Any allegiance to the Labour Party?

[tbaldwin]

Do you have any independent figures to prove this "massive increase?"

Well as they have been all over the News for years,maybe you can look them up yourself?
Do you live in the UK? jmuk.....

 

[jmuk]

Well as they have been all over the News for years,maybe you can look them up yourself?
Do you live in the UK? jmuk.....

Yes, the figures that the Government itself puts out have been in the media for years, but they're on the unreliable side (triple accounting and that sort of thing). Also you'd have to take into account how much of the increase was due to the increased cost of having private companies carry out public works - in other words how much of the public spending increase is being converted into private profits through PFI deals.

Just thought that since you made a claim you might be able to back it up with some suitable figures.

 

[tbaldwin]

Yes, the figures that the Government itself puts out have been in the media for years, but they're on the unreliable side (triple accounting and that sort of thing). Also you'd have to take into account how much of the increase was due to the increased cost of having private companies carry out public works - in other words how much of the public spending increase is being converted into private profits through PFI deals.

Just thought that since you made a claim you might be able to back it up with some suitable figures.

Double accounting goes on but how do you think that affects the overall figures for public spending.....PFI is shit but much exaggerated by some lefties....If you want concrete proof look at 77,000 EXTRA nurses since 97 etc...Look at the number of extra teachers,look at stuff like New Start. I work for a charity the funding has gone up by 300% since NL came to power....Charities now spend £40 billion a year much of which comes directly from increased public spending.
Look at how many more people are now employed in the public sector than in 97.It has been a massive increase.
Even the Tories admit it,but say a lot of the money has been wasted.Thats true enough but the Tories also wasted billions on shite schemes etc.
Both also did some good New Labour spent more money and did more good.Not enough but what govt has ever done more?

 

[tbaldwin]

People always try to fit stats to their agenda or ignore the ones they dont like.....I put up a stat that was in the Guardian showing that spending on the NHS had risen from £34 billion in 97 to £92 billion now..The response was predictably most ignored it or tried to claim with sheer prejudice that it had led to no more nurses etc and had all gone on PFI.
Just a sad combination of ignorance and prejudice that does nothing to tackle New Labours real weak points.....

 

[brasicritique]

New Labour have wasted billions on rubbish projects and schemes,the Tories will also waste loads but look for efficiencies and will not be committed to any kind of social justice.

The Tories may not be commited to social justice, but to infer that NL are even vaguely commited to SOCIAL JUSTICE...

 

[oryx]

'New' IMVHO: Labour have had some successes on the domestic front e.g. they have raised the minimum wage and they have tried to tackle the problems of anti-social behaviour and isolation on large local authority estates. They have a good track record on the economy.

Their foreign policy record stinks and Blair's allegiance to Bush makes me want to puke. I do not like or support Blair but he has been PM at a very difficult time, i.e. when the threat from global terrorism has been the highest ever, though I do not like or respect how he has reacted. I DO vote for Labour in a general election for the simple reason I do not want to get the Tories to get in. I don't tend to vote for them in local elections (probably biassed because my local council is solid Tory anyway).

I am really disappointed that after the horrors of Thatcher we elected such a right wing government and that the alternatives are so utterly fragmented. There is just no broad left alternative to support or vote for.

 

[shagnasty]

maybe a proper labour party as an opposition to the tories would be better than a nu labour government acting like a bunch of tories giving the people of this country no hope .the thing that i most hate about nu labour is that it as no compassion .it is more concerned about its own self interest and has made a calculation that the natural labour voter as no were else to go ,the working people can go fuck themselves

 

[aylee]

Do you still have some allegiance to Labour/New Labour/Old Labour or any of the bollocks their supporters cling on to?

I voted for them enthusiastically in 1997 and reluctantly in 2001. So much of what has happened has disgusted me since then that it will be some time before I can bring myself to cast a vote for them again (save for one of my local councillors who has impressed me). The thing is, I'm still far from convinced that the Tories wouldn't be worse, so I might vote for them next time if I'm in a marginal seat after I move later this year. Apart from that, unless there is a sea-change in the way Labour does things when Bliar finally goes, they're not having my vote again.