Does Anyone Really Think That Things Will Be Any Better Under Labour?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2338649/Outrage-Ed-Balls-reveals-Labour-plan-cap-state-pension-year-freeze-welfare-expenditure.html

[AB Editor]

I don't honestly think many do - but some will vote that way to stop the privatisation of the NHS, Legal Aid and other government bodies/functions they hold dear.

Not to say Labour doesn't have their own weaknesses when it comes to doing things on ideological self interest...

The story really just tells you that the "Austerity Message" which has been peddled for some time from the Tories & Gov has worked to the extent that Labour are now pandering to it in an attempt to appear legitimate when it comes to the economy. Which is rubbish for the rest of us who have to deal with it!

[atalanta]

A dangerous gamble to mess with pensioners. It would have to be a trade-off between losing a lot of pensioner votes and gaining the sympathies of much younger people who may think that pensioners these days have it too good. (Or who don't know any pensioners.)
Remember - a greater proportion of pensioners actually vote than any other age group. Pensioners are more conservative-leaning on the whole. Younger people don't seem to be half as keen to vote at all.

[Baldric]

Things never have been better under Labour, why should they be
next time, what's changed?

[ichkeria]

This could work in Labour's favour: if they can show that, with the same budgetary constraints, they have different priorities to the current government.

And the budgetary constraints thing, for the first year at least, is no surprise. It was almost inevitable they would do that.

[ichkeria]

The economy I believe was starting to improve when Gordon Brown left office.
What has happened since then has been open season on the most vulnerable members of society, and on immigrants, by the current coalition and largely the public have bought into that. Unfortunately Labour would probably be risking more by going against that public mood, but it is very sad.

[AB Editor]

"Younger people don't seem to be half as keen to vote at all"

In fairness, no one is talking to them. It's all keeping the (still dangerous) housing bubble up and giving pensioners some cash to spend on Christmas presents :)

[VHG]

>>>>The economy I believe was starting to improve when Gordon Brown left office.

I cant believe ANYONE would think this.

[AB Editor]

>>>I cant believe ANYONE would think this.

Well, what other reaction would expect to Gordon's farewell? Some were over the moon :)

[Jemisa]

An answer to your Question AOG, in one word " Yes".

jem

[doctordb]

Only those born yesterday.

[jno]

VHG, this chart

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/gdp-growth

does point to recovery from the banking crisis before Brown left office (wind it back a few months to get a bigger picture).

Performance since then has been very up and down. Did anyone really think things would be any better under the Tories?

[ludwig]

I suppose to their credit Labour are at least starting to come clean about the fact that there'd be very little change to the austerity measures if they do get in.

They must be counting on the fact that it won't lose them any votes (who else would Labour supporters vote for?), but it might make a few disaffected tory voters feel more inclined to vote for them.

[jake-the-peg]

Things have never been better under Labour

Really?

I must have missed the recession uner Tony Blair

I only noticed the 10 years of economic growth - must book in for an eye test!

[mushroom25]

//I must have missed the recession uner Tony Blair//

maybe, but you couldn't have failed to notice the government of that time selling off our gold reserves when the price of gold was at its lowest......

[woofgang]

It was the labour party who kicked off the changes to the NHS

[naomi24]

No, I don't. Labour had its chance.

[naomi24]

Labour must have been doing something wrong. After a lifetime of voting Labour, they taught me never to do it again - and I won't.

[dave50]

Why do people keep banging on about the so called privatisation of the NHS? Does it matter who runs it or even if some profit motive enters into it? As long as it remains free at the point of delivery, that's all that matters in the long run.