Alistair Darling finally admits Labour have screwed up BIG

[Stumpy Tim]

I always smile when people say "Labour won't ever get in again". Yes they well... once people are sick of the next Conservative government. The boot was on the other foot back in 97.

I still can't bring myself to vote Tory though

 

[Buzzer]

I have to agree with BoF. The class thing seems to be paraded as a desperate way of persuading people not to vote for Cameron. Funny how it wasn't used on Prime Minister's that attended Fettes, the Scottish Eton.

I don't think Cameron is being paraded as the next Thatcher. His one-nation Toryism credentials SEEM to be spot on. I really really hope so.

I suspect that BoF and I are aligned quite similarly politically. Neither of us Thatcherites. There's plenty of Tories out there like us, I think.

 

[Man of Harveys]

So all the time the economy was good under Labour, that was all entirely due to the "legacy" inherited from the...whereas now it's not so good, it's all Labour's fault and nothing to do with global factors, fiscal crunch, high oil price etc etc?

Righty ho. Got that.

 

[Buzzer]

So all the time the economy was good under Labour, that was all entirely due to the "legacy" inherited from the...whereas now it's not so good, it's all Labour's fault and nothing to do with global factors, fiscal crunch, high oil price etc etc?

Righty ho. Got that.

Bugger me. That's certainly a new twist on the "it's all the Tories fault" line.

Are you really claiming that, as that is really really really crap. Sorry MoH but that's just SHITE.

They've been in power for 11 years. That's long enough for them to take responsibility for the mess. Sorry but you can't pin this on the Tories.

 

[DJ Leon]

Labour may have no control over the economy, but it's preferable to the deliberate 'boom and bust' strategy that the Conservative ran through the 80s. I wonder if Cameron will do the same when he comes in?

 

[Buzzer]

I always smile when people say "Labour won't ever get in again". Yes they well... once people are sick of the next Conservative government. The boot was on the other foot back in 97.

I still can't bring myself to vote Tory though

It's what happens to Labour in the interim though, Tim. Does Scotland get independence? Do the unions and the Co-operative movement really start to push for a full-blooded left-wing agenda? If so, then there won't be a Labour party recognisable as the same party as now. It could even fracture and split.

 

[Buzzer]

Labour may have no control over the economy, but it's preferable to the deliberate 'boom and bust' strategy that the Conservative ran through the 80s. I wonder if Cameron will do the same when he comes in?

What about the spectacular boom (deliberately based on credit and expansion of the public sector) and spectacular bust (apparently the WORST for 60 years) of now?

I'd say that anything that leads to that kind of bust is patently worse. And even worse if the party in power has no control over it as you claim.

 

[DJ Leon]

It's what happens to Labour in the interim though, Tim. Does Scotland get independence? Do the unions and the Co-operative movement really start to push for a full-blooded left-wing agenda? If so, then there won't be a Labour party recognisable as the same party as now. It could even fracture and split.

Think that might be wishful thinking on your part. If Labour didn't die after the Thatcher years when the ideological gap they had to traverse was massive they certainly won't die now when the gap is so small.

 

[Man of Harveys]

I don't think Cameron is being paraded as the next Thatcher. His one-nation Toryism credentials SEEM to be spot on. I really really hope so..

It'd be rather preferable actually to know, rather than hope for stuff from that dippy foppish bimbo, but for that to happen he'd have to use his well-bred vowels to deign to tell us what he might actually DO.

Interesting to think that few people actually seem particular sure of exactly what he stands for because he's not exactly said, well...anything of any substance whatsoever. He's just been NICE. I suspect he has all the heavyweight intellectual policy credentials of a particular dim-witted Alec Douglas-Home. He'll be using matchsticks to explain the economy next.

But hey, he's charmingly posh, rides a bike and has a disabled kid. I'm sure he's a very nice man.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Sorry but you can't pin this on the Tories.

If you take away the credit crunch (mainly down to the greed and stupidity of the US banks) and the soaring oil prices (partly fuelled by the greed of global commodity traders) then about the only thing that can be pinned on the Labour government is the 10 tence tax rate fiasco.

Sure, maybe the country does want regime change, but there's not a damn thing the Tories could have done about most of the current woes.

 

[Buzzer]

Think that might be wishful thinking on your part. If Labour didn't die after the Thatcher years when the ideological gap they had to traverse was massive they certainly won't die now when the gap is so small.

Agreed. It is wishful thinking on my part but Thatcher acted as a recruting agent for the Labour party then. My point though is that it's not necessarily ideology - sheer numbers of influence esp. with the Scottish MPs. I'm not trying to shit-stir with this point. Just speculate that if Labour don't get a grip on the SNP then there is real trouble ahead.

 

[DJ Leon]

What about the spectacular boom (deliberately based on credit and expansion of the public sector) and spectacular bust (apparently the WORST for 60 years) of now?

I'd say that anything that leads to that kind of bust is patently worse. And even worse if the party in power has no control over it as you claim.

So you think we shouldn't have invested in the public sector (damn the health service, the schools, the infrastructure etc) IN CASE there was a massive mortgage crisis in the U.S?

I still think I'd rather not be deliberately led into an economic downturn, i wouldn't vote for anyone who thought that to be a good idea.

 

[Buzzer]

It'd be rather preferable actually to know, rather than hope for stuff from that dippy foppish bimbo, but for that to happen he'd have to use his well-bred vowels to deign to tell us what he might actually DO.

Interesting to think that few people actually seem particular sure of exactly what he stands for because he's not exactly said, well...anything of any substance whatsoever. He's just been NICE. I suspect he has all the heavyweight intellectual policy credentials of a particular dim-witted Alec Douglas-Home. He'll be using matchsticks to explain the economy next.

But hey, he's charmingly posh, rides a bike and has a disabled kid. I'm sure he's a very nice man.

You really don't want to like him. Do you? Can't quite pin the nasty tag on him so pick on his class. Hey, let's all laugh because he's posh. And therefore dim.

Whatever gets you through the day, Colin.

 

[Buzzer]

So you think we shouldn't have invested in the public sector (damn the health service, the schools, the infrastructure etc) IN CASE there was a massive mortgage crisis in the U.S?

I still think I'd rather not be deliberately led into an economic downturn, i wouldn't vote for anyone who thought that to be a good idea.

Sorry, I'm going in a minute and arguing on 3 fronts here but there hasn't been capital investment. There's been money pumped into wages, into consultancy, into middle management and Britain has no savings, no gold reserves and that is DEFINITELY NOT the fault of the US. Gordon has taxed, borrowed and spent. And spent again.

I'll be back tomorrow. Gotta take eldest to footie and then off into town. Sorry chaps. I'm outta here.

 

[drew]

Sorry, I'm going in a minute and arguing on 3 fronts here but there hasn't been capital investment. There's been money pumped into wages, into consultancy, into middle management and Britain has no savings, no gold reserves and that is DEFINITELY NOT the fault of the US. Gordon has taxed, borrowed and spent. And spent again.

I'll be back tomorrow. Gotta take eldest to footie and then off into town. Sorry chaps. I'm outta here.

No investment? What about all the new school buildings, money in the NHS where we have seen more new buildings (admittedly some PFI). The trouble with our political system is that there I can only vote for whom I think will be least worst for the country rather than what I believe is outstandingly great. The Tories will want to bribe people by putting money back in to their pockets by tax cuts and then public services will deteriortate like they did in the 80s and 90s. However, Labour have seemed to lost control and direction yet at least they support the notion of Society.

I voted for Thatcher in 83 because I didn't know any better. Since then I have voted LibDem to try and keep them out (including one unfortunate spell when I was resident in the constituency of Lewes, pre falmer debate). Being surrounded by NHS workers in my family I know who is better for that service.

My biggest problem with the current Tories is that Cameron does not come across as statesmanlike during his duels at question time, more of a playground mudslinger. Also, when are they going to give details of their policies? Surely they cannot use the excuse that they will wait till 2010 when last year they were crying out in the press for an election within 4 weeks.

Where do we go from here, I don't know but I don't believe the Tories have the answers!

 

[Gully]

I always smile when people say "Labour won't ever get in again". Yes they well... once people are sick of the next Conservative government. The boot was on the other foot back in 97.

I still can't bring myself to vote Tory though

Neither can I, regardless of how they are doing nationally we have a Labour MP here who is doing an excellent job for his constituency, sadly he is one of the most vulnerable to even a small swing to the Tories.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Why don't Labour just f*** off and let the Tories in. Hold a general election now. The doom and gloom is intensified as the general public now hate Labour , they are a dead duck government and Brown is even more hated and people just want them OUT. The fact is it is 2 years still is depressing people so they are not spending and battening down the hatches until they have the first opportunity to throw this shower out. Then the mood of the public will improve and the ball can start rolling again.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

It'd be rather preferable actually to know, rather than hope for stuff from that dippy foppish bimbo, but for that to happen he'd have to use his well-bred vowels to deign to tell us what he might actually DO.

Interesting to think that few people actually seem particular sure of exactly what he stands for because he's not exactly said, well...anything of any substance whatsoever. He's just been NICE. I suspect he has all the heavyweight intellectual policy credentials of a particular dim-witted Alec Douglas-Home. He'll be using matchsticks to explain the economy next.

But hey, he's charmingly posh, rides a bike and has a disabled kid. I'm sure he's a very nice man.

This is a myth peddled by Reds. Cameron has some excellent ideas and policies. His speech at their conference last year was one of the greatest political speeches of all time.

 

[DJ Leon]

His speech at their conference last year was one of the greatest political speeches of all time.

What did he say?

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

A lot of good and sensible things over 75 minutes.