UK General Election 2024

[Icarus]

Billy, I suspect that your clan might be among the survivors in the long run.

[Tank]

It's interesting to look back and see that Ragan in America and Thatcher over here mark the downturn for low and medium wage people both there and here.

[zorkan]

After the public's initial infatuation with the Labour they are now in their honeymoon period.
But will it be long or short?
Their economic model is built more on quicksand than hard rock.
Their tax and spend policies will leave the country bankrupt and a bailout from the IMF can't be ruled out.
They favour mass immigration hoping that immigrants will vote Labour.
Many of the most gifted people will leave the country.
At the end of their term in power Britain will be like a banana republic without bananas.
The pound will be trading at an all time low.

If you don't believe this, it has happened before under Labour.
The Tories will then have to pick up the pieces.
 

[billy rubin]

Their tax and spend policies will leave the country bankrupt and a bailout from the IMF can't be ruled out.

here in america the leftists are always being accused of "tax and spend." and they deserve the label, because thats what they do.

the conservatives, on the other hand,  also spend but dont tax-- so they run up the debt. then the leftists come back to the mess and fix it. its a repeat pattern.

both sides recognize that the purpose of government is to institute policies that they think are the best, but only the leftists are willing to pay for them.

[zorkan]

In comparison to the UK, I perceive the Democrats are of the right and the Republicans are further to the right.

From right to left in the UK, it's Reform, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour.
Fringe groups exist further to the right and left.
The only reason it's a battle between Conservative and Labour is control of the centre ground.
When New Labour got into power in 1997, the centre became so congested you could hardly tell the difference between the parties.
The new Labour government is actually old Labour, a style that I thought had become extinct.

[billy rubin]

In comparison to the UK, I perceive the Democrats are of the right and the Republicans are further to the right.

^^that is spot on. the democratic party is just as much a shepherd of rich entitled people as the republicans.

what has happed to the spectrum in america is tge republicans have goose-stepped so far to the right that centrist democrats now look like leftists by comparison. the far left wacko wing of the democratic party resembles ordinary centrists in other countries

[Tank]

...
Their tax and spend policies will leave the country bankrupt and a bailout from the IMF can't be ruled out.
..

And who left office leaving behind the largest tax burden since WWII? Yes, that's right the Conservatives! And we owe more money that EVER before! Yay for Conservative fiscal policy!

[zorkan]

Hate to think what the tax burden under Labour might have been.
Blame it on Brexit.
Nothing to do with the Pandemic.
When have Labour ever cut taxes?

[Icarus]

Our far right wing operatives continue to bleat about preserving the freedoms in America. They constantly use the word "freedom" and do their damnedest to make laws and regulations that remove  many of the freedoms that we won when King George decided to leave us to hell alone. 

I fail to understand the Moms For Freedom groups. There are chapters of MFF all over the country. One of the main elements of their militant behavior is to remove certain books from school libraries and even campaign to remove books from the public library. 

The MAGA bunch constantly talk about the danger of losing our freedoms and at the same time try to remove some of our basic freedoms.   

[Tank]

Today our new government tell the country what their first tranche of legislation will be. This is where theory and rhetoric take a back seat. 

[zorkan]

This is about what I expected.
Starmer is not hosting political leaders in Blackpool, but at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, birthplace of Winston Churchill and where he is also buried close by.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgxqzlnz7jeo

Less than 2 weeks in, he's a Tory.

[Asmodean]

Less than 2 weeks in, he's a Tory.

I don't know about that, but thus far, I personally don't dislike the guy. Seems... Generally capable.

That's not based on a whole lot, however, so... Opinion subject to potentially rapid and radical change.

[zorkan]

Same old story for the incoming government.
The finances are far worse than they could ever have imagined.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c724g07qwdwo

Excuses already to raise taxes.

[Asmodean]

Excuses to cut the bloat in my book, but then said bloat may go on strike and/or turn violent as a result...

...Politics. A equation of many variables.

[zorkan]

Labour announced they will hit vulnerable pensioners by removing winter fuel payments.
That applies in England and Wales but not Scotland.
Yet some parts of England are colder than in Scotland.