You old lefties on here (Watford/Oslo/Stan/Stroller) have some front. Complaining about the Tories making the election all about personalities. Does no one remember a certain Tony Blair? Now he was a **** Watford!!
Blair was more Tory than most Tories. There's probably no hope for any genuinely left wing candidate now or in future.
Problem with Labour's manifesto is cost. It's all very laudable but the reality is that taxes they would be relying on wouldn't be delivered because those top earners would all either emigrate or find tax efficencies to avoid much of it. They'd have to increase taxes or bankrupt the country. I've heard many people say they'd happily pay 1p in the pound extra income tax to adequately fund the NHS (although I think it would need more), but so many of their plans require huge investment. The sums just don't add up, especially if Diane Abbott had anything to do with it. The whole thing is really pie-in-the-sky...
The Labour Party is not one party but two. The only thing that's keeping them together is the Blairites don't want to lose the name. Expect a hell of a scrap after June 8.
The 'leaked' manifesto (anyone else think it might be a rather clever ploy by Corbyn to get his ideas out before the Blairites sabotage them?) is pretty much what an old leftie like me has been wanting to hear from Labour for a very long time. 1970s? Well, they're talking about rolling back some of the worst excesses of Thatcherism (privatisation of natural monopolies, for example) so yes, if you like. Labour has been Tory-lite for too long. This is what Labour should be - a real alternative. **** the Blairites.
Problem you have though is a real Labour hasn't been elected for over a generation. It would take a pretty catastrophic economic collapse to give such a Labour a chance and even then I can't see the media backing it rather than blaming immigrants or Europe for our woes.
Mrs May was interviewed on LBC and questioned repeatedly about tax rises. She was asked at least three times if she would promise that the Conservatives would not raise tax and refused to do so each time - (no problem with that) saying... “We are a party that believes in actually trying to ensure we have low taxes ... we have no plans to increase the level of tax but what I’m saying is that’s because we are party that believes in a low tax ... as a government, we would go into government with no plans to raise the level of tax.” Which, as is often the case with what she says, is meaningless. Every party believes in low taxes as a goal. Some parties in this election are acknowledging that low taxes may not be possible for a while without a total collapse in some of the things that make the UK great. I suspect the Conservatives fully understand there will be a need for tax rises to pay for things they plan to implement, in part to cover off the negative fiscal aspects of Brexit (not arguing it, just refusing to join Project Ostrich). In the meantime they will hammer their competition for being honest before the election. Their supporters will lap it up and their opponents will be forced to spend time discussing the dead cat on the table. The Conservatives will then raise taxes afterwards whilst shrugging their shoulders.
I think the Labour manifesto is much needed to get politics back onto policies rather than endless leader character assassinations and petty squabbling. It's a distinctive set of proposals that give a proper alternative to the general trend of all parties to the right and an alternative to austerity. The Lib Dems have also got an up to date vision statement on their website which, in lieu of their manifesto, gives a clear outline of where they stand. The Tories will hopefully be prompted into some decisive action now to commit pledges and policies rather that passively meandering towards what they expect to be a large majority. They cannot just head through this repeating a mantra that would be as suited to an Andrex ad. Of course, they might just spend the next few weeks solely attacking the other parties while making few assertions about where they want the country to go. I hope they do make this a campaign based on who has the most solid policies because it's been years since there's been any discernable variety between the main parties. Well done labour, you've given this election am adrenaline shot (and given me something to think about in the process).
All those referendum Leave voters who wanted to 'take back control' must surely support Labour's policies. Let's take back control of the railways, utilities and post office.
The penal effect that hard-man Corbyn was trying to create is undermined somewhat by the fact that he's sitting on a deck chair!
