Rayner Will Not Rule Out Abolishing Council Tax Single Occupier Discount

Grantanow

I voted to get the Tories out and that was the right thing to do given their incompetence and deliberate recklessness in budgeting a trap for an incoming Labour government. We are all going to pay a heavy price for 14 years of the nasty Party and I won't be voting for them next time.

Hear hear, Grantanow.

hear hear @2

Hear hear x 3. I voted to get rid of the Tories too and would gladly do the same again. I am disappointed with the decision about WFA, of course, but I am curious as to what wondrous things people expected the Tories to do had they been reelected.

Another labour voter here.

HousePlantQueen

Hear hear x 3. I voted to get rid of the Tories too and would gladly do the same again. I am disappointed with the decision about WFA, of course, but I am curious as to what wondrous things people expected the Tories to do had they been reelected.

This is a valid point. We never hear from those calling KS unoriginal (and IMO unfounded) names just what they would do differently, never mind what they seriously think the Tories would have done differently.

The prison situation, the fact that councils are so cash-strapped, the cost of living - blame for all of these things can be laid firmly at the feel of the previous administration, who were around for fourteen years, yet the new government have been in power for something like 68 days, yet are criticised for not having turned back the tide.

IMO judging a government on the strength of 68 days seems a bit premature, we haven't even had a budget, just lots of rumours in the media from sources who are definitely not supportive of labour and some settlements of very long standing wage claims that have been costly and very inconvenient for a lot of people. The issue of WFP is contentious but there are lots of people who are supportive of not giving money to people who don't need it and tbh if any savings are taken up by paying more pensioners PC, I really think that's a win. What I would welcome would be an increase in the threshold for claiming PC and an increase in the tax free allowance which would take some of the poorest paid out of taxation entirely. I think it's sensible to see what is actually in the budget before anyone gets upset about something that might not happen.

“The prison situation, the fact that councils are so cash-strapped, the cost of living - blame for all of these things can be laid firmly at the feel of the previous administration, who were around for fourteen years, yet the new government have been in power for something like 68 days, yet are criticised for not having turned back the tide.”

I’m not defending them but the Tories had Brexit, Covid and Ukraine in quick succession, they struggled as did many governments. With hindsight things could have been done differently, Labour was not blameless during the Brexit process and I really don’t think they would have handled Covid or Ukraine much differently.

Now pigeons are coming home to roost, we have got to earn our keep, so hard decisions have got to be made, the giveaways the Tories used to get votes cannot now be afforded. We should not get complacent about how much supporting Ukraine might cost, nor what effect the Gaza war might have if Iran gets directly involved.

Regardless of the challenges (undoubtedly serious ones) that faced the Tories, they left the UK in a mess. Blaming the current government for not sorting them out within 60-odd days is very simplistic, and takes no account of the failures of the last one.

As foxie says, we don't even know what will happen in the budget yet.

Blaming the government for not sorting out problems immediately is par for the course. It happens every time and we’re still suffering now because of GB’s actions.
Just there wasn’t such easy opportunity for people to make their blame public back then, or to leap to the defence of any actions by Starmer or new government.

I really and truly wish that Brexit, Covid, and Ukraine had happened under a Labour government. I would have loved to have seen just how they would have have handled all these situations. Starmer wanted us locked down for longer; I wonder how that would have affected the economy.
To be honest, anyone who thinks it would have been much different either doesn’t understand or is living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Covid in particular, has caused economic problems in virtually every country in the world, but of course, it’s all the fault of the government.

maddyone oh yes. 🤣🤣🤣

Under a Labour government, more people would have got off their rear ends and voted so Brexit wouldn’t have happened. (Or maybe it would have got a 2million majority instead of only a 1million one.)

We wouldn’t have supported Ukraine on the grounds that we’re still pouring money into third world countries, that can afford to join the space race. ( even those that segregate their citizens by caste,)
Incidentally, that’s because we are helping India reduce its carbon emissions. Maybe their spaceships will take off on solar power.

We wouldn’t have had Covid. Starmer wouldn’t have allowed it, and if we did, we’d all had to have worn lanyards to protect us instead of masks.

Starmer thinks Lock down for longer?

Last time I heard, lockdown was wrong. Certainly posters on social media criticise the lockdown of schools, shops and services etc.
On the one hand subjecting hospital staff caring for Covid patients to exposure was wrong, on the other hand allowing more people into health care facilities to increase the danger of exposure was wrong.

Which way would Starmer have gone?

I don’t excuse the errors or even wrongdoing with regard to purchases made, maybe voters believe no-one in the LP has ever been guilty of deliberately or accidentally feathering their own nests at the taxpayers’ expense, but you mentioned cloud cuckoo land . . .

With the advantage of hindsight any party/country would know what worked and what didn’t. Still doesn’t mean they’d get it right though.

Thanks for your post.

Is there really any need for the sneering tone on these threads?

Doodledog

Is there really any need for the sneering tone on these threads?

I do not see sneering per se, just posters voicing their opinions on the current Government, and its policy decisions.

After all those who were anti the last Government have done little else other than sneer and snipe at the previous cohort since GN’s inception.

Ah well, we see it differently then.

I have no issue with opinions, but I definitely see sneering, rather than debate.

Now we have seen they style of the Labour government it would most likely have been tougher than the Tories during Covid, whether that would have reduced the death rate we will never know but it would have been no picnic.

Thank you GrannyGravy13

It’s not sneering, any more than the LP supporter comments are sneering, and I haven’t accused them of that.

I have said many times that I don’t think everything the last government did was right, so I reserve the right to voice my opinion on the current government (and the last Labour government’s actions too, where applicable.)

I think there are a few things we can be sure of if Covid had happened under a Labour government:

1) there would have been NO parties in Downing St while the rest of the UK population couldn’t sit with dying loved ones

2) millions of £s would NOT have been chucked at the PM’s mates who suddenly set up a company providing PPE, which turned out to be useless

3) the furlough scheme would have been effectively managed so that millions of £s were not squandered and / or claimed fraudulently

4) the NHS would have been in a better state in order to cope with the pandemic

5) the government would have followed the advice of the scientific experts.

God forbid there’s another pandemic in my lifetime … but if there is, I hope a Labour government is running the UK at the time!

So is it my imagination, or did Starmer accept a £2400 pair of glasses from a Labour Party donor and a great deal more money for expensive suits to campaign in?
And did I imagine that this very donor was given free reign to enter 10 Downing Street for a while after the election win?
I’m rather hoping that that particular privilege has now been withdrawn now!

Mollygo

Thank you GrannyGravy13

It’s not sneering, any more than the LP supporter comments are sneering, and I haven’t accused them of that.

I have said many times that I don’t think everything the last government did was right, so I reserve the right to voice my opinion on the current government (and the last Labour government’s actions too, where applicable.)

Obviously you have every right to do that, but all the 🤣🤣🤣 and so on are not really conducive to a debate - it feels more like a playground tussle.

I agree, LizzieDrip. Whatever people think about KS and his policies, I don't think he can realistically be accused of corruption or fiscal irresponsibility.

The pass ran out at the end of August.
It's quite usual, apparently.

maddyone

I really and truly wish that Brexit, Covid, and Ukraine had happened under a Labour government. I would have loved to have seen just how they would have have handled all these situations. Starmer wanted us locked down for longer; I wonder how that would have affected the economy.
To be honest, anyone who thinks it would have been much different either doesn’t understand or is living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Covid in particular, has caused economic problems in virtually every country in the world, but of course, it’s all the fault of the government.

At least, if we’d had a Labour government during covid, we probably wouldn’t’ve had a PM that even his own party had to get rid of. It would have been nice to look back to that time knowing we had a competent person leading the country.

MissAdventure

The pass ran out at the end of August.
It's quite usual, apparently.

Good! And so it should.
No one should receive a pass into number 10 because they give half a million to a political party campaign and buy the party leader designer glasses and expensive new suits!

Presumably Maybee, you believe Starmer to be competent.

Obviously you have every right to do that, but all the 🤣🤣🤣 and so on are not really conducive to a debate - it feels more like a playground tussle.

I think that every time I read yet more posts defending LP or Starmer.

Especially when they’re defending actions that Starmer condemned when the Conservatives were going to do it.

Where did the info come from that Alli bought Starmer glasses, because I can only find that he gave a donation.

It's a bit odd, choosing glasses for someone else.
I wouldntbuy them for anyone I know.