The Labour Government

[I'm With Stupid]

Reacting to fascists rather than working on plans to ensure people have a bit more money to spend.

It's as if all the big parties want the electorate scared so we don't start thinking too much about what cunts they are and we change the whole system together.

Aye, economics is what wins elections, not all of this immigration bullshit. Anti-immigration rhetoric is a symptom, not the solution.

Having said that, they're going to solve this huge backlog in processing refugees by......[checks note]......making them apply for asylum twice as often. Congratulations. You've just doubled the workload.

Hell, I don't even disagree with the principle, but that's the issue with populist policies. They sound good until you actually look at the work involved in implementing them.

 

[blueinsa]

They genuinely seem to believe that telling racists they'll be horrible to asylum seekers will get the racists to vote for them whilst keeping non-racists on side.

When they're already losing a lot more voters to non-racist parties (green and libdem).

Aside from morally bankrupt, it's politically brain dead. And won't actually work either.

Other than that, it's a masterstroke.

You can all vote Green at the next election.

Every other party will try to deal with what is a huge issue for the nation.

 

[blueinsa]

Mahmood is a seriously good political operator imo.

 

[Dazzle84]

Absolutely. It's total fallacy to think that we are near the top of the pile, sadly. And it's worse than I remembered. According to the IMF (2025) the following countries are better off than us in raw GDP per capita terms:

Rank Country GDP per Capita (USD)
1 Monaco $256,581
2 Liechtenstein $201,150
3 Luxembourg $141,080
4 Bermuda $125,842
5 Switzerland $111,716
6 Ireland $107,243
7 Cayman Islands $97,583
8 Singapore $93,956
9 Norway $90,320
10 Iceland $90,111
11 United States $89,678
12 Macau $84,276
13 Qatar $72,760
14 Denmark $71,967
15 Netherlands $70,606
16 Australia $67,979
17 San Marino $61,518
18 Austria $61,080
19 Sweden $59,508
20 Belgium $58,248
21 Germany $57,914
22 Finland $57,183
23 Canada $55,890
24 Hong Kong $55,608
25 Israel $54,370

We are 26th with $54,280. Allowing for how much your money actually buys you (Purchasing Power Parity, PPP) we are 31st! Just look at the list of countries where people are better off than we are in the UK. It's really quite depressing.

But in fact it's much worse than that because so much of our wealth is in the southeast. So tens of millions of people not in the southeast are much worse off than that. People really need to reflect upon this before spouting out the usual nonsense about how loaded we are and how we can easily afford x, y or z.

The problem with that list is it's basically a who's who of tax havens so you're not really comparing apples with apples. It's not reflective of day to day spending capacity.

GDP itself is flawed, but to seriously compare our economy to the Cayman Islands is silly

 

[roubaixtuesday]

what is a huge issue for the nation.

1. Coping with the effects of demographics of an aging population on health and social care costs.

2. A Fascist Russia invading Europe

3. Coping with the loss of ~6% of GDP due to Brexit

4. Housing

5. The collapse of US democracy

etc are huge issues.

Refugees are a tiny issue compared to any of these, and many others.

 

[blueinsa]

1. Coping with the effects of demographics of an aging population on health and social care costs.

2. A Fascist Russia invading Europe

3. Coping with the loss of ~6% of GDP due to Brexit

4. Housing

5. The collapse of US democracy

etc are huge issues.

Refugees are a tiny issue compared to any of these, and many others.

It’s a huge issue affecting the country and no matter how many times you tell yourself it’s not, guess what?

It is and that’s why it’s being dealt with by huge policy change.

Don’t like it?

Vote Green, they will still let everyone in.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Absolutely. It's total fallacy to think that we are near the top of the pile, sadly. And it's worse than I remembered. According to the IMF (2025) the following countries are better off than us in raw GDP per capita terms:

Rank Country GDP per Capita (USD)
1 Monaco $256,581
2 Liechtenstein $201,150
3 Luxembourg $141,080
4 Bermuda $125,842
5 Switzerland $111,716
6 Ireland $107,243
7 Cayman Islands $97,583
8 Singapore $93,956
9 Norway $90,320
10 Iceland $90,111
11 United States $89,678
12 Macau $84,276
13 Qatar $72,760
14 Denmark $71,967
15 Netherlands $70,606
16 Australia $67,979
17 San Marino $61,518
18 Austria $61,080
19 Sweden $59,508
20 Belgium $58,248
21 Germany $57,914
22 Finland $57,183
23 Canada $55,890
24 Hong Kong $55,608
25 Israel $54,370

We are 26th with $54,280. Allowing for how much your money actually buys you (Purchasing Power Parity, PPP) we are 31st! Just look at the list of countries where people are better off than we are in the UK. It's really quite depressing.

But in fact it's much worse than that because so much of our wealth is in the southeast. So tens of millions of people not in the southeast are much worse off than that. People really need to reflect upon this before spouting out the usual nonsense about how loaded we are and how we can easily afford x, y or z.

Great post. The Tories repeat the mantra that we are the sixth richest country thanks to their policies. Labour always say we are the sixth richest coutry in the world to justify extra spending. As you correctly point out our apparent wealth is a total myth. GDP per capita shows how dire the situation really is. But if you strip out the impact of the City of London and the South East property market (at least when it was booming) we are one of the poorest countries in Europe. The London chattering class love saying what a great place the UK is. It's fine if you have mutiple properties to rent out (as 60 per cent of MPs do) and enjoy a hugely subsidised transport system. But the 50 million people outside London (not just those in the North either) have been left on the scrapheap,

 

[moomba]

Yep. We're now in a situation where the country needs a hard reset, which is why it needs a completely new government unhindered by its previous failings.

Sadly, we have engrained into too many in our population the idea that "feeling a bit cheesed off" = "I can't work, it's affecting my mental health". We need to get 1m+ off their backsides and back into a job, paying taxes, and crucially, improving their own lives not just the country's economy.

Our idiotic woke ideology is responsible for SO much damage. Hiring the wrong people due to idiotic DEI policies. Kids being taught that it's perfectly fine for men to want to become women. That it's right that a convicted sex offender cannot be deported because he might get persecuted in his own country. ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC. Starmer epitomises everything that is wrong with the country. And people now realise it, which is why he is the most unpopular prime minister on record.

All of this bullshit must go.

What a load of reactionary shit. Complete with key words from the playbook.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

It’s a huge issue affecting the country and no matter how many times you tell yourself it’s not, guess what

Guess what? That's your opinion. Mine differs.

Reality is, refugees are just a convenient scapegoat.

But by all means, tell us which of the list I helpfully provided you, you think refugees trump as a "huge" issue.

 

[blueinsa]

Guess what? That's your opinion. Mine differs.

Reality is, refugees are just a convenient scapegoat.

But by all means, tell us which of the list I helpfully provided you, you think refugees trump as a "huge" issue.

This government disagrees with you.

 

[metalblue]

Officials at the UK border will not be "taking sentimental pieces or seizing jewellery" off of asylum seekers, Number 10 has insisted.

It follows reports that wealthy claimants might have valuable items they possess taken off them to pay for the cost of housing and feeding them.

A spokesperson said: "It's right that if people have money in their bank accounts, or e-bikes, they should be contributing to the cost of taxpayer accommodation.

"We will not seize items of jewellery at the border, and we will not take sentimental pieces."

I must admit I’ve not seen anyone arriving on a dinghy with an e bike in tow. Seems a random thing to say.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Guess what? That's your opinion. Mine differs.

Reality is, refugees are just a convenient scapegoat.

But by all means, tell us which of the list I helpfully provided you, you think refugees trump as a "huge" issue.

Some people have to live out the realisation of decisions made. They aren’t able to visualise how new systems will change their lives.

We seem to be in an era where people are lashing out and want life to be worse for other subsections of society.

Once these subsections have been adversely affected and their own lives are still shit, they’ll move on to the next subsection.

 

[domalino]

Officials at the UK border will not be "taking sentimental pieces or seizing jewellery" off of asylum seekers, Number 10 has insisted.

It follows reports that wealthy claimants might have valuable items they possess taken off them to pay for the cost of housing and feeding them.

A spokesperson said: "It's right that if people have money in their bank accounts, or e-bikes, they should be contributing to the cost of taxpayer accommodation.

"We will not seize items of jewellery at the border, and we will not take sentimental pieces."

This is just punishment politics.

Anyone with a brain would ask who is going to contribute to the economy more, a destitute asylum seeker utterly dependent on the state for every meal, or someone who has managed to square away some money to help get them started in a new country?

Iranian refugees post 1979 are often held up as an example of a large number (100,000+) of people arriving in Britain, settling and integrating very well. If we’d confiscated every penny they had to stick them in asylum hotels for 12 months that would not have happened.

 

[hilts]

1. Coping with the effects of demographics of an aging population on health and social care costs.

2. A Fascist Russia invading Europe

3. Coping with the loss of ~6% of GDP due to Brexit

4. Housing

5. The collapse of US democracy

etc are huge issues.

Refugees are a tiny issue compared to any of these, and many others.

1 they aint dealing with it, more like burying heads

2 We dont seem to have done well at stopping them

3 oh it's 6% this week is it:-)

4 housing, thank god only uk born people live in houses

5 Starmers Trump wraparound solves this how?


Its so tiny bluemoon talks about it endlessly and bloody reform are leading the polls.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

So if you lived in a country that "borders" Africa (Spain, Italy, Greece) you'd want "them" all to stay in your country?

We could follow the example of 'onward migration' and set 'em on their way for Eire, Iceland, Greenland, Canada and the good 'ol US of A!

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I doubt much will change. It’s usually all bluster.

Was reading something today that said the top 50 wealth families in the UK have more wealth than the bottom 50% of the population combined.

50 families with more wealth than 34 million people!

 

[hampshireblue]

Yep. We're now in a situation where the country needs a hard reset, which is why it needs a completely new government unhindered by its previous failings.

Sadly, we have engrained into too many in our population the idea that "feeling a bit cheesed off" = "I can't work, it's affecting my mental health". We need to get 1m+ off their backsides and back into a job, paying taxes, and crucially, improving their own lives not just the country's economy.

Our idiotic woke ideology is responsible for SO much damage. Hiring the wrong people due to idiotic DEI policies. Kids being taught that it's perfectly fine for men to want to become women. That it's right that a convicted sex offender cannot be deported because he might get persecuted in his own country. ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC. Starmer epitomises everything that is wrong with the country. And people now realise it, which is why he is the most unpopular prime minister on record.

All of this bullshit must go.

Fuck me Trump is alive and well on this forum and stuck in the 1950s.

You've really managed to have a go at the disabled, the sick, minority groups, trans sexual, the lazy. Well done. How about euthenasia for all over 67s so you're not clogging up the NHS, ot is that a bit too close to home?

Have you been watching the videos of legal citizens of the US being rounded up in the street by masked men? That's what happens when anti-"woke" (whatever that actually means) is allowed to take over. Replace "woke" with civilised and caring and it looks a bit different.

And all this from someone who claims he never benefitted from cheap, affordable housing, a free education system (despite then saying he has a degree and he's in his 60s).

Anyway no doubt Chippy and family can afford a "hard reset" whatever that means. God help those that can't.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

I am quite impressed with Labour tbh. At least they are seeming to be doing something. And that's what the country needs, someone listening to them.

Key takeaways: What are the proposed asylum system reforms?

What we know so far about Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's proposed reforms.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

I am quite impressed with Labour tbh. At least they are seeming to be doing something. And that's what the country needs, someone listening to them.

Key takeaways: What are the proposed asylum system reforms?

What we know so far about Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's proposed reforms.

www.bbc.co.uk

Ostracising the marginalised more will definitely encourage more integration.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

Ostracising the marginalised more will definitely encourage more integration.

As far as I am concerned I dont want a fRW govn. Everyone loses then.