Quote Originally Posted by Geoff Parkstone View Post
I will have to ask them!

It takes time to address the problems, but I dont agree with Swales list of achievements, no. They arent facts. There are a few easy early hits - eg settled train drivers dispute by capitulating to the wage demands. but renatioanlising the railways !! We couldnt afford to buy back Thomas' little corporation on Sodor, and likely couldnt run it anyway given past BR performance. That really is rhetoric and feasibilitystudies. Besides which water is the bigger issue - but again a bit difficult as would need about a 75% average tax rate to fix that one..

I dont think many of the things he has listed have been affectively even started on let alonecclose to approaching completion. Just his particular rose tint of spectacles. And certinly Ive not seen any serious costed plans for dealing with anything. Just a bit of hot air. Anything vaguely controversial has been U turned on or watered down if it impacts likely labour voters. But the grannies, the farmers, the soon to be pensioners who he likely sees as not voting his way all seem to be fair game whilst eg the long needed benefits regime reform seems to have disappeared from the radar because his voters dont like to sacrafice anything to the common good.

And "making asylum easier" which I think was one of the alleged achievements isnt likely to appeal to them, or IMHO anyone!!
If you do your research, you will note that far more knowledgeable people than you or I dispute the supposed costs of renationalising the water companies. In fact as far a Thames water is concerned it would cost virtually nothing, its not a going concern. There will of course be some collateral damage regarding shareholders, but that doesn't seem to be an issue when other large companies collapse.

The railway nationalisation is being done as the franchise contracts end, and indeed the government have been running some franchises for years, LNER on the East Coast being a prime example, Northern, South West Trains and Trans Pennine also and Greater Anglia reverts in October. So you are wrong its being achieved.

As for British Rail, well at the time it was privatised, it was an efficient, well run organisation and had been for over a decade. The fact that public subsidy has increased by over 200% since privatisation is ample demonstration that private is not always better and especially with large monopolies. You really do need to know your facts before making any claims.

I didn't say they made asylum easier, they have, reduced significantly the backlog of claims, reduced the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, put in place a returns agreement pilot with France. Starmer has handled Trump as well as he can under the circumstances.

The WFA needed reform, it was nonsense that people like myself were getting it and in any case, the fuss over it has been overblown, it was introduced when pensions were low, this year the state pension had a ?400 increase and the notion that ?100 person except for those on the lowest incomes is a big issue is laughable. The inheritance tax on Farmers, was absolutely fair, I mean which other family businesses are granted a tax break or given 10 years to pay at 0% interest? Besides which a simple matter of putting it in trust for ones successor children solves the issue.

I see so not settling the disputes in the NHS and railways was a better idea? I rather think the people who now don't suffer the disruption in travelling, or the wait for NHS treatment wouldn't agree with you.

Oh and did I mention that NHS waiting times are down? Did I mention that funding is being put into Dentistry? Did I mention the additional police now being replaced after the 20,000+ reduction in the last government?

If you must swallow the utter bilge that is pushed by the right wing media with a clear agenda, at least get your basic facts right.

There is much that Labour could have done better, there is more Labour might have done and there are areas where lack of action or slow action can be criticised. I wish that Starmer could be a better at presentation, but over 12 months of relatively stable government is not nothing.

The facts of the matter are that most of the issues that will actually change peoples lives for the better are not instant fixes, certainly not after 14 years of austerity and neglect and mismanagement by the last lot. I know many people expect instant results, I rather thought, you were more aware that it would take a time to fix and improve things. Instead it seems you have fallen for the misinformation and false myths that sadly perpetuate society today.