Westminster Politics 2024-2029
- Thread starter Pexbo
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Of course they shouldn't be spending money frivolously but Labour didn't decide or sign this contract. So why are you so upset with them about it?
You can't use it as an example of Labour's hypocrisy or frivolousness, or use it as a stick to beat them up for not spending £10billion on this week's media cause.
Starmer was championing the WASPI cause, personally, in 2022. Hardly 'this week's media cause'
This year he has also pledged 3 billion a year to ukraine and is now going to send god knows how much to the new syrian government, or al Qaeda as we used to call them.
I'm not bothered whether anything thinks these are good causes or not, if we cannot take care of our own people, whether that is kids going hungry or pensioners freezing, we certainly can't afford weaponry for other countries.
I'd also point out, that politically, this is the party that spent 4 years saying they are the people to restore trust in politics. Then going out there and being the biggest liars in an industry that includes boris bloody johnson.
You want a farage government? This is exactly how you get one.
It's not this week's media cause is it. It's been Labour's cause for years and it's they who have decided that they won't honour it.
And they can cancel contracts, just like they can cancel winter fuel payments. Not like their hands are tied.
cnuts.
Remind me, were "WASPI" payments in the manifesto? Or is this just yet another invented controversy.
Just because the Tories left a rake for Labour, doesn't mean they have to step directly on to it.
90% of people affected knew. If the 10% were too thick or ignorant to check in the years involved, then it's on them.
Labour shouldn't have aligned themselves with this PR campaign but this wasn't a manifesto commitment.
Indeed they can, and the government is about to launch a line by line spending review which presumably will cover this kind of thing. So judge them on that rather than on one off distractions.
The amount is £50million, it's for humanitarian aid and it's not to the new Syrian government but to NGOs and the UN. Source
Is it honestly even worth engaging with people that conflate aid and foreign policy considerations (such as not letting Russia set up camp on the border of western Europe) with payments for entitled people that didn't check their retirement information for a decade. I suggest not.
Being a cnut is not “free speech”.
The amount of times the Ukraine argument is used is pathetic. Do people even realise the security implications if we let Russia take Ukraine. It's a lazy argument.
I wish more European politicians were aware of this.
Every time the "we can't afford it" argument comes out I just get images of PPE in my head. Or the magic money tree that could also magically dis and re-appear based on whether it suited the tories or not.
I know Labour weren't in power at these points but they've been that weak and middle of the road as an opposition, and had that little objection to it, I see them as still culpable anyway.
Maybe freeze energy prices or tax excess profits on basic utilities, excess wealth, etc. like they actually should, as the LABOUR party, and it wouldn't be such a big headache to find a bit more tax money to pay for some other cock up. Obviously this is naive thinking but I don't think there's much of a leeway left on how much MPs can get away with insulting everyone's intelligence.
Exactly. We can afford it, it’s just that they’re choosing to carry out austerity.
The younger generations aren't sitting at home watching this shite on the TV though. They know their audience.
That is where we are.
If we had that money, spending it on building housing so young people can actually afford their own place would be nice, for instance.
Ok, perhaps if they'd applied earlier they'd have gotten it in time. Once again, there seems to be this assumption that the state will do everything for certain groups in society, and ensure everyone's taken care of - while doing little to nothing for others. These people are 60+, have plenty of life experience, know things take time, so they surely cannot be surprised by this. My grandma has been in receipt of pension credit for years. It is not some un-predictable thing. If you are approaching state pension age and meet the eligibility criteria, and are a fan of free money, applying for it is one of the first thing you should do. That these people have not is a signal of poor planning on their part, nothing more.
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It is a lot of money to be fair.
The money could go on this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly21w7qewvo
The basic reason we are in this mess is because the economy is not growing and has not been growing. Taxes are going up because costs are increasing yet without the growth or the borrowing headroom to pay for it. It's not because we aren't taxing enough.
We have to start growing again, but labour are in a dangerous position where they need to tax more, because growth is low, but when they tax more they slow growth even more. And they can't borrow more because that means interest rates rise, slowing growth even more. I'm not sure how they will break out of this.
You know what? Good on her for deciding the country couldn't actually afford it, despite her personal wishes and presumably personal embarrassment. That is her doing her job.
And Brexit is a massive milestone that won't get reversed any decade soon.
It really is.
Politically I can understand why they don't want to open that can of worms especially with Reform growing, but I don't think the country is ready for that argument yet. It will be, but it doesn't feel like the time is right. (They could be doing more to lay the groundwork to move the debate in the right direction and it is disappointing they aren't).
I don't know how much economic damage it will take for the country to revisit it.
why are pre Covid promises being resurrected as a Gotcha moment. The landscape has changed materially. You’re merely doing the gutter right wing press’ job for them
Its the correct decision. A bunch of entitled women demanding a handout.
The argument about hypocrisy, fine, but it wasnt on Labour's manifesto, despite any previous views.
Storm in a teacup.
The argument about hypocrisy, fine, but it wasnt on Labour's manifesto, despite any previous views.
Storm in a teacup.
I think there is a difference between changing your mind and lying. I think think Reeves was probably sincere before she saw the books. But that's me giving them the benefit of the doubt, which I know you aren't going to do.
I think politicians lying is a bad thing.
I can’t see the Labour Party willing to spend money on actually helping people.
Exactly. Reeves and Starmer are cowardly turncoats.
I think politicians lying is a bad thing.
Yikes.
Changing your mind is not the same as lying, and I'm sure you on some level must realise that?
I think politicians lying is a bad thing.
True, she has changed her mind. But at the same time, the fact that she and the prime minister have flip flopped on their promises and previous principles is a sign of cowardice.
Because people aren't serious anymore. It's all a bit of a laugh really isn't it, let's pile on. All things are possible and if they aren't happening, it's because someone is evil. The only person who ever could have saved us was Corbyn, who was perfect, and you didn't choose him so we all deserve what we get from the liars who replace him, who are all the same. I don't need to explain what the right are doing.
Something like that I think. It's deeply, corrosively cynical.
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This but unironically. Corbyn would have been a great prime minister, this Labour government is full of cnuts, and no, criticising them does not make you equivalent to a columnist for the Daily Mail.
Basically Starmer is everything we said he'll be but it's our fault for pointing it out too early.
Yup. I knew he’d be like this. It’s the same with how Biden was and how his failures allowed a fascist to win this year.
So Thames Water gets to put their bills up by £35 a year every year over the next five years so we can all pay off their monstrous fecking debts, well done Labour. That'll really get the economy moving. Nationalise the fecking company you idiots and do not pay out their thieving shareholders.
Wowers.