droodzilla
pfm Member
Judge for yourself:
https://twitter.com/evolvepolitics/status/1546447198438756353
Intellectually incoherent, at best, in my view.
Labour Leader: Keir Starmer VII
- Thread starter Seeker_UK
- Start date
https://twitter.com/evolvepolitics/status/1546447198438756353
Intellectually incoherent, at best, in my view.
ks.234
Half way to Infinity
Economically incoherence but also politically nonsensical. He appears to be adopting the Magic Money Tree as a weapon against the Tories, but it can only bounce back at him because he doesn’t appear to understand the implications of what he is saying on his own promises to improve public services. He is right to ask the Tories where the money for tax cuts is coming from, because under current budget constraints tax cuts will have to be funded from ‘borrowing’ or cuts to public services.
However, he is going to face exactly to same Magic Money Tree argument if he plans to delivers on his promise to raise public spending. That is, where will the money come from? Tax rises? Increased ‘borrowing’ or the Magic Money tree?
Starmer is in a very real sense going to be hoist by his own petard, he is going to be undone by his own words and he lighting a long burning fuse that will blow up his own public spending agenda.
Madness
Maybe he’s hoping that no one will notice until after the next election, but they will afterwards and public spending will wither away under a barrage of Daily Mail headlines and his own complicity with the very argument that will undo him.
droodzilla
pfm Member
This news is a month old but I missed it first time round:
https://twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/1546868531836452864
Guardian story here:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...-edinburgh-council-with-lib-dem-and-tory-help
Long story short, in Edinburgh, Labour have gone into power with the help of the Lib-Dems and the Conservatives, rather than come to an arrangement with the SNP and Scottish Greens. So much for the progressive alliance.
PS: This reflects equally badly on the Lib-Dems - they have enough councillors to form a ruling coalition with the SNP and Greens too.
https://twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/1546868531836452864
Guardian story here:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...-edinburgh-council-with-lib-dem-and-tory-help
Long story short, in Edinburgh, Labour have gone into power with the help of the Lib-Dems and the Conservatives, rather than come to an arrangement with the SNP and Scottish Greens. So much for the progressive alliance.
PS: This reflects equally badly on the Lib-Dems - they have enough councillors to form a ruling coalition with the SNP and Greens too.
Tony L
Administrator
Very disappointing. I can understand the conflict regarding Scottish independence and certainly think the LDs made the wrong choice here, but I can see how it would be popular in the rest of the UK and, like Labour, were playing a national game rather than the Scottish one on the table. Sadly it comes as no surprise that Labour and the Tories would align. I’d not be surprised if they aligned to fight against democratic electoral reform too.
PS FWIW if I lived in Scotland I’d 100% be behind independence just to get away from the hopeless Tory Labour Westminster shit-show and rejoin the EU as an independent democratic state. Absolutely no question about that decision. Screw both Tory and Labour. By saying that as someone trapped in Little England and the decline that is now baked-in I’d far prefer Scotland to stay part of the UK as they dilute the right-wing nationalism and authoritarianism of both the Tory and Labour parties.
Steven Toy
Accuphase newbie
You are referring to roundabouts.
Le Baron
Unbiased advice at reasonable rates
At the very least not 'magic money tree', since that is meant as a pejorative jab. Like 'maxing out the credit card'. Both pejorative framing.
Le Baron
Unbiased advice at reasonable rates
What's the difference? By-the-way, there's one near where I was born that has always been referred to as a 'traffic island' (has grass and a tree on it too). Why is it not a traffic island?
droodzilla
pfm Member
One would hope that both the Lib-Dems and Labour could set aside the national debate about Scottish independence in a local council.
Tony L
Administrator
Agreed. No way in hell I’ll attempt to defend it conceptually, but local councils are very odd things often populated by very odd people and there may well be other local factors in play that we are unaware of. It still makes more sense than Hartlepool!
Brian
Eating fat, staying slim
No, I'm not.
droodzilla
pfm Member
Labour lords abstain on an amendment to the Schools Bill to provide free lunches to all pupils in households receiving universal credit:
https://twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/1546962835569360896
Feels like every week brings a new low from this pathetic excuse of an opposition.
The rationale for this decision might be found in the following article:
https://labourlist.org/2022/07/call...bition-for-our-country-rather-than-extend-it/
The logic is twisted, but it's consistent with the Labour right's aversion to universal services, and fetishisation of "choice".
https://twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/1546962835569360896
Feels like every week brings a new low from this pathetic excuse of an opposition.
The rationale for this decision might be found in the following article:
https://labourlist.org/2022/07/call...bition-for-our-country-rather-than-extend-it/
The logic is twisted, but it's consistent with the Labour right's aversion to universal services, and fetishisation of "choice".
Spraggons Den
pfm Member
Yay:
Sir Keeeya to scrap charity status of private schools.
Boo (from the Guardian):
Labour has committed to “ironclad discipline” with the public finances and cutting Britain’s debt burden if it gets into power, in an attempt to draw a clear dividing line with Tory leadership hopefuls promising billions of pounds in tax cuts.
As an aside, it seems to me the Tories are getting a lot of free publicity these days with the leadership blah dominating and set to dominate until mid-September (more boos).
Sir Keeeya to scrap charity status of private schools.
Boo (from the Guardian):
Labour has committed to “ironclad discipline” with the public finances and cutting Britain’s debt burden if it gets into power, in an attempt to draw a clear dividing line with Tory leadership hopefuls promising billions of pounds in tax cuts.
As an aside, it seems to me the Tories are getting a lot of free publicity these days with the leadership blah dominating and set to dominate until mid-September (more boos).
Tony L
Administrator
Incomprehensible. The Labour party needs defunding. They are now indecisive or actively on the wrong side of pretty much every moral issue. No trade union should give them a penny.
PS Good on the LDs for at least trying to do the right thing in the face of two shit parties.
Spraggons Den
pfm Member
You have used this argument before and I am afraid to say it doesn’t get better with time. I see a lot of cyclists on my commute to work on fast rural B roads - the worst offenders at not giving room to cyclists are the SUV/4x4 drivers. There is no way I would cycle at those times.
russel
./_dazed_and_confused
Why shouldn’t they break from the union?, or are you for forced marriage?
Le Baron
Unbiased advice at reasonable rates
This is true. I cycle to the city (nearly) every day and it is overwhelmingly SUV drivers. Sadly piloted by women a lot of the time. They are so large (the cars not the women) that they seem to fear hitting an oncoming car and thus are far closer to the curb side than any other ordinary car. They also can't see over the wheel when they turn into side roads. A lot of Dutch side streets are brick roads with a small 'ramp' at the entrance. I've had near hits numerous times. SUVs are a menace.
mandryka
pfm Member
I’d be interested if you could suggest something to read arguing for universal services.
ks.234
Half way to Infinity
You need to understand that public spending constraints are consistent with tax cuts, so not a dividing line with the Tories but a buy-in to precisely the same narrative.