The Labour Government

[bluenova]

Was always going to happen.

This current Labour Party is an old fashioned centre right Tory party and it’s clear there is a need for a party of the left that will feel like home for many.

It will be interesting to see if anyone else joins them. No mention of Apsana Begum or John McDonnell yet, never mind the Socialist Campaign Group members who still have the whip.

Whether any of them jump, will be an indicator of how confident they are of it getting traction.

 

[Don Karleone]

Splitting the left and centre will only guarantee Farage in power next election.

Starmer is doing a great job of ensuring that happens anyway.

 

[Blue and true]

Haha its a minefield, I do hope they have the self awareness to avoid socialist in the name.

Have to wait and see. Though the prospective party will be DOA if they do.

 

[Don Karleone]

It will be interesting to see if anyone else joins them. No mention of Apsana Begum or John McDonnell yet, never mind the Socialist Campaign Group members who still have the whip.

Whether any of them jump, will be an indicator of how confident they are of it getting traction.

McDonnell won't, thankfully.

 

[Postman Pep]

Would Real Labour be a tad too cheeky even if accurate. ?

I dunno there has been that many relaunches and focus groups there can't be many Labour iterations left .

 

[blueinsa]

Splitting the left and centre will only guarantee Farage in power next election.

Stop being such a fan boy of Tories with red rosettes then.

 

[meltonblue]

Splitting the left and centre will only guarantee Farage in power next election.

Thing is the right is splitting too! Hasn’t Lowe set up a new party as well?

 

[hilts]

Good post that mate, and FWIW I agree entirely.

Government is hard, and especially so when all the "easy" options have been used up already.

People will think I am mad but I think the only way out of this is to cut taxes not increase them further. And whilst we can't cut public services much without absolute outcry, that would have to mean more borrowing. The markets would doubtless be very unhappy about that, so it would need to be preceded by a charm offensive and a very clear, credible plan explaining how we are going to borrow more in the short term, in order to get the economy growing, but that this will only be temporary and will be repaid with higher tax receipts as the economy grows.

Effectively what Truss tried only she did it unexpectedly and with no clear plan and the markets and the BoE wrong-footed.

Risky tactic perhaps but I think the current course could well just be gradual further and further decline until bankruptcy.

How much would the economy have to grow and for how long to pay back the borrowing and put lots of money into pretty much every government department. The sums must be eye watering. We would surely need very strong growth which even if possible usually leads to inflation and higher interest rates to stop people spending and take the heat out of a growing economy.

Its a bloody nightmare:-(

 

[BlueHammer85]

Starmer is doing a great job of ensuring that happens anyway.

The media are.

 

[hilts]

Not saying it isn't popular elsewhere. I just don't see it working over here, especially in the current climate.

Don't know the intricacies of the Scandinavian model, but maybe that could be attempted?

If you think about it Starmer didn't exactly get many votes, I think people might go for actual change. I genuinely believe if a skeleton free Corbyn with a slightly more realistic manifesto ran he would have got more votes. Really the tory vote collapsed and reform picked up up a lot of their votes. If snp didn't get into trouble Labour would have had even fewer votes.

That they got a landslide on that showing is both bizarre and depressing for our democracy.

 

[Chippy_boy]

How much would the economy have to grow and for how long to pay back the borrowing and put lots of money into pretty much every government department. The sums must be eye watering. We would surely need very strong growth which even if possible usually leads to inflation and higher interest rates to stop people spending and take the heat out of a growing economy.

Its a bloody nightmare:-(

Yep. There's no easy answers from here.

Maybe, just maybe in the coming year or two, increased efficiency through increasing use of AI can increase productivity and output and drive down costs and increase profits and generate growth.

The double-edged sword is its going to start to put people out of work at the same time.

 

[bluenova]

Thing is the right is splitting too! Hasn’t Lowe set up a new party as well?

I think he set up a campaign group, it was Ben Habib who set up a new party on the same day. I suspect they'll be about as successful as all the other little right wing parties.

 

[bluenova]

McDonnell won't, thankfully.

Because you're a fan, or not a fan?

 

[hilts]

Have to wait and see. Though the prospective party will be DOA if they do.

I just googled other words for socialist and it's mad although they seemed to be yank sites but people here have similar problems in misrepresenting it.

Pinky
Marxist
Trotsky
Commie

List is endless:-)

 

[Chippy_boy]

The media are.

As I posted earlier, they are just printing what people want to hear. They know Starmer is unpopular and are saying whatever they think will get the most clicks.

It's probably not helped (from a Labour perspective) that Reeves has fucked them over with massively increased NI costs and workers' rights.

 

[Brewster's millions]

Ha ha.

Tories saying this is the worst government ever, and you helpfully remind us of what Truss did in 2022 - as a deliberate policy!

When Reeves stands up at the Budget and announces a series of tax hikes - after saying that she’s fixed the foundations and they wouldn’t be raising taxes again - what do you think the public will be thinking?

Here’s a competent Chancellor who know’s what she’s doing and is in full control, or why is she still in a job when she clearly doesn’t know what she’s doing, and here she is back again asking for more taxes?

Will people still be thinking about Liz Truss? A few might, but Reeves will be the one putting their taxes up and unless things change dramatically then the shit’s going to keep on sticking to her. Perhaps that’s why Labour are performing so horrendously in the polls.

 

[Postman Pep]

It will be interesting to see if anyone else joins them. No mention of Apsana Begum or John McDonnell yet, never mind the Socialist Campaign Group members who still have the whip.

Whether any of them jump, will be an indicator of how confident they are of it getting traction.

Not sure getting a gaggle of MP's to immediately jump ship is much of indicator, at least in the short term. There will be no photoshoots in Nando's.

On a serious note they will not gain much traction without serious funding. Be interesting to see if there is any union backing.

 

[bluethrunthru]

I think he set up a campaign group, it was Ben Habib who set up a new party on the same day. I suspect they'll be about as successful as all the other little right wing parties.

He launched Restore Britain a couple of days ago.

 

[Chippy_boy]

Thing is the right is splitting too! Hasn’t Lowe set up a new party as well?

Not one you can vote for. It's a "movement" - a campaign group - not a party (I think)

 

[Don Karleone]

Because you're a fan, or not a fan?

Nothing against him, he's a good guy from what I know. I'm tired of his letters when he disagrees with something. They never work, and we need action.

I could probably say the same for Corbyn as well, but he's a household name.