An election looms, so I think it is time to look at all the success over the 13 years that we have witnessed from the government.

I’m speechless.

Honestly when have workers' rights been "far left". If you don't understand that what a lot of confirmed labour voters are now seeing is a choice between far right and right wing policies, then you've missed the shift to the right that is happening, and has been happening, for several years. And the problem is not just that Starmer will fail to make any difference to the inequalities of society, it is also that he may not even get the chance, because there is a real danger that the public will see no difference and will not turn out to vote for either party in great numbers. But it will be the LP which will suffer most and we might just see a hung parliament or another Tory government

Grany

Yesterday’s Financial Times reports that the Labour Party is preparing a major rollback on workers’ rights. This is significant news – after years of abandoned pledges under Keir Starmer’s leadership, employment rights was the last bastion of transformative policy in the party programme. Now it appears that too might be sacrificed.

Can I ask you again: what do you actually want? Another five years of Tory rule? Corbyn back as leader of the Labour Party? You can’t constantly criticise without offering some sort of alternative.

So you follow the FT Grany. Interesting.

I can't see their presentation of this as anything but what I would expect from that particular newspaper - and from you.

That Starmer is bowing to practicalities, rather than the frighteningly far-left, only increases his chances of gaining essential centre and centre-left votes. He and his team have already made it clear they will not be able or, it seems, willing to change everything on day one, should they be elected. They have clarified what they can do. Hopefully their changes will be incremental and not extreme.

I'm not sure that telling us Starmer isn't Corbyn is actually a winning line for the F.T.

Yesterday’s Financial Times reports that the Labour Party is preparing a major rollback on workers’ rights. This is significant news – after years of abandoned pledges under Keir Starmer’s leadership, employment rights was the last bastion of transformative policy in the party programme. Now it appears that too might be sacrificed.

Hasn't the Labour party has said it will not nationalise the energy sector, although it would establish a new publicly-owned clean energy company, Great British Energy, if it wins the next general election?

What do Labour suporters expect Great Britsh Energy to look like?

Whitewavemark2

It is good to realise that altruism still survives, but in the long term it really isn’t the answer for an equal society, where everyone is well fed, well house and with access to health and education.

That is the job of a government.

Only government?

Whitewavemark2

It is good to realise that altruism still survives, but in the long term it really isn’t the answer for an equal society, where everyone is well fed, well house and with access to health and education.

That is the job of a government.

I agree.

Although charities will always have their place because the world will never be equal.

It is good to realise that altruism still survives, but in the long term it really isn’t the answer for an equal society, where everyone is well fed, well house and with access to health and education.

That is the job of a government.

MayBee70

Even the rich industrialists of the past realised that the best way to increase productivity was to look after their workforce.

Most of them although I don't think the mine owners were altruistic.

Many others, of course, built decent housing for their workers.

Even the rich industrialists of the past realised that the best way to increase productivity was to look after their workforce.

Galaxy

The graves they went to on average at age 40. I am not sure it helps to compare, I wouldnt under any circumstances wanted to have brought up children in that era.

What it highlights though is how far the Victorians advanced works of all kinds which benefitted society. We know what we are capable of doing, but are no longer advancing. There’s just no excuse 150 years later to not keep our sewage systems maintained.

Labour turns its back on workers rights

Maybee70 I agree with you, Conservatives stand together to win elections by appearing more confident they convince voters by it.
Labour have always had more in-fighting and less confidence about elections tho I think they did feel more secure when Blair became leader.Since then there was the huge own goal of Jeremy Corbyn amongst other things.The very left wing members of the party are always at odds with the rest. Now is the time to stand united, it’s their best hope of winning.

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MayBee70

The trouble is because we became an industrial nation before most other countries our infrastructure is Victorian and needs replacing. We’re just putting sticking plasters over the many problems. Maybe, being a small island, we find it far too easy to just pump sewage out to sea and try to forget about it.

Apparently our waterways were due for an audit this year, and I think we can guess what the result would be.

The government has put it off for 5-6 years😮

Galaxy

The graves they went to on average at age 40. I am not sure it helps to compare, I wouldnt under any circumstances wanted to have brought up children in that era.

Improving the sewage system improved health and probably raised life expectancy a bit.

It is notable, though, that Bazalgette's mammoth and much needed works still ended up with London sewage being discharged just a bit further down the Thames and being swept out to sea. Our modern water companies are just following an historical precedent

Actually, Casdon, I admire the Victorians greatly, for their attempts to improve health, their engineering ability and their incredible architecture.

The graves they went to on average at age 40. I am not sure it helps to compare, I wouldnt under any circumstances wanted to have brought up children in that era.

The trouble is because we became an industrial nation before most other countries our infrastructure is Victorian and needs replacing. We’re just putting sticking plasters over the many problems. Maybe, being a small island, we find it far too easy to just pump sewage out to sea and try to forget about it.

If you haven’t seen this before, it is amazing.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/crossnesss-victorian-pumping-station-resumes-steaming-this-month-64686/
It just shows how important sewage disposal was in the Victorian era, they placed much more value on public health. They would be turning in their graves.

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The problems with our sewage seem like a metaphor for the breakdown of the systems that run or should run a wealthy society. The basics such as waste removal, sewage treatment, education, policing, and health, all the things which create a functioning society, seem to be breaking down.

The far-right sees politics as a way to support only the individual. The far-left see politics as all about the largest group possible, the state.

The problem is that centrist politics is more difficult than the simplistic extremes. Balancing state and individual will always be a point of debate. Creating a mixed economy, balancing the economic views of left and right, is also difficult to manage. But then, no one ever said life would be simple. Going for the simplistic answer doesn't make life simple for the majority - just 'a' majority, one extreme or the other.

Were we live the sewage problems due to privitisation have helped elect a new LibDem MP and a new LibDem councillor., both of them taking seats from the Tories just in the last month. Sewage is a serious issue..

Just had something pop up on my Facebook timeline about problems with sewage. It’s from over a year ago. That isn’t going well, is it?

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