The Labour Government

[The Future’s Blue!]

He’s made valid points but none of the positives scream headline maker like the WFA fiasco.
I’m still shocked that a man who is no doubt very very smart in many respects allowed his party to get caught out so easily and so quickly into its long wait to run the country.
It made no sense, still doesn’t.

You’re right, it doesn’t, and that’s why I’m waiting to see if there’s any reforms/tweaks to the pension/benefit system(s).

 

[metalblue]

scrapped the Rwandan plan, sorted out pay for doctors and trains and ended the strikes - lifeblood of our country.
Stamped out the Farage racist riots.
Starmer working with EU states on a regular basis, discussing migration issue with Italy PM.
GB Energy looking like a great initiative to help tackle climate change but also not relying on foreign investment.
Coming down on water firms which the Tories let pollute our rivers and seas, also coming down on the Covid dodgy contracts and wasted billions.

lots of positives so far in which is very early days.

I read in the FT the other day (Fridays IIRC) that EU leaders are complaining that Starmer has pitched up promising a new approach but every time they want to discuss something he says no. They say his words don’t match his actions - who knew.

 

[metalblue]

He’s made valid points but none of the positives scream headline maker like the WFA fiasco.
I’m still shocked that a man who is no doubt very very smart in many respects allowed his party to get caught out so easily and so quickly into its long wait to run the country.
It made no sense, still doesn’t.

According to Cleverly it’s down to the treasury. He says they’ve offered this option to every chancellor since (at least) 2010 who have all said no. Reeves was a bit too naive and said yes. From that moment on he either backs or sacks her.

I can’t imagine he’s happy but he won’t want to lose a chancellor in the first year or two. She’s going to have to work very hard to still be there come the next GE. I don’t doubt she’s capable so let’s see how she gets on from here.

 

[Chippy_boy]

I struggle to believe this…

You’d only applaud it, if GB News/Telegraph etc told you it was ok to.

Did you applaud Tony Blair/Gordon Brown for anything they did “good”? Any examples? I’m guessing the answer will be “what’s that got to do with anything”or similar.

I cannot think of anything offhand, but i am sure there will have been some good things. I don't have a problem saying when I agree with something whoever says it. Likewise I have absolutely ZERO issue in slagging off Tories when they have made blunders. Sure, I probably have blue bias, but it is only a bias. Unlike some on here who think the sun shines out of Starmers arse and find themselves defending taking £300 off pensioners on £10k/year.

 

[Phil1]

According to Cleverly it’s down to the treasury. He says they’ve offered this option to every chancellor since (at least) 2010 who have all said no. Reeves was a bit too naive and said yes. From that moment on he either backs or sacks her.

I can’t imagine he’s happy but he won’t want to lose a chancellor in the first year or two. She’s going to have to work very hard to still be there come the next GE. I don’t doubt she’s capable so let’s see how she gets on from here.

Politicians should well know by now that you have to pick your battles very carefully.
She has cocked this one up sadly which has led to the shitshow that’s followed.
Giving your enemies enough rope to hang you by is a huge schoolboy/girl error.

 

[BridgyDids]

I cannot think of anything offhand, but i am sure there will have been some good things. I don't have a problem saying when I agree with something whoever says it. Likewise I have absolutely ZERO issue in slagging off Tories when they have made blunders. Sure, I probably have blue bias, but it is only a bias. Unlike some on here who think the sun shines out of Starmers arse and find themselves defending taking £300 off pensioners on £10k/year.

What do you think the Tories biggest blunder was?

 

[Chippy_boy]

According to Cleverly it’s down to the treasury. He says they’ve offered this option to every chancellor since (at least) 2010 who have all said no. Reeves was a bit too naive and said yes. From that moment on he either backs or sacks her.

I can’t imagine he’s happy but he won’t want to lose a chancellor in the first year or two. She’s going to have to work very hard to still be there come the next GE. I don’t doubt she’s capable so let’s see how she gets on from here.

Funnily enough, I had reasonable hopes for her pre-election. She's obviously bright having got in at Oxford from a non-privileged background, and some of the things she was saying about growth, pre-election made sense.

So I hold out some hope. But I have to say she has got off to a dire start. The lying about the black hole for a start has really pissed me off, not to mention the WFA debacle. Her messaging pre and post election could not be more starkly different and I worry greatly that she is going to shit on the economy, not grow it. Labour cannot seem to get it into their heads that you fuel growth by lowering taxes not by raising them. It's OK to borrow for infrastructure investment but they seem so wedded to not upsetting the City by moderating their fiscal rules, it seems they are going to have to tax the crap out of us to fuel their spending plans and that simply will not work.

 

[Chippy_boy]

What do you think the Tories biggest blunder was?

God knows off the top off my head. There were all sorts over the 14 years and I don't keep a ranked list in my head to spout on demand. Truss not getting the BoE or markets on board before the radical budget, was certainly one. And in that budget, reducing the top rate of tax from 45% to 40% whilst making economic sense, was unnecessary and optically really bad. Not getting immigration under control, definitely another. Partygate was not a big deal in my mind but I can see how politically damaging it was.

How about you? What do you think were their biggest blunders?

 

[hampshireblue]

Interesting thanks. I did not realise Lamont started it reducing the divident credit rate. Utterly stupid move, whoever was responsible for it. Not only has it cost £250bn in lost pension fund growth, it means that our pension funds are now barely invested in UK blue chip stocks. Historically when e.g. BP made bumper profits it was great for pensioners whose pensions directly benefitted. Now overseas investors directly benefit.

But the real point, is that some of your, and I will go as far as the use the word "radicalisation", is based on dodgy foundations. In 2024 you refer to something that happened over 25 years ago as the one and only reason the subject, in this case pensions, are in the mess they are are. It's never as simple as that.

There's nowt audacious about being right, mate.

you even used the cocky pahrase above just after I sent you the article proving you to be wrong/misled/inaccurate/ .. choose whichever is less hurtful to your ego. anyway back to work for you or your boss will be livid you've wasted another day on BM.

 

[hampshireblue]

God knows off the top off my head. There were all sorts over the 14 years and I don't keep a ranked list in my head to spout on demand. Truss not getting the BoE or markets on board before the radical budget, was certainly one. And in that budget, reducing the top rate of tax from 45% to 40% whilst making economic sense, was unnecessary and optically really bad. Not getting immigration under control, definitely another. Partygate was not a big deal in my mind but I can see how politically damaging it was.

How about you? What do you think were their biggest blunders?

Being a bunch of lying c*nts over Brexit.
PPE contracts
Proroguing Parliament
Electing Johnson & Truss
Letting Cummins anywhere near power
Being a bunch of lying c*nts over pretty much anything that kept them in power
Lord Lebedev of Siberia
Partygate
Forgetting that law makers shouldn't be law breakers.

and on and on and on and on