I think Labour need to sack their Media team. Plus Starmer seems to be about as good at "politics" as Rishi Sunak. Both are clearly very intelligent in their own right but the nuance needed around policies and political instincts completely escapes them
Labour could have been more honest pre election but as
@Mikey10 says they wouldn't have won the election. Remember, while much of the electorate hated the Tories they had no great love for Labour either. That meant serious pre election jitters from Starmer and Co.
But seriously, what did people expect? That we have crumbling public services is and was not a surprise; everywhere you look in that respect, is a disaster -NHS, councils, prisons to name but three. Schools are crumbling after years of underinvestment; water companies are reporting financial trouble just as the infrastructure needs overhauling and the less said about the railways the better. If you weren't aware of this then you must have been either 1) living on another planet 2) willfully avoiding any news.
So yes, Labour could have packaged the winter fuel allowance cut better, yes they shouldn't be getting into a such a mess over who is a "working person." But given the mess they have inherited, it does seem that the right wing media want them to fail. To bring back who though? The Tories? Well they are massively to blame for how we have arrived here in the first place. Reform? I haven't seen them offer anything apart from populist clap trap that does not provide any serious answers.
If you don't want Labour to cut winter fuel allowance or you want them to end the 2 child cap on Child benefit then presumably you are ok with tax rises? If you don't want tax rises then I presume you are ok with increased borrowing? Hang on a minute, the national debt is already insanely high. So shall we bring in migrants to fill vacancies, pay tax and contribute to the economy? No we don't want that either. How do we close the trade deficit post brexit without closer ties with our European neighbours? Because no politician it would seem, wants to mention the economic problems created by brexit.
At the same time, we have an ageing population who understandably want to retire at a decent age and also rely more on public services as they get older. So they now take out more than they put it into the public coffers.
I do understand the point that if we keep taxing work it will disincentivise working. So "unearned" income through inheritance and capital gains seems attractive but what do you know? people complain about that too. So where do you get the money to pay for public services, pensions and benefits.
I was listening to an old boy, (who can afford to do without his wfa,) moaning about it being cut while at the same time complaining that he is in constant pain as he can't get a knee operation. He can't see that the two might be linked!
Because politicians fail to tell it as it is or manipulate the narrative, sadly we have become a society of "have your cake and eat it!" And round and round in circles we go with no great options as someone is bound to be unhappy. You know what? we need to let the government make the hard choices and see where that takes us. Labour are now trying to deliver a tough message. Yes they could and probably should sugar coat it a bit more but ultimately they are just putting glitter on a turd and I'm not sure there is anyone currently in politics who has any more to offer.
The problem is, in well run country, that is for the people you wouldn't child benefits at all for working families as they should by rights be able to pay their bills, raise their children, and enjoy their lives to some degree, taking the kids to parks, the cinema, meusums and holidyas. In a well run country child benefits wouldn;t be required in the first place.
At what point have the left ever asked this question? They just seem to think the answer to everything is give people benefits?
The fact that we have child benefits today is the biggest indicator of how poorly this country has been run for the last 50-60 years.
I know that it was intruduced after WW2 to encourage people to have babies, but WW2 ended nearly 80 years ago.
The problem with labour is that they have no grand vision for the UK, everything they promised before the election they cut. Where is the renationalising the Energy market? Cost? Just making it impossible for the companies to make profit, drining away investors and collapsing the companies, then Gov buys them on the cheap. They then claim a 22 billion black hole, then they announce a 22 billion on carbon capture that is going to help no one, where is the invest in cheap renewable energy that will be of massive benefit to business and the general public?
Why are they not scraping VAT? For the poorest, the people who spend all their money they bring in, this tax is a massive burden, but to the wealthiest in society all them can never spend enough for the gov that 20% on what they earn, unlike the poor. So replace VAT with a 5-10% addition to income tax and tax on business, and get that extra tax from wealthiest and big business... But they can't complain it is unfair, as everyone will pay this extra, but giving the poorest and lower earners a 10-15% saving, dare say even middle earners (depending on what level teh % is set at) . Allowing more money to spent in the local economy helping local business. Saving billions on not having to work out the tax and everything else associated with it.
And because they have lied so often nobody trusts. People knew years ago that they were going to win, and win because of teh Tory vote collapse, not because they had any idea's to take the country forward. That is not a great position to be in, and is massive indicator of how poor and devoid of ideas our politions are.
But the best solution of all, is to scrape UC altogether. Replace it with working benefits, you go out do 35 hours of work in the community and elsewhere needed and pay people a minimum wage. Instantaly people will have money to spended, those in teh most deprived area's with zero job aspects suddenly have money to spend and out working. People with money to spend creates oppurtinies and work for people in those areas, and slowly the numbers under government employment will drop.
If I was Labour my first policies would have been
1) Scrap VAT and replace with flat rate to everyone's income (regardless of how it is made) at 5-10%... tax cut for the poorest, tax rise for the richest, but fairly as everyone pays the extra % for every pound they earn. Earn more, pay more, but the same as everyone else.
2) 22 billion in green renewable energy, ban dividans being paid to investors and profits on energy companies. When they collapse renationalise them. Carbon capture is a joke, and not of imporatance as thise can be worked on later, people and business need cheap energy. Eventually leading to electric central heating moving away from gas altogether
3) for councils - All government buildings to fitted with solar panels or other renewable energy sources, money generated is not taken off council budgets, but a free additional increase. Also new builds must have solar and other green technology as standard.
4) Work with the Common Wealth creating free trade agreements based on the principle of economic and environmental sustainably, helping to support countries in places in Africa with green renewalable energy, desalination plants and action to fight desertification, a massive problem that many third world countries face. Even China has this problem. This will be partially funded, buy moving the internation development fund away from countries that have their own space programs and move it to long term projects in areas that need it, like africa to fight desertification.
Need to combat China's silk road project.
5) Immigration controls with a point based system, ensuring we get the people we need.
6) Look into UE (Universal employment) everyone works, agenies taken over by the new department, stay still get bonus etc, but rather than profits going into bank accounts, money is used to identify those with learning difficulties, mental health issues, and provide extra support for these people. So rather than being threatened with sanctions, agencies and the government department will work together to help those tha need and find the right employment for the right people.
7) EDIT - I would also be looking at limiting rents to 10% above social housing. As well as, building social housing, and housing for people to buy, these building will only go up with rate of inflation, so people who buy these properties, build up a deposite. When sold these house are sold at the a price that is inline with inflation, so the next first time buyers are sundenly twice as much as the previous owners. These houses will be affordable housing, with affordable housing meaning 2x people on full time minimum wage. Or something akin to that.
People may laugh, and most thse are probably unworkable, but policies like these is what needs, big plans, that are for the benefit of everyone and not a minorty of people at the top.
Everyone should be working, if you can't find work, the we will find you something to do.... This alone, getting people out and not leaving them to rot in a system that doesn't care, will do wonders for mental health issues, just by making people feel wanted again and getting them out and motivated again.
This country has so much to offer for ourselves and the rest of the world, but we are stuck in a negative feed back loop that non of the people at the top know how to fix.
Yeah, so I think I kind of agree with you.
