Could Labour be the right move..?

By : Forum Member
Published 25th April 2017 |
Read latest comment - 15th June 2017


As a young person who has only just turned 18- I feel I may be persuaded by the Labour Party. It seems to have some good things up for grabs.

First time voter and all, I want to make sure I make the right decision... 

I have been reading quite a few articles in the past week about the Labour Party and what they offer seems to be quite good: 

  • Scrap Mrs May's Brexit plan - outlined in a White Paper in February - which envisages leaving the single market and customs union
  • Focus on a deal that "retains the benefits" of both organisations
  • Guarantee the legal status of the three million EU nationals living in the UK on its first day in office
  • Press for a reciprocal guarantee for the 1.2 million Britons living on the continent
  • Replace the government's proposed Great Repeal Bill - which would scrap the 1972 European Communities Act and transpose myriad existing EU laws applying to the UK into domestic law - with an EU Rights and Protections Bill.

Seems worthwhile to me.. 

But am I wrong?


Thanks, Rachael Kennedy
MLS Marketing Team
Comments

I disappear for a couple of weeks, come back and we're in the middle of a general election 

Who said politics was boring, from Scottish Referendums, Brexit, fall of Cameron and Osborne to the trials and tribulations of Labour and it's leader. Then internationally from Trumpton to the current political upset in France.

But Labour? Are they really a viable proposition for the working person and small business owner? 

I've no doubt the mass media is deliberately stereotyping Corbyn and fuelling fear, but having watched his TV performances, he doesn't inspire me personally. I genuinely can't imagine him negotiating on our behalf when he can't even win over his own MP's. Increasing corporation tax, giving more power to the Unions and moving the UK to a non Nuclear pacifist role isn't something that's going to win me over.

I do worry about the perceived lack of opposition which isn't healthy for any democracy, and watching Tim Farrons speeches, I think the Lib Dems could be the big winners and have the potential to be come a credible opposition.

So for me personally I don't think Labour is the right move, but then again when I was 18 a die hard socialist. You've got to go with your own beliefs, circumstances and what you think is right. Failing that, if you don't know enough about it, vote Tory  


Steve Richardson
Gaffer of My Local Services
My Local Services | Me on LinkedIn

Euuuurrrgghhh Steve. The Tories are crucifying the Education system (speak to a teacher) and the NHS (speak to a nurse/doctor) as well as ripping benefits away from disabled people and increasing food bank use to terrifying levels. I have noticed so many more homeless people in Coventry over the past couple of years. 

Check out the visual essay on the NHS here: https://juniordoctorblog.com/  It's really, really scary. The lack of funding in the NHS and Education is starting to have devastating effects. 

I would never vote Tory, I think we should be voting whichever way we can to get them out. Labour are the best chance at reversing some of the funding cuts and I actually like Corbyn because he isn't a classic MP as he is not corrupt or out for himself and that's why he isn't popular among many peers! Plus I like his anti-Trident stance, and I know that won't be popular on here, but we are bit players in the world now, nuclear weapons are a waste of time. If someone presses a button we're all doomed anyway so why do we need a button....

Brexit in the hands of May is going to be a blood bath. 

I just hope the country comes to their senses and votes to get the Tories out, EVERYONE needs to think about something other than their own interests and think about the whole country and most of all the vulnerable. That's what being in a society should be about. 


I always had you down as a Green or a Liberal 

Euuuurrrgghhh Steve. The Tories are crucifying the Education system (speak to a teacher) and the NHS (speak to a nurse/doctor) as well as ripping benefits away from disabled people and increasing food bank use to terrifying levels.”
 

Things are definitely far from great, but with the historical spiralling costs of benefits due to the man in the street belief that it s the states responsibility to care of you form cradle to grave, versus looking after yourself with a safety net for genuine hardship, then I think we are slowly moving in the right direction.

There are plenty of people who don't need child benefit, or tax credits IMHO, there are also plenty of people who do. But £41.6bn's worth? Really? Unfortunately we have to break a culture of dependence and "I can't work any more hours because it will impact my benefits". Benefits should be seen as an absolute last resort, a safety net, with pride and work ethic a driving force to move out of benefits. 

In 2014/15 the welfare bill was £258 billion, 35% of the govt budget. Here is an interesting breakdown of benefits for 2015/16 (couldn't find a more recent one) but I imagine it has come down again. Unemployment benefits is quite a surprising one and not the massive number a lot of people believe. 

(Image removed as it seems to have broken the mobile site formatting, but you can see it from the below link).

Source: fullfact.org/economy/welfare-budget/

Nuclear weapons is a great argument. Not a sane person wants to see them used and it's a sad reality that countries are still trying to develop them, showing as a species we have learnt nothing. But in it's form as a deterrent, which could be argued has been successful over the last 50 or 60 years as we haven't had a nuclear war?

It's not an argument I'm convinced by. There are enough Nuclear weapons to destroy the planet a 100 times over, so we don't really need any more. But a much smaller collective NATO deterrent makes more sense with us making a contribution. 

This removes the likes of questions such as would you press the button as it would be under NATO control, which we have all agreed by membership to protect each other in the event of aggression.

The massive cost savings could be used to bolster our conventional military which is now the smallest and most under-strength it ever has been, while freeing up more cash for hospitals, schools etc.

Brexit in the hands of Corbyn will be a diplomacy of disaster. Brexit in the hands of May will be a nail-biting roller coaster. 

But at least she has thrown herself fully into the task, even though she was a firm remain voter. Hopefully she will do some housekeeping and get rid of mad Boris for a start.

I still believe Brexit was wrong, it will end up being a very expensive exercise that no one will see any benefit from for a generation and the people should never have been made to vote. Cameron should be locked up in the tower of London for landing us in this mess then simply walking away 

But just my 5 pence worth, from a former socialist now Tory convert with liberal leanings


Steve Richardson
Gaffer of My Local Services
My Local Services | Me on LinkedIn

LOL ...Still trying to keep quiet ..Think I have written a book on this post and keep deleting it ...But as a semi Brit  I just don't understand why you would want some other country telling you what to do and how to live .. It's like saying your neighbour can control your life... er no My neighbours go to bed at about 7pm and eat vegetables 


Thanks,
Andy-C | Pewter World

I just don't understand why you would want some other country telling you what to do and how to live .. It's like saying your neighbour can control your life... er no My neighbours go to bed at about 7pm and eat vegetables ”
 

lol, well at least the Brexit debate is done and dusted. Whichever way you voted, we're coming out. With the political changes around the world I suspect the EU is on course for major changes, as dreams of Political Union are finally shattered and hopefully the EU just concentrates on being a Trading Bloc which is what it should be.

Would have been nice if we could have been inside driving rather than looking out the window IMHO  But hey ho, yesterdays chip wrappers.

Interesting results from the Council elections, looks like UKIP is a spent force which isn't a surprise now Brexit has been achieved and Farage has retired. Is it a barometer for the election I wonder?


Steve Richardson
Gaffer of My Local Services
My Local Services | Me on LinkedIn

2 reasons to vote May back in

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3847104/Brexit-end-CUTTING-food-prices-farmers-freed-billions-pounds-worth-Brussels-red-tape-report-claims.html

Not so sure on thsi 1 but it would be nice

http://www.ladbible.com/more/awesome-cheers-brexit-could-end-up-cutting-beer-prices-by-20p-20170506

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/feb/06/beer-campaigners-push-for-1p-off-a-pint-in-march-budget


Thanks,
Andy-C | Pewter World

Ahh now if someone has reduced beer prices in their manifesto, then they get my vote whatever the party  

Yep I'm that shallow 


Steve Richardson
Gaffer of My Local Services
My Local Services | Me on LinkedIn

Well vote done... 

The election started as a foregone Tory landslide. It finished in Tory shambles with Corbyn going from a ridiculed figure with no trust from his own MP's, to coming over as a very credible candidate, polished and putting May to shame.

It's amazing what a marketing makeover can do. Still don't believe a word of his fairy story economic policy,  but when you promise everything to everyone, it's going to go down well.

Meanwhile the Tory campaign (terrorist attacks not included) has been shockingly bad. Disjointed, confused and I'm personally left with the feeling what was the point of it all?

Tomorrow we will know the outcome, but I wonder if May will snatch defeat from the jaws of what should have been an easy victory, or scrape in by the skin of her teeth. One thing I'll put money on is there will be no landslide for anyone.

I think the worst outcome tomorrow will be a hung parliament. Regardless of how the maths plays out and who makes up the government, it really would be a coalition of chaos. In which case I really do think Cameron should be sent to the Tower for putting us all in this mess in the first place 

Can we have a break from major votes and elections for a while before we send the country into the economic abyss...


Steve Richardson
Gaffer of My Local Services
My Local Services | Me on LinkedIn

I'm not really surprised by the outcome.  

Jeremy Corbyn and his "followers" are living in a fantasy world.  They've had one recent go at trying to run the country and ran out of money (in some departments), so would it be any better this time.  No.  All they want to do is spend, spend, spend with no credible explanation of how to balance the books.  

Interesting that Mrs May has said she will form a government, but what will the DUP want in return?  Not surprised either by results north of the border.  

Many years ago I read Jeffrey Archer's "First Among Equals".  Interesting ending,  with King Charles III on the throne.....

 


JuliaP

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