I do not reject the principle of a civilised society looking after people that need assistance .
I do object to the sheer levels of tax now being levied in Britain ( worse in Scotland)
Socialism ,, good idea “ in principle “ ,,,, in reality , it doesn’t work !
It has in fact taken a very long time to get is as badly broken as it is now .
There are vast numbers of working age people now on benefit , some have never , and Will never work without compulsion . Some are trapped in the system because at current benefit levels , it does not pay them to take work . Many feign illness and skive on the Personal independence payment . Many on benefit - work on the black - there is generational benefit families ( these are facts ) !
Solutions - I would :- Freeze all benefits except pensions ( because this is not or in my opinion should not be seen as a benefit but as an entitlement of a civilised society )
I would scrap :-
The minimum wage
The Living wage
Working tax credit
I would regulate what universities can offer as there are many youngsters getting into debt for effectively worthless degrees
I would return a significant part of University education back towards technical subject matters , both at degree level and at polytechnic level to teach
I do agree with you on working people being - excuse my language - fucked over. It’s why I wrote about squeezed income and lost expected income from the post 2010> era, and also the stats on how older (wealthier) class people were sheltered from the worst of austerity.
On all of that I agree with you. I just think it’s not that taxes are too high it’s that they are too high on the WRONG people. I’d happily tax banker CEOs more, but to do it effectively and avoid wealth flight, it’d need to be at a European level …
No need to excuse your language fella ,, because you are 100 % correct . My eldest lad , has worked hard , learned mechanics , learned electrics, learned high voltage electrics . He works in a critical industry supporting lifting equipment in factories , nuclear plants , waste plants etc ,, this is very skilled dangerous and dirty work ( often carried out at great height ) .the Scottish government now take half of his income directly between tax & NI ,, then he has to pay council tax , he has just enough to keep the two of them and the 2 kiddies.
There are people in the village who have everything he has , + a new motability car every 3 years ( all paid for except the fuel ) - no one in that house works ! - something is going very badly wrong in the UK ( worse in Scotland ) .
This lazy comparison of SNP and reform... Spare us Dean. Not even the major parties try to make that argument fly. George Galloway tamely used it when he couldn't outflank the SNP on the left. The SNP are an international party that is pro-immigration and greater cooperation with the EU. It has long been an effective voice AGAINST narrow minded nationalism and you know it. I agree that Sturgeon was good at making grand political gestures without achieving success... But I think that she tried. Starmer and Sarwar however, they have no intention of trying. Reset relations with the EU? Come on
I disagree that it's a lazy comparison, I think it's the same basic formula of populism and easy solutions. That said, my wider point was really not about the SNP it was a demand on Labour to actually rise to the occasion and offer not just rhetoric and communication but radical policy solutions and a serious mechanism for delivery inside government.
Perhaps some clarity then. The SNP have through bitter experience, taken a more pragmatic approach to social change. The current SNP are a long way from the vacuous policy platform of the reform party. In fact the only similarity you can draw is that the SNP and reform are likely to be the horns on which the current Labour gov perishes if it can't deliver some progress. The question is do they move to the right to ward off reform, or to the left the fend off a likely resurgent SNP?
Social change (i.e. the alteration of society over time) can only be accomplished by the stern and honest application of economic redistributive justice (carefully calibrated to avoid stifling economic growth via market mechanisms). To this end simplistic solutions of the Faragists of 'freedom' from 'the EU/ECHR' is bullshit, in much the same way as 'freedom' from our largest export market (rUK) is for Scotland. What we need and require is a serious UK wide socially democratic government capable of carrying out reform. Labour have begun some of it (started renationalisation of UK rail by increment)...but needs to go further. The way to ward off the horror of revolutionaries and their pathetically easy solutions of omelettes if only we break a few eggshells is to undertake renewal at the pragmatic centre. You ask the radicals for their utopia, they have no fucking omelette to show, but I can always show the shattered eggshells.
Britain needs Labour to step up, and fast. I refuse to let the Faragists win.
Polling simply does not support the contention a majority of or even plurality OF SCOTS supports erecting barriers to our trade with rUK. The attitudes of one political party is a bit irrelevant, and not what I was getting at. But again, this really isn't the central point of our discussion is it?
It is the central point of my contention with your original post. I realise you are trying to distance yourself from it now. Again to provide clarity, noone in the SNP and I would imagine within the voting base, supports erecting trade barriers with the rUK. I realise that barriers would form a corner stone of any arguments against Scottish independence, but that would bare no relevance to any trading agreement reached in the event of an independence vote. And this is central to your main point... In order to ward off the faragists Starmer is going to have to move us to the right on immigration. Maybe Scottish secession even more inevitable.
The necessary Reforms needed to set Britain back on a road to prosperity - are currently unimaginable to the incumbent Political class with its cosy Labcon / Conlab centre left( ish ) consensus . ( Socialism - doesn’t work - it has never made any country prosperous )
Major REFORM , is needed in the machinery of government and a hard move away from any socialist direction . The welfare state has been mismanaged on a GARGANTUAN scale by almost all British governments virtually since its inception .
Starmer has already done so much harm with his two tier justice / policing that it will make virtually no difference what he does from here in .
This government is a dead man walking already ,,, they just don’t realise that yet !
With people in government of the calibre of Rayner and that racist ignorant fool Lammy , etc !
Unless the Labour Party put a new Leader bod in ,one that removes almost all of what is the current cabinet - - they are a ONE term government .
Islam and immigration - ARE going to take them out of office ,, regardless of what they do tinkering around the edges removing wealth to re- distribute .
As I say - REFORMS , that are currently unimaginable , WILL be required to make inroads into the mess that Britain is in .
I'm genuinely curious as to why you reject social security and redistribution when economic inequalities are driving so much of the popular unhappiness with the 'establishment class'? (I promise this isn't a 'gotcha' question, I'm honestly interested)
I do not reject the principle of a civilised society looking after people that need assistance .
I do object to the sheer levels of tax now being levied in Britain ( worse in Scotland)
Socialism ,, good idea “ in principle “ ,,,, in reality , it doesn’t work !
It has in fact taken a very long time to get is as badly broken as it is now .
There are vast numbers of working age people now on benefit , some have never , and Will never work without compulsion . Some are trapped in the system because at current benefit levels , it does not pay them to take work . Many feign illness and skive on the Personal independence payment . Many on benefit - work on the black - there is generational benefit families ( these are facts ) !
Solutions - I would :- Freeze all benefits except pensions ( because this is not or in my opinion should not be seen as a benefit but as an entitlement of a civilised society )
I would scrap :-
The minimum wage
The Living wage
Working tax credit
I would regulate what universities can offer as there are many youngsters getting into debt for effectively worthless degrees
I would return a significant part of University education back towards technical subject matters , both at degree level and at polytechnic level to teach
Mechanical
Electrical
Hydraulic
Chemical
Metallurgy
Material joining , plumbing ,welding , block laying ,joinery ,roofing ,
Electronics and vehicle repair
Nursing at college level
And many other skills useful for the running of a civilised and developed country .
China ( and I know the population scales are different ) is turning out MILLIONS of people each year with usefull technological degrees .
Britain is becoming a dysfunctional state with vast debts with vast bloated , inefficient governance both at national , regional and local level.
Stopping the vast number of people recieving benefit - is utterly key to turning around both the State finances and peoples lives .
In my view , British - business as normal will never even begin to deal with the myriad of issues that beset our Nation .
Radical action will be necessary at some point !
If it is not at least attempted , this country will continue to decline for the foreseeable
I do agree with you on working people being - excuse my language - fucked over. It’s why I wrote about squeezed income and lost expected income from the post 2010> era, and also the stats on how older (wealthier) class people were sheltered from the worst of austerity.
On all of that I agree with you. I just think it’s not that taxes are too high it’s that they are too high on the WRONG people. I’d happily tax banker CEOs more, but to do it effectively and avoid wealth flight, it’d need to be at a European level …
No need to excuse your language fella ,, because you are 100 % correct . My eldest lad , has worked hard , learned mechanics , learned electrics, learned high voltage electrics . He works in a critical industry supporting lifting equipment in factories , nuclear plants , waste plants etc ,, this is very skilled dangerous and dirty work ( often carried out at great height ) .the Scottish government now take half of his income directly between tax & NI ,, then he has to pay council tax , he has just enough to keep the two of them and the 2 kiddies.
There are people in the village who have everything he has , + a new motability car every 3 years ( all paid for except the fuel ) - no one in that house works ! - something is going very badly wrong in the UK ( worse in Scotland ) .
This lazy comparison of SNP and reform... Spare us Dean. Not even the major parties try to make that argument fly. George Galloway tamely used it when he couldn't outflank the SNP on the left. The SNP are an international party that is pro-immigration and greater cooperation with the EU. It has long been an effective voice AGAINST narrow minded nationalism and you know it. I agree that Sturgeon was good at making grand political gestures without achieving success... But I think that she tried. Starmer and Sarwar however, they have no intention of trying. Reset relations with the EU? Come on
I disagree that it's a lazy comparison, I think it's the same basic formula of populism and easy solutions. That said, my wider point was really not about the SNP it was a demand on Labour to actually rise to the occasion and offer not just rhetoric and communication but radical policy solutions and a serious mechanism for delivery inside government.
Perhaps some clarity then. The SNP have through bitter experience, taken a more pragmatic approach to social change. The current SNP are a long way from the vacuous policy platform of the reform party. In fact the only similarity you can draw is that the SNP and reform are likely to be the horns on which the current Labour gov perishes if it can't deliver some progress. The question is do they move to the right to ward off reform, or to the left the fend off a likely resurgent SNP?
Social change (i.e. the alteration of society over time) can only be accomplished by the stern and honest application of economic redistributive justice (carefully calibrated to avoid stifling economic growth via market mechanisms). To this end simplistic solutions of the Faragists of 'freedom' from 'the EU/ECHR' is bullshit, in much the same way as 'freedom' from our largest export market (rUK) is for Scotland. What we need and require is a serious UK wide socially democratic government capable of carrying out reform. Labour have begun some of it (started renationalisation of UK rail by increment)...but needs to go further. The way to ward off the horror of revolutionaries and their pathetically easy solutions of omelettes if only we break a few eggshells is to undertake renewal at the pragmatic centre. You ask the radicals for their utopia, they have no fucking omelette to show, but I can always show the shattered eggshells.
Britain needs Labour to step up, and fast. I refuse to let the Faragists win.
The SNP don't want freedom from our largest export market??!! What? How can you misrepresent an argument so flagrantly?
Polling simply does not support the contention a majority of or even plurality OF SCOTS supports erecting barriers to our trade with rUK. The attitudes of one political party is a bit irrelevant, and not what I was getting at. But again, this really isn't the central point of our discussion is it?
It is the central point of my contention with your original post. I realise you are trying to distance yourself from it now. Again to provide clarity, noone in the SNP and I would imagine within the voting base, supports erecting trade barriers with the rUK. I realise that barriers would form a corner stone of any arguments against Scottish independence, but that would bare no relevance to any trading agreement reached in the event of an independence vote. And this is central to your main point... In order to ward off the faragists Starmer is going to have to move us to the right on immigration. Maybe Scottish secession even more inevitable.
The necessary Reforms needed to set Britain back on a road to prosperity - are currently unimaginable to the incumbent Political class with its cosy Labcon / Conlab centre left( ish ) consensus . ( Socialism - doesn’t work - it has never made any country prosperous )
Major REFORM , is needed in the machinery of government and a hard move away from any socialist direction . The welfare state has been mismanaged on a GARGANTUAN scale by almost all British governments virtually since its inception .
Starmer has already done so much harm with his two tier justice / policing that it will make virtually no difference what he does from here in .
This government is a dead man walking already ,,, they just don’t realise that yet !
With people in government of the calibre of Rayner and that racist ignorant fool Lammy , etc !
Unless the Labour Party put a new Leader bod in ,one that removes almost all of what is the current cabinet - - they are a ONE term government .
Islam and immigration - ARE going to take them out of office ,, regardless of what they do tinkering around the edges removing wealth to re- distribute .
As I say - REFORMS , that are currently unimaginable , WILL be required to make inroads into the mess that Britain is in .
I'm genuinely curious as to why you reject social security and redistribution when economic inequalities are driving so much of the popular unhappiness with the 'establishment class'? (I promise this isn't a 'gotcha' question, I'm honestly interested)