[Politics] The Labour Government

[Weststander]

I'm not surprised by your response, and would add that in the post I responded to you were talking about billionaires and big business, and now you're talking about businesses. I've no problem with SMEs also contributing. I have a problem with billionaires full stop contributing. And most big businesses are doing their damnedest to avoid paying towards the public coffers -- so that ought to be a criteria, ie it's valid for Sainsbury's and Tesco, but not Amazon and Meta.

Business rates need a huge reform, something is mooted. Genuine retailers large and small pay huge sums in business rates, one of several reasons for high street / mall woes and empty stores. Whilst per square foot or per revenue Amazon etc pay bugger all for their huge rural warehouses, by comparison.

 

[Machiavelli]

Business rate need a huge reform, something is mooted. Genuine retailers large and small pay huge sums in business rates, one of several reasons for high street / mall woes and empty stores. Whilst per square foot or per revenue Amazon etc pay bugger all for their huge rural warehouses, by comparison.

Spot on. I still need an explanation as to why RR hasn't done this in the budget, or shifted corporation tax onto sales rather than profits. I suspect the answer, I fear, is Brexit. That Britain is alone, and can't actually do anything, and that we'll just become poorer and devoid of control (the irony) which just enables fascism to emerge in the back door. Potentially frightening times.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Spot on. I still need an explanation as to why RR hasn't done this in the budget, or shifted corporation tax onto sales rather than profits. I suspect the answer, I fear, is Brexit. That Britain is alone, and can't actually do anything, and that we'll just become poorer and devoid of control (the irony) which just enables fascism to emerge in the back door. Potentially frightening times.

Emerge… we’ve been frighteningly close for a few years now.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

I desperately want PR so everyone's vote counts and we break the two party cycle. However, the one danger is that it does give a parliamentary platform for extreme minority parties - the BNP would have got MPs back in the day for example. Most historians argue that Hitler would never have achieved power without PR in Germany and then we would not have had WW2.

Farage has been having political sway for years and he’s only now got a seat in Parliament - the shift in membership of the Tories has also gone similarly far to the right. Those leaning or falling far sides on the right (and occasionally on the left) aren’t being swayed by what happens in the HoC or HoL, but by what happens on social media, their favourite news outlet or on breakfast TV, because that’s where they’re easiest to reach.

The one major benefit of PR is that people will feel heard. People that feel heard tend to be less extreme.

 

[abc]

I'm not surprised by your response, and would add that in the post I responded to you were talking about billionaires and big business, and now you're talking about businesses. I've no problem with SMEs also contributing. I have a problem with billionaires full stop contributing. And most big businesses are doing their damnedest to avoid paying towards the public coffers -- so that ought to be a criteria, ie it's valid for Sainsbury's and Tesco, but not Amazon and Meta.

I like the idea of some sort of qualifying criteria to be able to fund political parties such as (like you suggest) paying all due taxes or being uk resident etc. Better than the current situation but I would prefer some form of state funding ( though I agree, it wouldn’t be a popular policy)

 

[abc]

Business rate need a huge reform, something is mooted. Genuine retailers large and small pay huge sums in business rates, one of several reasons for high street / mall woes and empty stores. Whilst per square foot or per revenue Amazon etc pay bugger all for their huge rural warehouses, by comparison.

Business rates like employers NI is a tax before trading which puts an excessive burden on a business and stifles growth. All taxes should be made on profits but this has to be accompanied by a much tighter regime that forces everyone ( esp the likes of Amazon) to pay what is due, not what their clever accountants can enable them to minimise.

 

[abc]

I cannot say I am an expert in this BUT I cannot say this is something I have picked up on. This flies in the face of the idea, at least amongst those that I have spoken to, that there reason Germany likes PR is that they're not keen on one party having power. As I say, I am not an expert and this is not something I have looked into any great detail.

Interesting, very much a mainstream view as far as I have read and studied over the years. But perhaps this particular historical perspective is different in Germany itself.
Either way, I think PR is ultimately more democratic

 

[dsr-burnley]

The one major benefit of PR is that people will feel heard. People that feel heard tend to be less extreme.

That contradicts what has been said earlier about extreme parties being kept out of power. France has proportional representation, but Le Pen's support grows and grows as the political "establishment" has to try more and more desperate measures to ensure that she is kept out of office. Would you say Le Pen's supporters feel like they are being heard?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

That contradicts what has been said earlier about extreme parties being kept out of power. France has proportional representation, but Le Pen's support grows and grows as the political "establishment" has to try more and more desperate measures to ensure that she is kept out of office. Would you say Le Pen's supporters feel like they are being heard?

They’re heard, all their supporters votes count and the party is heard in parliament. Watch Euro TV and you’ll sometimes hear them yourself.

As for being kept out of office, what keeps them out is only having a hundred or so seats. If they were more popular they’d gain enough to be in power. It’s this simple.

 

[Is it PotG?]

 

[Is it PotG?]

Anyone know what time Sir Relaunch is announcing the rebranding of it all?

 

[Rdodge30]

Anyone know what time Sir Relaunch is announcing the rebranding of it all?

The leaks suggest it’s a simple reworking of the 5 missions into 6 pledges … I don’t think there’s anything new - it’s NHS waiting lists, house building, net zero, education, crime and living standards- not expecting anything on immigration surprisingly

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

That contradicts what has been said earlier about extreme parties being kept out of power. France has proportional representation, but Le Pen's support grows and grows as the political "establishment" has to try more and more desperate measures to ensure that she is kept out of office. Would you say Le Pen's supporters feel like they are being heard?

It doesn’t necessarily contradict it. I mean Macron’s been in power there for years now, which in and of itself disproves your point.

 

[nevergoagain]

Ooooo he's having a go at the bats now.

 

[Giraffe]

I hate these re-launches. Didn't like it when the Tories did it either. Unless you've something new to say then shut up. Saying the same thing over and over again really doesn't help their case. How many times have they announced they're going to build 1.5million homes? Totally unachievable.

 

[portslade seagull]

Watched it yesterday and the interviewer basically reeled out a whole list of firms who didn't support it and Raynor looked lost. Probably needed Starmer to spout the 20B blackhole again mostly created by themselves agreeing to inflation busting pay rises

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Sadly, it's only the promise of absolute power on the basis of 30 odd percent of the vote that keeps these two huge parties of so many disparate and conflicting views together. Get rid of FPTP and there would be a number of parties covering that political ground. Just imagine having to look at differences in the various positions and policies rather than just the colour of the rosettes

Spot on.

PR would mean people's votes actually meaning something.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

This is good from the Labour Party.

Get rid of 20% of Civil Servants - nobody would notice the difference.

Why Labour ministers are starting to agree with Tory criticism of the civil service

The government’s aims are bold, but they want to galvanise the civil servants whoimplement the government’s agenda.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

The speech does very much look like a reset / relaunch - strange from a Govt of just five months.

Everyone knew the LP would walk the election, yet when they got into Govt. they appeared surprised - delaying the budget was an error - as was cutting WFA.

SKS and indeed the whole of the LP need a new set of SPADs - their PR is dreadful.

 

[Curious Orange]

Spot on.

PR would mean people's votes actually meaning something.

It would mean that you can only vote for a party (or grouping) to represent you rather than a person. One of the benefits of first past the post in our system is that anyone can stand, they don't have to be a member of a party (or grouping), it can be the person's individual choice to stand rather than having to be chosen by some other group of people (and therefore beholden to them rather than their electorate).

I understand why PR is attractive, but I do worry that it could actually end up being less representative as you lose that direct local connection.