British Politics
Been on holiday for a few weeks, surprised to find no general discussion of British politics so though I'd kick one off.
Tory leadership contest is quickly turning into farce. Trump has backed Boris, which should be reason enough for anyone with half a brain to exclude him.
Of the other candidates Rory Stewart looks the best of the outsiders. Surprised to see Cleverly and Javid not further up the betting, but not sure the Tory membership are ready for a brown PM.
https://www.oddschecker.com/politics/bri...
Regarding the LD leadership contest, Jo Swinson is miles ahead of any other candidate (and indeed any of the Tory lot). Should be a shoe in.
Finally, it's Groundhog Day in Labour - the more serious the anti-Semitism claims get, the more Corbyn's cronies write their own obituary by blaming it on outlandish conspiracy theories - this week, it's apparently the Jewish Embassy's fault...
New contender for the Matt Hancock useless ****ing wanker award
Sir Ed Davey, who was postal affairs minister between 2010 and 2012 when the software issues started coming to light, said he regretted not doing more to help victims who were wrongly accused of stealing but claimed that executives had blocked him from meeting campaigners.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “I feel that I was deeply misled by Post Office executives … they didn’t come clean. There were definitely attempts to stop me meeting [campaigners].
“We were clearly misled. I think ministers from all political parties were misled.”
There were definitely attempts to stop me meeting campaigners but I still didn't smell a rat and really couldn't be arsed to do anything more.
I don’t doubt he was misled, but I don’t understand how he allowed himself to be misled so easily. The idea that such a high percentage of postmasters were thieves clearly fails a basic common sense test.
He's conservative in nature so instinctively takes a very dim view of human nature, and believes that people are trying to fleece the system because that's what his peers do.
The idea that people might be doing a job out of a sense of civic duty doesn't occur to the modern-day politician, who assumes that everyone is as venal as they are.
Bare in mind this was 2010 - 2012.
In 2009, Computer Weekly published the first investigation into reported Horizon problems and its effects. This and other questions forced the Post Office, desperate to protect Horizon's reputation, to commission a report to assure those interested that the software was reliable
and they didn't then shut up. There was clearly a potentially very serious issue.
Understates the problem but this is dead on
Starmer must say what he’ll do in power – if he leaves a vacuum, the far right will fill it - John McDonnell
The disillusionment with the Conservatives is on such a scale that the most realistic prospect will remain the election of a Labour government. The more significant danger from the far right then emerges if having placed their faith in Labour, people do not see the change in our society that they hoped for after the election.
People will be patient as they fully realise how broken Britain is, but the foundations of credible and radical change will have to be seen to be being laid early in the life of the incoming Labour government. People will need to see how there is a real strategy to restore the value of wages and incomes held back for so long under the Tories, how investment in our public services is taking place and how reform doesn’t mean more privatisation, and how the grotesque levels of inequality in our society are being reduced.
If Labour fails to set out early on a path of radical change to secure the all-round wellbeing and security of our people, then inevitably disillusionment will set in. The risk then is the potential for a significant shift in our politics to the right, with the return of a Conservative party, completely shorn of any traditional one nation Tories and under the dominance of the populist right both within the party and beyond.
A brief survey of what has happened recently in Europe demonstrates the trend of a rising right.
What is needed is for all progressives not to concede before, but to confront the arguments of the far right before they get a greater grip. What is needed is for Labour to embrace – not run from – the discussion of a progressive realism. It must set out a policy programme that matches the scale of the problems it will inherit from the Conservatives.
Exactly. Starmer will sleepwalk us into fascism by doing very little, then raise his hands in despair at how it was unstoppable.
ditto with the NHS. A few more years of blairism which is clearly what's on offer will put the nails in it's coffin. The argument that there is no practical option but insurance based schemes will be made true.
It's more planned than that. The godawful Streeting recently said that private healthcare providers would be welcome as an intrinsic part of a Labour government's NHS.
Like an old/ex friend of mine, he's a council flat Tory.
Yes I agree that's more correct than simply doi glittle. They are actively following blair and moving in the wrong direction. They will do it quite fast because it's cheap and it offers short term benefits.
Blair is still at the heart of this:
On six occasions in his foreword, Blair backs the private sector playing an expanded role, including in the provision of high-volume, low-complexity services, such as dermatology. When in No 10 Blair used independent sector treatment centres, run by private companies, to help tackle long waiting lists.
But Dr John Puntis, the co-chair of the campaign group Keep Our NHS Public, urged caution on Blair’s ideas. “Caring is about people, and although technology supports healthcare it can never be a magic bullet and replace the need for staff.
“The Blair years demonstrated that with increased investment, NHS performance and patient satisfaction improved. On the other hand, use of the private sector undermined NHS services, and independent sector treatment centres pushed up costs,” he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023...
There is another recent article I might search out where blair talks about the need for maximal private invovment in the NHS.
Blair is not a contender for the Hancock useless ****ing wanker award because he knows exactly what he is doing and is very good at it.
The rise of the far right (and indeed, any extreme party that offers easy solutions to complex issues) is more about people feeling they are not being listened to by the mainstream imo (and also the level of contempt they sense is emanating from the mainstream parties)
Blair is not a contender for the Hancock useless ****ing wanker award because he knows exactly what he is doing and is very good at it.
He's pretty bloody useless at being aware his input is akin to dirty, smelly fingers being shoved down the collective throat - people reflexively hate whatever he's pushing because he's a ****.
Understates the problem but this is dead on
I don't know, you could just as easily write an essay on how if Labour over-promise a "radical agenda" and inevitably underdeliver it will open the door to the far right.
I don't know, you could just as easily write an essay on how if Labour over-promise a "radical agenda" and inevitably underdeliver it will open the door to the far right.
I agree to a large extent. We desperately need a movement for people get behind which is supported by well thought out policies, realism and competent execution. Falling short is ok as long as the movement retain it's credibility. Failing is a disaster.
He's pretty bloody useless at being aware his input is akin to dirty, smelly fingers being shoved down the collective throat - people reflexively hate whatever he's pushing because he's a ****.
Tht's why he keeps a low public profile. Stick his head up every now and again just to test the waters.
One of the more depressing moments of my political experience was murdoch being invited to No 10 after blair won the first time. I expect history to repeat with blair as the visitor this time. I can even imagine him gettin a job at some point.
I agree to a large extent. We desperately need a movement for people get behind which is supported by well thought out policies, realism and competent execution. Falling short is ok as long as the movement retain it's credibility. Failing is a disaster.
Given the vacuum of policy that currently exists, what do you think the key policies should be for the Labour government?
labour are correct to just shut the **** up until the election. the only path to ballsing their huge lead up is to put a load of policies out there
media will criticise them for not taking firm stance on stuff but that is a weak attack that no one really cares about when stacked up next to the avalanche of tory failures and shenanigans
it doesn't matter if starmer planning on leading a centrist government, or a radical government, or an agrarian utopianist government, in all cases he should keep his trap shut
Given the vacuum of policy that currently exists, what do you think the key policies should be for the Labour government?
It's a massive topic and there are so many possibilites because there is so much to do and it can't all be done.
Personally I'd focus on Housing, Health, Energy/Environment, Education and Social care with a framework of social ownership and vitally building a high tech future that belongs to us all rather than some small rich group. That in itself is a massive project and inevitably there are lots of other issues that will have to be addressed.
labour are correct to just shut the **** up until the election. the only path to ballsing their huge lead up is to put a load of policies out there
media will criticise them for not taking firm stance on stuff but that is a weak attack that no one really cares about when stacked up next to the avalanche of tory failures and shenanigans
it doesn't matter if starmer planning on leading a centrist government, or a radical government, or an agrar
Of course this is absolutely correct. If you're happy with tory britain and what's to come then KS is playing a blinder.
The idea he can pull good radical policies out of his hat when in the job is just desperate hope. Its not possible even in the staggeringly unlikely event he has a cunning plan to do so.
its not hard to think up radical polities. its really easy
the hard part is getting them through parliament, and the hardest part of that is securing a majority
It's certainly much easier to do nothing. We can agree on that
I doubt it.
Still better to try than to just give up. There's nothing to lose.
You don't think things can get worse?
