The 'support' we give now is minimal and skin deep. In terms of tanks, missiles, bullets etc this country has little of use that could be offered and we haven't increased the defence budget. Instead, we allow our arms manufacturers to continue exporting to Russia's neighbouring allies ever more to use against Ukraine, not that you'll ever read that in the Daily Mail, of course.
After 25 years recollections are often incomplete. Human rights, overseas aid, family support (Surestart, in-work tax credits) were all areas of difference.
It isn't just 15 years of Tory cuts though, Labour have been failing Bradford for much longer under both coloured ties at Westminster. I actually know the leader of Bradford Council Susan Hinchliffe through family ties, and I'll be quite frank speaking to her has never really given me any confidence despite rising to the highest possible position in the council. The Labour party simply haven't delivered on much over a very long time, and have certainly done far more damage than good. For example once upon a time Bradford was renowned for it's live music scene which brought a lot of people into the city, but Labour councillors were more interested in Bradford competing with Leeds in the retail sector, so made life increasingly difficult for venues and promotors (and I know a few who would agree). But Leeds was always light years ahead, and instead of admitting that Bradford could never really compete the council pushed on, eventually leading to the infamous city centre hole that existed because Bradford Council's ambitions way exceeded what the private sector thought was viable, and so the 2004 Westfield shopping centre build was mothballed even though a large swath of retail space had been raised to the ground. By the time Broadway as it is known now finally got built and opened a decade later, the damage was already done. The live scene was all but dead, and retail had shrunk, as had the footprint of the new shopping centre. And its still shrinking further.
Whether you have a Labour Council, a Tory Council, a Lib Dem Council, etc, there will be cuts. All Councils have been underfunded for years, if not decades.
I get you don't like Labour. It is clear that you are happy to give the Tories another go. That is your choice. I don't understand how you hold that position or hold that position based on, checks notes, live music and shopping centres from 20 years ago but so be it.
I don't like Labour or the Tories, so its not just a case of giving the latter another go. What I don't believe for a minute is that Labour will come riding in on a white charger, and save us all. I think they will be as equally useless as the Tories. This comes from decades of experiencing useless Labour locally.
For completeness: I am not criticising the application of your choice or your right to make that choice! I just don't get it.
Circling back to this... By saying that you don't trust Starmer specifically, there's an implication that there are current politicians who you do trust. Out of curiosity, who are they?
There's always the LibDems who have a good shot at roughly tripling their current seats at the next general election.
Difficult to say at present, of potential Labour senior politicians. We'll need to wait and see how they act. Of the Tories, very few: the few decent ones were defenestrated by Johnson post-Brexit.
"Very few" does mean that there are some though, right?
Possibly. I don't know them all.
So it would be more accurate to say "I don't trust Starmer any more than I trust any other politician." While a perfectly valid and relatable opinion, that is quite different to the statement you made.
Even if they did, they wouldn't come close to their 2010 result.
Starmer has reneged on virtually all of the policies he promised to uphold on being elected. Therefore in my view he is less to be trusted than many other politicians who have not done that. They may equally prove themselves to be untrustworthy, or may not. It remains to be seen.
Given that circumstances have changed in large part due to government policies that he had no control over, I respect him more for admitting that they would no longer be achievable than other politicians' trick of moving the goalposts and then declaring victory.
It’s not Corbyn’s policies that Starmer is accused of reneging on, it’s the pledges he made during the leadership election. https://www.clpd.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Keir-Starmers-10-Pledges.pdf
Which of them has he actually ditched? Note that most of them are presented as principles rather than specific goals.
Exactly. Going "a bit quiet on" isn't the same as ditching a pledge.
Not all party members elected him on the basis of pledges, usually we vote for the least worst option. Though to be honest i think he was my third choice.
Chris Mullins also wrote well about this a number of years ago.
Check your constituency and see if the Lib Dems are the best way to ditch a Tory otherwise don't waste your vote.
Corbyn is gone. He failed. As labour we have to get away from silly student naivety.
The problem is every time Labour define a policy the Tories pinch it!
This cant be a surprise surely? Rory Stewart in his book says he voted against government policy once on a matter of local principle and was out of contention for any form of government job for about 5 years!
Who were your other choices?
That is our system. As I say above this is why, in reality, you vote for a party candidate. Your good local candidate, by standing, agrees to be bound by the policies and procedures of thier party. That means following the whip, voting as you are told to and helping progress the manifesto commitments through parliament.
I would prefer if the Tories came up with thier own ideas and let Labour be tested on theirs!
