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Should I vote Labour

(1001 Posts)
whitewave Tue 25-Apr-17 13:05:46

This has been donated by nikkiw

Statement of intent not the manifesto

1. Reverse the cut in corporation tax saving £64bn over the parliamentary cycle
2£10 minimum wage for all over 18s
3. 17% rise in unpaid farmers allowance (exrea £500 pa) - paid by reversing the Inheritance Tax cut.
4. Renationalise railways as the franchises lapse
5. Stop NHS private contracts. Phase out existing private contracts thus saving 3.5bn - 5bn at present going as profit to the private health companies
6. Build 200k homes a year. Half from the private sector and half council homes by giving LAs the power to borrow against assets. This should ensure that 12bn housing benefit bill at present going into private landlords pockets should gradually fall.
7. 4 new public holidays
8. End zero- hours jobs by guaranteeing a contract for all workers on regular hours.
9 Ban any company from tendering for government contracts if they are based in an off shore tax haven and pay their CEO more tha £350k pa
10 stop the opening of new free schools and grammars
11 Stop sweetheart deLs between HMRC and bug corps. All large companies should publish their tax returns
12 Eradicate gender pay gap
13 cut business rates by £1.5bn
14 End the practice by large corps, of taking longer than the accepted 28 days to pay SMEs

durhamjen Fri 05-May-17 16:39:20

I am not a communist. It was said by Maxine Peake, who was brought up by her communist grandfather.
I said it because Fitzy listed every Communist group he could think of to denigrate the socialists on here.

Anniebach Fri 05-May-17 15:31:36

Baffling, so Keir Hardie who formed the Labour Party instead of joining the communists wasn't a true socialist .

POGS Fri 05-May-17 15:10:57

durhamjen Fri 05-May-17 11:26:34

"A communist is a socialist who means it."

BUT as you and a lot of other posters have said Corbyn is not a communist, so is he a 'Socialist who doesn't mean it"?

Personally I think he is a communist who means it and I regret apologising to posters when he was put forward for Labour Leader who gave me grief for saying so.

I still don't think that the General Election will be a shoo-in for Theresa May by any means but there is an irony to the results that are becoming obvious today. The Corbyn/Momentum Party has damaged the Labour Party and those who have denied there is a causation that can be attributed to Corbyn/Momentum are deluded.

Anniebach Fri 05-May-17 13:45:01

Why have the communists not have the guts to stand for their own party rather than infiltrate another party

Anniebach Fri 05-May-17 13:42:13

Jen, you are honest by defending your communist party, I disagree with you strongly , I abhor communism and we only have to think of the communist countries in the world to see ehy

Jalima1108 Fri 05-May-17 12:29:16

"A communist is a socialist who means it."
A communist is one who likes the best things in life for him/herself and throws a stale loaf to the proles to keep them fed and working.

Or so history has shown us.

durhamjen Fri 05-May-17 11:30:26

An excellent article. This is why you should vote Labour in the general election.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/05/labour-tax-bombshell-election-schools-hospitals-left

durhamjen Fri 05-May-17 11:26:34

"A communist is a socialist who means it."

GracesGranMK2 Fri 05-May-17 11:02:41

Fitzy, do you think all those who belong to the parties you mentioned should be represented or do you think a single party would be good for democracy?

rosesarered Fri 05-May-17 09:37:43

The trouble ( or rather, the good thing is ) Fitzy that there aren't enough of the blighters!

Eloethan Fri 05-May-17 09:28:26

Why not respond to the actual issues, i.e. the selling off of publicly owned assets, the privatisation of public services with the attendant lack of scrutiny which allows for "commercial secrecy", etc.?

Fitzy54 Fri 05-May-17 08:17:46

You should vote Labour according to a number of diverse and right (left?) thinking influential groups that have now announced their support for the party under the current leadership: the Young Communist League, the Communist Party of Britain, the New Communist Party of Britain hmm, the Workers Revolutionary Party and the Socialist Workers Party. And, obviously, the Alliance for Workers Liberty. And not to leave the Trotskyists out, there is of course, our old friends, Militant Tendency (or are they really just more Communists? Politics can be so confusing). Anyway, that lot should get the votes piling in.

Eloethan Fri 05-May-17 00:26:52

Aside from the Greens which unfortunately, under our present electoral system, have very little chance of winning a general election, Labour is, in my opinion, the only party which will halt the destruction of so much of what has been achieved in this country.

Under the Conservatives, the march towards privatisation of virtually all public services will continue, as will the selling off of British assets, the decline in our education system and health service, a further reduction in workers' rights and a continuing loosening of health and safety and environmental regulations.

durhamjen Thu 04-May-17 18:10:54

You should vote Labour to save the NHS.

labourlist.org/2017/05/we-did-it-before-and-we-will-do-it-again-ashworth-speech-on-how-labour-will-rebuild-the-nhs/

yggdrasil Thu 04-May-17 13:30:47

Eloethan said <Another thing that occurs to me is - was anyone aware that on leaving the EU we were contractually liable to pay the EU a very large amount of money (which nobody has really defined or explained to date). I certainly had no idea that was the case.>

It certainly wasn't mentioned by the Leave campaign, but then, very little truth was. But we are contracted to pay it. While we are still in the EU we have to pay our part of the ongoing expenses. We agreed that this money would be paid over some years, we can't just say " too bad, it's all yours to pay now".

durhamjen Thu 04-May-17 08:38:59

Why you should vote Labour.

theconversation.com/why-civil-and-political-rights-have-been-easier-to-secure-than-social-and-economic-ones-77027

The rights you will keep.

rosesarered Wed 03-May-17 22:50:07

Am already looking forward to watching a new series of Ballot Monkeys.grin

Eloethan Wed 03-May-17 19:05:08

I'm not sure any British party could have the whip hand over 27 other countries but it is my belief that going in with all guns blazing and antagonising everyone probably isn't the best way to get a good deal.

Another thing that occurs to me is - was anyone aware that on leaving the EU we were contractually liable to pay the EU a very large amount of money (which nobody has really defined or explained to date). I certainly had no idea that was the case. Wouldn't that have been a rather crucial piece of information in determining how some people would vote?

Perhaps the remainers' spokespeople would be reluctant to disclose it for fear of reinforcing the the idea that the EU was a greedy, money-grabbing institution, and the leavers would be equally loathe to mention it because some people might decide the price of leaving was too high. Or perhaps they weren't even aware that a payment would have to be made!

POGS Wed 03-May-17 14:42:00

Why do you have to be Keir Starmers confidante to answer the question?

Most posters I would think heard or read Starmers words, certainly heard it being dissected throughout the various media sources.

It is Labour Policy so it is a fair question to ask , it is factual confirmation not hear say nor speculation .

It is a Policy/question that can't be answered is my only thought so far and I understand why, it is illogical.

daphnedill Wed 03-May-17 13:03:59

POGS Par for the course on GN. I don't think I ever had any replies when I asked what people thought the benefits of leaving the EU would be.

I don't think anybody here is Keir Starmer's confidante, so how should we know?

FarNorth Wed 03-May-17 12:59:41

www.thenational.scot/news/15258217.Better_Together_s_Alistair_Darling_dismisses_the_possibility_of_Prime_Minister_Corbyn/?ref=fbshr

"NEW LABOUR big beast Alistair Darling hit the campaign trail yesterday and immediately dismissed Jeremy Corbyn’s chances of becoming the next Prime Minister."

Is it a wise move for Labour to be presented as Opposition, from the start?

POGS Wed 03-May-17 12:50:20

no reptiles! (no replies, obviously)

Blimey now my tablet is thinking for me.

POGS Wed 03-May-17 12:48:27

I am asking on this thread and I have asked on the Brexit thread this question but getting no reptiles 'so far'.

Explain to me how Sir Keir Starmer, Labour Shadow Minister For Brexit thinks we can stay in the Single Market / Customs Union whilst leaving / not being a member of either the EU/EFTA/EEA ?

The EU have refused to negotiate over the 4 Pillars of the EU which are :-

The free movement of goods, capital, services and persons.

Keir Starmer / Labour state:-

Free Movement of People 'HAS TO END'

Free Movement of People 'RULED OUT AS IT IS'.

Freedom of Movement will have to have 'NEW IMMIGRATION RULES'

How can we 'CHERRY PICK' as Labour believes we can , well not only them but many posters too it seems.

petra Tue 02-May-17 19:30:32

annie
I was thinking more of the chancellors job, I think that's more her forte grin
Alistair Campbell wasn't very impressed ( channel 4 news)

daphnedill Tue 02-May-17 18:38:58

There is no way that there will be a Labour government, but the size of the Conservatives' majority and the extent to which the troublesome backbenchers are swamped will determine how much May can get away with.

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