Comments on: The budget response Labour should deliver tomorrow

By: Paul Trevor Bale

Paul Trevor Bale — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 15:47:00 +0000

In reply to stevep. Totally agree Steve. This is exactly what happened and this is what the Labour party should be attacking, not all this agreeing and congrats. For crying out loud only 22% of the electorate voted for this narrow, selfish stuff! And what about saying thanks for taking some of our election promises and pretending they are yours? I too shudder.

By: stevep

stevep — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 10:01:00 +0000

In reply to blarg1987. Yes, we are still paying for the 1979-1997 Tory years of destruction and economic incompetence. Labour 1997-2012, tried it`s best to rescue the country and give people back some dignity, but 5 years of Tory-led government have ruined us again: 2 recessions, loss of our triple A credit rating and worse growth than when Labour left office in 2010. I shudder to think what the future holds.

By: stevep

stevep — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 07:39:00 +0000

In reply to Riversideboy. Well said.

By: Riversideboy

Riversideboy — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 20:59:00 +0000

It really is all nonsense because the national debt is rocketing up and in five years we will be in the same position as Greece. What is needed as everyone knows is a living wage NOW paid to everyone so people can start paying tax and a completely and utterly STOP tax dodging (£100billion a year) for both corporations and rich individuals THEN you may start to turn the tide of paying off the national debt, because only by paying taxes and increasing productivity will we survive. The capitalist system however will not allow either of these things to happen so we are doomed to a future of poverty for the many. Its very simple, even if Osborne and Duncan Smith stopped all state aid for everything now we still would not start to pay down our debt. Its a con and if you just take the trouble to look at the facts you will see it plainly is. Living wage, stop tax dodging and introduce many more cooperative style companies that out do the owner/boss/ worker system in productivity terms by100 per cent. In other words change the system of how Britain works, now.

By: blarg1987

blarg1987 — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 19:14:00 +0000

In reply to stevep. They would get more support if they challenged the government to explain what will the long term costs of these proposals be to the tax payer over say 30 years, and can highlight many of the problems we face are down to economic policies that were put in place by them when last in power, and called for by them when in opposition.

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:42:00 +0000

So many areas not covered, no mention of decent benefits, no mention of Osborne’s utter uselessness as chancellor, faffing about on tax for the highest earners when they should be paying at 60% top rate…

Still, cannot really expect the modern ‘left’ to be in any way, um, left wing or anything radical like that.

By: redflagwalks

redflagwalks — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 17:43:00 +0000

Devo Manc is a con and it was truly sickening to see Labour councils sitting grinning with Osborne at its launch , like the end of Orwell’s “Animal Farm”

By: Norfolk29

Norfolk29 — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:10:00 +0000

Good luck.

By: stevep

stevep — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 15:09:00 +0000

Labour is in a position where it is damned if it does and damned if it doesn`t.
The Tories will seize upon any refusal to back their austerity programme as fiscal weakness and incompetence on Labour`s part.
If Labour makes too many noises to agree with the Tories for short term gain, they will lose core support.
Labour`s response should be to condemn the Tories for ideologically-motivated austerity measures, making the citizens of the UK pay for something that they had no control over.
They then need to robustly defend their record in office 1997-2010.
Then set out a radical alternative, clearly costed and funded by progressive taxation.
Like I said: Damned if they do, Damned if they don`t. So they might as well seize the moment and go for it.
The British public will see through right-wing media spin and distortions if a sincere attempt to present a left of centre vision with people power at it`s centre, is made.