Politics and the Tory and Labour Party – A view to discuss.
I do not want a party that pandas to the electorate and tries to be all things to all people. I want a party based on sound principles. I think the electorate need inspiring and educating.
The Labour Party was born out of the Trade Union movement – out of the struggle of working people for a fairer country.
The Tory Party was born out of wealthy businessmen to protect the interests of wealthy businessmen.
The Tory Party controls the media and uses it as a propaganda machine. They opposed the enfranchising of votes for all men and then later they opposed votes for women. The represent the establishment – God, Queen and Country.
The Labour Party, in order to become elected, has to support the establishment. If it appears too socialist or radical it is demonised in the media and made out to be a threat.
The Labour Party, when in power, always looks after the poor and public service.
The Tory Party, when in power, cuts public services and gives tax cuts to the wealthy.
The Labour Party has always believed in a fairer society with less inequality. They would tax the rich more and nationalise institutions so that the profits go to the country and not wealthy entrepreneurs.
The Tory Party believes in giving money to the rich wealth-makers. The principle is that the country becomes richer and the money trickles down.
The problem that The Labour Party has is that when they are in power the wealthy withhold their wealth so it is difficult for the country to prosper.
The trouble with The Tory Party is that the wealth does not trickle down. The wealthy squirrel it away abroad, public services decay and the poor have nothing. Inequality grows and festers.
I want a fairer society. I’ll give my vote to The Labour Party. I want to see well-funded public services. I want a graduated tax system that makes the wealthy pay more without removing incentive. I want the poor looked after and helped.
I don’t vote out of selfish greed. I vote for what I think is best for the country.
I think that The Labour Party should start with its principles, say what it stands and what it stands against and not care what the electorate want.
I do not want patriotism, xenophobia or Brexit. I want an outward looking country that cooperates with neighbours. I want freedom to go where I want without hindrance.
I think Corbyn got it right (apart from Europe) but was not media savvy or charismatic enough.
The key things for The Labour Party to do now is to unite (bring both wings together), formulate clear policies (together) that stem from its basic principles of fairness, and explain them to the electorate. I think they need to be far fiercer and go for The Tory Party expose their lies, sleaziness and corruption, expose what they are doing to the country and talk about The Labour Party policies with passion.
We need some integrity, honesty and principles!! We desperately need a viable opposition to this most corrupt, inept bunch of extremists.
The waters have been muddied by Brexit, xenophobia, nationalism and lies. The wrong people have been empowered.
Time to put it right.
Just as with Brexit it is the Old Voters who are voting for the Tories and don’t give a hoot about the young, schools, the NHS or social care. It is the young who will pick up the bill!
Grannies and Granddads are dumping their grandchildren in the mess.
According to the Independent:
‘The (Labour) party is 57 points ahead of the Conservatives among voters under 25 years old, according to the poll, compared to 28 points shortly after the snap vote was called in April.
Across all the age groups, the survey for The Sunday Times showed Theresa May’s lead over Labour had fallen to seven points as she re-launched her election campaign.
While only 12 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds said they would vote Conservative, 69 per cent of them would opt to elect Jeremy Corbyn to Downing Street, the poll showed.
Meanwhile, 44 per cent of 25-to 49-year-olds favoured Labour, compared to 34 per cent who would vote Tory. Mr Corbyn’s 10-point lead among this age group was up from eight points in the first days after the election was announced.
Yet only 57 per cent of people in each young age group said they were absolutely certain to vote, compared to 66 per cent of 50 to 64-year-olds and 75 per cent of over 60s.’
Time to make sure everyone gets out to vote. This country can’t stand another five years of austerity and the dismantling of public services!!
Socialism is a range of economic and social systems characterised by social ownership and democratic control of the means of production;[
It is a system that is opposed to the rampant greed of capitalism. This mantra of profit before all else, greed and to hell with everything, is what is creating inequality, environmental destruction, overpopulation and fuelling war. There’s a better way.
I like democracy and having a say in what is going on.
Socialism is based on the idea of equality.
It is associated with environmentalism, feminism and liberalism.
They are all things I am in agreement with.
I’ve been listening with interest to the arguments put forward at the Labour Conference and good ones they are too.
An end to austerity and the vicious attacks on the poor, disabled and public servants.
I want an educational system for everyone – not selection and a series of grammar schools for the wealthy while the rest get the slops.
The nationalisation of the Post Office. How on Earth does it make sense to have thousands of cars and vans running around the countryside delivering amazon parcels instead of one streamlined, joined up service? It’s a bunch of poorly paid people being exploited for profit. We have a national system that is efficient and streamlined it’s called the Post Office.
The Nationalisation of the Railways. I’m sick of hiked up prices for travel. A piecemeal set of companies all in it to cream off wealth for a bunch of rich owners. I want an efficient, joined up, safe, cheap service, development and a service that provides comfort and speed. It needs to be under public ownership.
The end of Trident. Trident is a hugely expensive red herring. It can never be used and is minuscule compared with the USA and Russia (and probably China too) It’s only reason is to give Britain a place at the top table. Well I could do without a place at the top table. The money could be spent on anti-terrorism, schools, hospitals and housing.
I want the greedy bankers and capitalists to pay more. I want a country with more equality and less greed.
I want the environment being respected and conserved. I don’t want fracking destroying our countryside and polluting the water.
I could go on. I can’t find much I disagree with.
I’m a socialist, a paid up Labour man. I believe in equality. I want capitalism curbed.
I want the Labour Party to unite and get behind the leader and get their message across. It’s time we started showing up the Tories for the bunch of greedy capitalists they are.
There is a better way – it’s the Labour way. I’m a SOCIALIST through and through.
The Labour dilemma.
I am and have always been a Labour voter. I know their ideology, philosophy, and where they come from. Their roots are based in fairness, equality and justice – in the labour struggle and trade union movement. I can identify with that.
I want a Labour Government. In my view it is the only way to protect the rights of ordinary people and protect our public services.
I am a great supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. I love his passion and policies – all he stands for. He stands for hope. He has altered the policies of the Labour Party and dragged it back from the watered-down policies of Blairite pseudo-Tories. He has inspired a grassroots movement and attracted tens of thousands in to the Party.
Yet, right now the Labour Party is tearing itself apart and giving the Tories free reign to bring in their despicable policies. They are imposing austerity on the poor and public servants while ensuring the rich are doing very nicely.
While the Tories continue with their ruthless policies Labour are languishing 10 points behind in the polls.
I am disgusted by the Labour MPs who withdrew their services, backstabbed, sniped and undermined.
I am disgusted by the media who have relentlessly undermined, seized every opportunity to ridicule or talk down, and selected their portrayals of Corbyn to create a picture of ineptitude.
Yet I have my doubts.
Can Jeremy be a leader who could unite not just the grassroots but the MPs and electorate at large to make Labour electable?
Why does he go missing when the extremists are intimidating members of his Party?
Why was he so poor during the EU campaign?
How can he be seen as electable when he commands so few of the Labour MPs – not sufficient to form a viable cabinet?
Can Jeremy ever become good at manipulating a hostile media?
Is he seen by the wider electorate as a viable Prime Minister?
How might it have turned out if the whole of the Labour MPs had got behind him and sorted out their differences in private?
Why are those MPS so intent on a coup which allows the Tories to plough along unchallenged?
Right now I cannot see a way forward.
Owen Smith is not a viable leader.
Jeremy Corbyn will be re-elected.
Will that unify the Party or will it pull it apart?
I lived through the seventies with the horrors of Thatcherism and her decimation of production, public services and deregulation. I saw the social fall-out and despair. She was allowed to rule because of the split in the Labour Party. The Gang of Four split away from Labour and set up their silly middle way. In so doing they gave the Tories everything they wanted. They ran amok.
I saw Michael Foot and Tony Benn (both of who talked utter sense and stood for fairness and justice) being demonised and undermined.
I saw Blair take over after the sad death of John Smith and saw the way he moved the party to the centre as a watered down Tory. He was a great disappointment but at least he looked after the public services, inner cities and the poor.
I do not want to see the Labour Party become an idealistic party of opposition. I want to see them elected.
If the party splits we might find ourselves out in the cold for generations and possibly never recover.
I suspect that the left-wing policies, to which I subscribe, are probably not going appeal to a large enough section of the community at large to become electable.
In order for Labour to be elected it has to pull together and be that wide church, to incorporate the left and right wings, and to compromise on policies.
That is the dilemma.
When Jeremy is re-elected can he build those bridges, win those recalcitrant MPs over, bury the hatchet and find the compromises, learn how to handle that right-wing media, create policies with mass appeal, deal with the internal bullying and project the right image of a Prime Minister in waiting, with a unified party and coherent policies?
Or will those MPs continue to take their bats home and oppose him? Or worse – split?
If he can’t unite the MPs and the party splits the Tories will rampage forward without opposition and the working people, public servants and poor will suffer.
I can’t imagine anything worse.
My hope is that Jeremy can do it!
So what are your views?
The Labour Party is in a dilemma.
The parliamentary party is overwhelmingly opposed to Jeremy Corbyn and his policies (vote of no confidence 172/40). The MPs are moderate watered down Tories.
The grassroots of the Labour Party are in favour of Jeremy (60/40).
The Trade Unions are in favour of Jeremy.
The wider electorate are lukewarm at best.
The media are extremely antagonistic.
The dilemma is whether to stick with Jeremy and his principles and find themselves unelectable or to drop Jeremy and move to the centre with the parliamentary MPs (watered down Tories) and become more electable.
My dilemma is this:
I support Jeremy and his policies
I cannot see how he can put together a credible cabinet with such little support from MPs.
I was unimpressed with his lacklustre performance during the referendum campaign
I do not think he manages the media well.
I do not see the charisma and leadership skills that are needed.
I desperately want a Labour Government that can end this inequality and austerity of this dreadful Tory government with its war on the poor and public services.
I want unity in the Party.
For the good of the country and party I believe Jeremy needs to step down. I believe the local parties should start to appoint Labour MPs with the right credentials. We do not want corporate MPs who are watered down Tories. We want MPs with real Labour principles who represent the people.
When the MPs with real radical Labour principles, like Jeremy, are present in large enough numbers we can then form a credible radical government under a leader with Jeremy’s principles.
It has to come from the bottom – not the top.
Jeremy has been a breath of fresh air. He has pointed the way. It is time the local parties got their act together so that we have the right MPs to do the job and represent the people.
I’m one of your biggest fans but you’ve got to step down for the good of the Party and the good of the nation.
I love what you stand for and I agree with what you say but it is not working.
You had the opportunity to stand up and speak with passion, to inspire and persuade. You failed to do so. You allowed this mess to happen. You have to take some of the blame.
Step down and get behind a unified front against the Tories. We need to stand up against these extremists. We need a better way forward. We need to listen to the concerns about immigration and austerity. We need to protect the weakest.
I can’t help thinking that going through this charade is falling right into Tory wishes.
Step down Jeremy. It’s time to call it a day. Don’t drag us through anymore. Please.
The staggering level of the Corbyn victory has stunned everyone. Close on 60% in the first round and winning in every area is incredible. But it is not surprising.
Jeremy Corbyn represents all of this. He is passion and a man of conviction. He says exactly what he thinks.
He will be branded as Left-wing and retrograde. But I think the media and Tories underestimate the way the British people are disillusioned with politics and are looking for some hope.
Corbyn offers that hope.
The Labour Party has been a watered down Tory Party – just a little bit more caring than the nasties. They have backed Tory policy and austerity. They haven’t opposed cuts and pay restraint. They’ve allowed the Public sector to be decimated. They’ve even backed privatisation.
I have nothing to gain from the Labour Party financially. But I’ve everything to gain from a rejuvenated Labour Party morally.
I put my faith in Corbyn, justice, fairness and equality> I know he means it!
Here’s to hope!
You do not have to be a member of the Labour Party. You just have to support Labour.
Here’s what you do:
click the link below. Fill in your details. Pay £3. Vote for who you fancy.
I just did. It took me three minutes.
Disclaimer – I would consider myself a left-wing moderate and pragmatist. While I will try to be objective and impartial one must always bear that in mind when reading further. My bias may subconsciously select words for me.
It is quite apparent to me, from my years in education, that the majority of people do not have a clue as to what the political parties stand for. Their philosophy has become shrouded in obfuscation. All the politicians are interested in is power and that means votes. In order to get elected they have to compromise and disguise their intent. That is politics.
I am attempting to state clearly, simply and objectively what the main parties stand for and where they came from.
The Labour Party.
The Labour Party are a centre/left party.
They came out of an amalgamation of the Socialist Party and the Trade Union movement of the late 19th Century. They were founded in 1900.
They were formed in order to give working men a voice in parliament and fight for reforms that would improve the conditions and pay of working people.
The Labour Party is a broad church ranging from extreme socialists to moderate social democrats.
They believe in social ownership of the means of production – ie. State ownership.
They believe in the principle of – ‘To each according to his contribution’ and/or ‘From each according to ability; to each according to need’. That is basically a fairer distribution of the wealth of the nation.
They embraced social concerns to improve the lot of ordinary people – environmentalism, feminism, and liberalism.
They oppose the premise of capitalism.
They believe in government intervention in business, taxation to provide services, redistribution of wealth, rights for working people and a welfare state.
Nb. No doubt my political friends of a left-wing bias will put me right on a few of my assertions!
