General Election 2017: Labour Manifesto Draft Leaked

[naomi24]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39877439

Your thoughts?

[grumpy01]

The problem is the tail is now wagging the dog.By this I mean that dinosaur Len McCluskey is effectively ruining the Labour party for his own ends by keeping Corbyn as leader when he isn't up to it and probably doesn't want to be there either.Would anyone want the job though with the likes of Diane Abbot,Emily Thornberry aka Lady Nugue and Angela Rayner in their shadow cabinet.

[AB Editor]

The proposition I heard involved creating competing gov owned companies in various sectors. It would certainly be a better mechanism for encouraging markets one way or the other.

Why not have an additional way to generate a bit of cash that can be put back into the country.

[woofgang]

Don't you think that "competing government owned" is a bit of an oxymoron though?

[dannyk13]

//t would certainly be a better mechanism for encouraging markets one way or the other//
Except that the manifesto includes increasing tax on businesses.

[AB Editor]

"Except that the manifesto includes increasing tax on businesses."

Is that directly related? I meant more in the investment in infrastructure/leading by example model.

[youngmafbog]

creating "competing government owned" companies will require even more of tax payers money to setup and monitor. It's one of those ideas that sound great in the pub after 8 pints but not so in the cold light of day as it simply would not be practical or workable.

[youngmafbog]

Who knows where the money bit is related to Ed. Seems a right muddle at the moment.

[Togo]

// It's one of those ideas that sound great in the pub after 8 pints//

Surely Ed isn't in the pub on the lash? (^_*)

[AB Editor]

"Don't you think that "competing government owned" is a bit of an oxymoron though?"

No I don't. Why would it be? Government owned doesn't mean government run.

Those with real power right now are large corporations which have "no fixed abode" - I would think setting a few of those up where the cash goes into the UK taxpayers pocket would be a winner?

But then, I'm obviously a communist for suggesting we extract wealth (especially from other countries) for the betterment of everyone, rather than for a few already very rich people :)

[AB Editor]

I only read Marx after a bottle of gin.

[woofgang]

me:"Don't you think that "competing government owned" is a bit of an oxymoron though?"

Ab Editor: "No I don't. Why would it be? Government owned doesn't mean government run.”

Not government run but so often government controlled....I mean look at the NHS

[Togo]

Joking aside, I do think the Country would probably benefit from a joined up energy policy, particularly post Brexit. We should be coordinating our future requirements and getting on with fracking. We may be wise to keep the fracking out of private control and use the likely profits to ensure we keep the ecological dangers locked down. The problem of course is the danger of all such endeavours becoming another NHS, which was hi jacked decades ago, and is now a vehicle for political activists and incompetent "managers". We should certainly be looking very closely at making our gas supplies non reliant on Russian which gas piped across Europe.

[aelmpvw]

diane abbott stated that after the nationalisation of the railways all forty seven drivers will get a bonus of ten pounds at a total cost of seven pounds sixty nine pence

[Togo]

//Russian which gas piped across Europe//
Should read ...."Russian gas which is piped across Europe".

[AB Editor]

The NHS isn't a business though?

I am talking about revenue creating businesses that could express the "straight and narrow" way of doing business in a particular sector.

It has been proven in the past that government won't let big businesses fail (such as the banks) so why not have Gov bank that generates wealth for the country?

It's not like the old days of crazy pensions for government jobs or the BTs of the world - setting something up now would avoid a lot of the problems associated with government jobs.

This is why the "going back to the 70s" thing doesn't make sense to me, because that's not what is being proposed.

[AB Editor]

Energy security is a big deal and we should really get on with it!

If we could get some renewables sorted for ourselves, locally, that would be a start!

[Togo]

Health care is big business surely. It certainly is in the rest of the World.

[Togo]

// The NHS isn't a business though? //
Without wishing to labour(pun intended) the point, one of the reasons that we have such problems in the NHS is that very attitude. It should be operating as a business and not being used as a political tool. The threat to weaponise the NHS was not an idle one.

[AB Editor]

Hi Togo,

I disagree. For it to operate like a business it would need to be in a market with consumers and providers, and health would have to be a good.

If you think healthcare should be a "product" then you're looking for something like the heartless US system.

I agree with your general point of depoliticising the NHS - except that it's impossible and has always been a political tool. Politics can't draw a line at health because politics is about the way you see the world.

[ichkeria]

The NHS should not, of course, be run as a business nor used as a political tool, but leaving that aside, it's actually quite right wing compared to 1983 :-)
At least it actually has policies. I will be interested to see the Tory one. We had a leaflet through the door from them yesterday. The word "conservative" appearing only in small print at the bottom of each page. "Strong and Stable" had about 20 mentions, "Coalition of Chaos" a few less, and heavy on the "Brexit". I suppose the difference is the Tory slogans are cheaper (in every way) than Labour's :-)
(Those you can happily repeat to yourself without bankrupting the country)