A Manifesto for 2024

[Mossdog]

This is an interesting perspective on GE chocies by Hugh Willbourn (Psychologist and traditional Labour supporter)

"It is a shocking, mind-boggling truth that the Reform Party is simultaneously more conservative than the Tories and more socialist than Labour... How on earth is that possible?

Why Socialists should vote Reform

https://www.hughwillbourn.com/post/5...ld-vote-reform

[Wheeze]

By universal living wage I guess I mean universal basic income...the name keeps evolving.
Universal jobs is problematic because of the rise of automation and AI. As Hinari says, we will soon be in the age of the "useless human".
No jobs left!

[Mossdog]

This is an interesting perspective on GE chocies by Hugh Willbourn (Psychologist and traditional Labour supporter)

"It is a shocking, mind-boggling truth that the Reform Party is simultaneously more conservative than the Tories and more socialist than Labour... How on earth is that possible?

Why Socialists should vote Reform

https://www.hughwillbourn.com/post/5...ld-vote-reform

[Mossdog]

This is an interesting perspective on GE chocies by Hugh Willbourn (Psychologist and traditional Labour supporter)

"It is a shocking, mind-boggling truth that the Reform Party is simultaneously more conservative than the Tories and more socialist than Labour... How on earth is that possible?

Why Socialists should vote Reform

https://www.hughwillbourn.com/post/5...ld-vote-reform

[Mossdog]

This is an interesting perspective on GE chocies by Hugh Willbourn (Psychologist and traditional Labour supporter)

"It is a shocking, mind-boggling truth that the Reform Party is simultaneously more conservative than the Tories and more socialist than Labour... How on earth is that possible?

Why Socialists should vote Reform

https://www.hughwillbourn.com/post/5...ld-vote-reform

[Mossdog]

This is an interesting perspective on GE chocies by Hugh Willbourn (Psychologist and traditional Labour supporter)

"It is a shocking, mind-boggling truth that the Reform Party is simultaneously more conservative than the Tories and more socialist than Labour... How on earth is that possible?

Why Socialists should vote Reform

https://www.hughwillbourn.com/post/5...ld-vote-reform

[Mossdog]

This is an interesting perspective on GE chocies by Hugh Willbourn (Psychologist and traditional Labour supporter)

"It is a shocking, mind-boggling truth that the Reform Party is simultaneously more conservative than the Tories and more socialist than Labour... How on earth is that possible?

Why Socialists should vote Reform

https://www.hughwillbourn.com/post/5...ld-vote-reform

[Mossdog]

For the Manifesto thread - but I've been unable to post there directly. Moderator!!!!

This is an interesting perspective on GE chocies by Hugh Willbourn (Psychologist and traditional Labour supporter)

"It is a shocking, mind-boggling truth that the Reform Party is simultaneously more conservative than the Tories and more socialist than Labour... How on earth is that possible?

Why Socialists should vote Reform

https://www.hughwillbourn.com/post/5...ld-vote-reform

[Mike T]

An ongoing source of extreme irritation for me is the Tory's claim re Labour's £2,000 tax hike. The fact that this is a more or less made up figure is only half of it. The other side of the coin is the implication that the British public wants the cheapest public services possible, even if those services are stretched - 7 hour wait to be seen in A+E, 2 days on a trolley in a corridor anyone - or virtually non existent - NHS dentistry for example. I for one would be happy to pay more tax for better services, even if I do not need those services, as long as those who earn more than me also pay their fair share. The idea that efficiency savings, reform and growth are all we need to improve public services is clearly nonsense - if it was that easy it would have been done by now.

it is my understanding that "comparable" European countries - France and Germany for example - pay more total tax than we do. And even if that isn't true, it costs what it costs, given where we are starting from.

Even more irritating is Penny Mordaunt. I hope she becomes the next Tory leader - that will destroy them if the election doesn't.

I'll get my coat.

[Witton Park]

An ongoing source of extreme irritation for me is the Tory's claim re Labour's £2,000 tax hike. The fact that this is a more or less made up figure is only half of it. The other side of the coin is the implication that the British public wants the cheapest public services possible, even if those services are stretched - 7 hour wait to be seen in A+E, 2 days on a trolley in a corridor anyone - or virtually non existent - NHS dentistry for example. I for one would be happy to pay more tax for better services, even if I do not need those services, as long as those who earn more than me also pay their fair share. The idea that efficiency savings, reform and growth are all we need to improve public services is clearly nonsense - if it was that easy it would have been done by now.

it is my understanding that "comparable" European countries - France and Germany for example - pay more total tax than we do. And even if that isn't true, it costs what it costs, given where we are starting from.

Even more irritating is Penny Mordaunt. I hope she becomes the next Tory leader - that will destroy them if the election doesn't.

I'll get my coat.

Mike I agree on the £2000k. The number is incorrect. It could be more, it could be less, but it is a guess and I don't like that kind of debate, but they are toast, floundering around for anything to pick at.

However, I'd just like to point out that public spending has doubled IN REAL TERMS from 646 Billion in 2000 to the OBR forecast of 1.22 Trillion in this financial year.

That is a monetary increase, and an increase as a % of GDP from 34.8% to 45.6% over the period.

Over the same period we have 500,000 extra public sector employees.

So we have gone way beyond pay a little more tax for improved services.

One has to also take that in the context of National debt that has gone from 28% of GDP to 98.8% over the same period and soon to reach 3 Trillion with no end to the deficit in sight during the next Parliament.

And our interest payments on that debt? £74 Billion forecast this year as we still run up the national overdraft.
That's the 5th highest category of spending, almost double the defence budget.

So when any of these politicians say "our plans are costed" they are talking shite.

If I ever took such a budget to my board, I would have been fired.