Reply With QuoteThe problems over the last twenty years have been those of incompetence, inflexibility, and too many advisers pedalling either their own (unelected) views or ideas for their cv.
Brown overspent, albeit with intent to invest, meaning that we were hit harder by the crash than many others (No point in bringing up the gold sell off because a recent report reckoned he got a decent price - not convinced myself but there you go.)
Cameron and Osborne were right (imo) with austerity. There was no choice but they kept going for too long out of sheer machismo rather than economic common sense, and damaged our ability to compete.
I was torn for along time on whether to leave the EU or not (emotionally I agreed, intellectually I felt it would be a short-term disaster). There is little doubt that in the short-term (okay 8 years) it has had a hugely detrimental effect on our economy. A trading nation gets rid of its most convenient trading partner and realises that others are disinterested in offering reasonable deals to someone who seems desperate? Qu'elle surprise!
We were fast asleep when Covid arrived, locked down far too late meaning that we were weeks behind our (now) economic rivals who got over the worst and started to open up. We panicked (understandably), so we opened up as well. We are too early for our circumstances and had to lock down again otherwise deaths would have been far higher (although, ironically given the recent posts we'd' have saved a bundle on pensions). If we had locked down earlier, say within two weeks of mainland Europe (notwithstanding the wishful thinking of British exceptionalism) and stopped the flights (whose decision was it not to?), we'd have been able to come out sooner. Sod the roll out (excellent though it was but nowhere close to correcting the appalling decisions it post-dated) we needed awareness not chest beating - we actually needed the odious Cummings rather than buffoons that were Johnson (how many Cobra meetings missed?) and Hancock (how many family members made wealthy?)
Much of this explains what Starmer is up against, although I'm only going to give him a 5/10. Too negative, freebies an almighty misstep given the relatively small amounts involved. At least he is tackling the issues he was left with but I would wish he’d stop getting his excuses in first, legitimate though they may be – another problem of having to manage the media
OchPie is entirely right to point out the ludicrous pension triple lock. This means the economically inactive have an increase exceeding inflation by £900 since its introduction and now they're having a bit of a whinge. Well they can do one. My dad was pretty much on minimum wage despite being trained in a skill (partly his own fault - lack of ambition but he worked hard and had one day sick in over 40 years), my mum worked to keep us off free school meals, they saved for post-retirement by way of a modest work place pension (only active for 10 years before my dad retired). They can afford the loss of the fuel allowance. It won’t be easy but they do something called budgeting and not going to the pub that often. [I'm actually going to pay the fuel allowance for them, because I can afford to.]
I was one of those lazy entitled students that 1959 (who from his name I’d estimate predates me by either two or three school years) references/accuses. Well I apologise personally for doing my best and paying well over a million in tax over the years and being proud to do so in order actually to put something back, by way of repayment to the country which educated and raised me. Compare and contrast with some party donors who are throwing a wobbly with one hand at the thought of a tax increase whilst pleading patriotism with the other. [I actually don't think taxes should go up but their disingenuity makes me sick.]
Labour's media performance, as with much else, with the fuel allowance has been woeful and they should have linked it to the triple lock with a plan to set the pension at a sensible level (whatever that may be but not reducing it) and adjust it by a new/revised index of inflation which measures those elements the state pension is for, including fuel among the essentials.
Originally Posted by TheBlackHorse
