accommodated them, or succumbed to them, and that's what the Tories are doing now, they're in the shitter, so like a moth to a flame, they're driven to out Reform Reform.

Without a robust left, people faced with neoliberal Tweedledee and neoliberal Tweedledum flock to the authoritarian right wing populist with all the answers.

More fool you if you can't see that.

 

[BrianW]

It was the conservatives in Germany who put Adolf in power as they preferred him to the Left. They learned their error PDQ, but it was too late once he had unlimited power.

The problem is, given a straight choice between Nazis and the likes of Corbyn, most people who think themselves centre-right would choose the Nazis. It's a real blind spot with them. But you see, Nazis play on a lot of stuff they like: Flag waving. 'Patriotism', Nationalism, Militarism and crushing the unions. So it makes a certain sense.

At least in the 1930s people had the excuse that they had no idea what the far-right would do in power.

 

[The perfect fumble]

It was the conservatives in Germany who put Adolf in power as they preferred him to the Left. They learned their error PDQ, but it was too late once he had unlimited power.

The problem is, given a straight choice between Nazis and the likes of Corbyn, most people who think themselves centre-right would choose the Nazis. It's a real blind spot with them. But you see, Nazis play on a lot of stuff they like: Flag waving. 'Patriotism', Nationalism, Militarism and crushing the unions. So it makes a certain sense.

At least in the 1930s people had the excuse that they had no idea what the far-right would do in power.

That doesn't add up

The right wing surge in the UK didn't take place on Corbyn's watch. If Reform grow stronger it won't be because of the emergence of a Corbyn like figure. The Tories are veering right, but not because they're protecting us from socialism

The left don't need to win, in fact not winning is what the left do, what they do do is anchor politics, without a viable left, the electorate, when faced with hard times and no answers from the establishment parties, where are they gonna go? I'll tell you, they're gonna go far right, and that's what they're doing all over Europe, not to mention the USA.

 

[Churchlawtonblue]

It was the conservatives in Germany who put Adolf in power as they preferred him to the Left. They learned their error PDQ, but it was too late once he had unlimited power.

The problem is, given a straight choice between Nazis and the likes of Corbyn, most people who think themselves centre-right would choose the Nazis. It's a real blind spot with them. But you see, Nazis play on a lot of stuff they like: Flag waving. 'Patriotism', Nationalism, Militarism and crushing the unions. So it makes a certain sense.

At least in the 1930s people had the excuse that they had no idea what the far-right would do in power.

Is that what you actually think the electorate in the UK have a choice of, Corbyn or Nazis??

 

[TinFoilHat]

I'm sure Elon will help by giving Nigel more ammo to stoke hate.

 

[BrianW]

Is that what you actually think the electorate in the UK have a choice of, Corbyn or Nazis??

No.

I'm saying that history shows that given that choice the right in politics tend to opt for fascism.

That's why, in present circumstances, it's good that we have a fairly centrist government. Although almost every day, I see people calling Starmer a communist.

It's that kind of purblind nonsense we have to be on guard against. Starmer has 1001 faults, but communist he ain't and nor is his government. Who is motivating this absurd pretence?