|
|
Post by peterba on Jul 2, 2024 8:28:24 GMT
Why do people fight shy if saying they a socialist? If you think about it, we are a society of sorts. Many of us have similar aims. A good place to live, safe, comfortable in our homes and jobs if we have one. Positive about circumstances if we get ill or just old. Good education for our youngsters. Not burdening them with debt. Not bankrupting older folk to pay for care. Good public transport. Housing to suit all needs. So why is it a dirty word this socialism? A word to be avoided, it seems, by politicians in our democratic nation? Is it because it reduces capitalism? Is it because we would have to pay real taxes (all of us) to enjoy a fair society for all? Is that so scary?
I completely agree, Kate. IMO, relentless messaging from the Right-wing media has managed to turn the term into - effectively - an insult.
By contrast, as someone who obstinately rejects Tory client-media propaganda, I would regard it as a badge to wear with pride.
|
|
|
|
Post by gray1720 on Jul 2, 2024 11:38:58 GMT
Ironically, Sushi Rinak as chancellor was responsible for the furlough payments, which was probably the most socialist policy in decades.
|
|
|
|
Post by spinno on Jul 2, 2024 11:41:30 GMT
Ironically, Sushi Rinak as chancellor was responsible for the furlough payments, which was probably the most socialist policy in decades. he happily takes credit for that but makes very little mention of payments for contracts that shall we say didn't quite live up to expectations |
|
|
|
Post by dans on Jul 2, 2024 11:53:23 GMT
I can't see anything from the two major parties that addresses the problems we have as a country. The cost of living crisis won't be solved by hoping for more investment. The super rich have doubled their wealth since covid, but haven't invested in growing the economy. We have to accept that no one is interested in investment in us, they are only investing in buying more assets to expand their portfolio, this does nothing to help ordinary people but serves only to make us worse off.
Yet Labour have their heads firmly in the sand over this problem, I expect it from the tories, after all that is what they stand for.
|
|
|
|
Post by andy on Jul 2, 2024 12:29:38 GMT
I can't see anything from the two major parties that addresses the problems we have as a country. The cost of living crisis won't be solved by hoping for more investment. The super rich have doubled their wealth since covid, but haven't invested in growing the economy. We have to accept that no one is interested in investment in us, they are only investing in buying more assets to expand their portfolio, this does nothing to help ordinary people but serves only to make us worse off. Yet Labour have their heads firmly in the sand over this problem, I expect it from the tories, after all that is what they stand for. 2 major parties? Hopefully those days are over. Think there is only one major party this election but I'm hopeful future elections will be more open. |
|
|
|
Post by JohnY on Jul 2, 2024 14:08:25 GMT
A response "Hi John, Thanks for your email. The "last" election was the May election this year when just under 35,000 people voted (c.37% turnout) for the East Midlands Mayor. All the major parties were part of this including Green and Reform and Independents - none of whom ran at the general election in 2019 (when it was just Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats). The link to the results is here: www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/elections/election-results/We realised an hour after going to print last week that we should have included an asterisk with the date and election details, rather than just saying "last". The leaflet was turned around in 8 hours from start to finish and the proof-reader who spotted the mistake was on holiday and so didn't see the email until it was too late. It wasn't intentional not to provide this level of clarity. Kind regards, James" So they admit it was not a comparable election. Charlatans. The 271 votes has appeared again, this time properly described in a Conservative flier. 2024 East Midlands Mayoral Election in Rushcliffe. Labour won by 271 votes. Labour 13158, Conservative 12887, Reform 1974. All this under a sub heading "A vote for Reform in Rushcliffe truly is a vote for Keir Starmer. Vote Reform Get Labour! The flier s a whole is done pretty well.
|
|
|
|
Post by kate on Jul 2, 2024 14:23:51 GMT
I can't see anything from the two major parties that addresses the problems we have as a country. The cost of living crisis won't be solved by hoping for more investment. The super rich have doubled their wealth since covid, but haven't invested in growing the economy. We have to accept that no one is interested in investment in us, they are only investing in buying more assets to expand their portfolio, this does nothing to help ordinary people but serves only to make us worse off. Yet Labour have their heads firmly in the sand over this problem, I expect it from the tories, after all that is what they stand for. 2 major parties? Hopefully those days are over. Think there is only one major party this election but I'm hopeful future elections will be more open. Am I the only one who realised ages ago that we own nothing in the way of internal wealth creation/retention or reinvestment? The only way to stop it is either to nationalise certain industries or bring back the days of only a certain amount of money can leave the country. I well remember the days of having to budget hard to take a trip to France, for example. We all have lived with 'hot' money coming into the country and industries bought by foreign concerns. |
|
|
|
Post by mick on Jul 2, 2024 15:15:48 GMT
I had to smile just now when a Green candidate was asked if she was a socialist. You could almost see her retreating into her shell as she stumbled out the usual mantra of their aims. Why do people fight shy of saying they a socialist? If you think about it, we are a society of sorts. Many of us have similar aims. A good place to live, safe, comfortable in our homes and jobs if we have one. Positive about circumstances if we get ill or just old. Good education for our youngsters. Not burdening them with debt. Not bankrupting older folk to pay for care. Good public transport. Housing to suit all needs. So why is it a dirty word this socialism? A word to be avoided, it seems, by politicians in our democratic nation? Is it because it reduces capitalism? Is it because we would have to pay real taxes (all of us) to enjoy a fair society for all? Is that so scary? It's maybe because the actual definition of socialism means that the workers own the means of production and we Brits, on the whole, tend not to espouse that policy. That's probably a bit esoteric so the other possibility is that the word is associated with the extreme left wing and Corbynism etc. That's not popular either.
As a nation we don't much like extremism in any shape so you don't hear of the other side of the coin either. When did you last hear of anyone proclaiming that they are a capitalist? Imagine doing that on this forum - you be torn to shreds!!!
Mick
Mick
|
|
|
|
Post by andy on Jul 2, 2024 15:26:33 GMT
2 major parties? Hopefully those days are over. Think there is only one major party this election but I'm hopeful future elections will be more open. Am I the only one who realised ages ago that we own nothing in the way of internal wealth creation/retention or reinvestment? The only way to stop it is either to nationalise certain industries or bring back the days of only a certain amount of money can leave the country. I well remember the days of having to budget hard to take a trip to France, for example. We all have lived with 'hot' money coming into the country and industries bought by foreign concerns. Like Labour's plan for GB Energy? great-british-energy.org.uk/ |
|
|
|
Post by kate on Jul 2, 2024 16:15:38 GMT
I had to smile just now when a Green candidate was asked if she was a socialist. You could almost see her retreating into her shell as she stumbled out the usual mantra of their aims. Why do people fight shy of saying they a socialist? If you think about it, we are a society of sorts. Many of us have similar aims. A good place to live, safe, comfortable in our homes and jobs if we have one. Positive about circumstances if we get ill or just old. Good education for our youngsters. Not burdening them with debt. Not bankrupting older folk to pay for care. Good public transport. Housing to suit all needs. So why is it a dirty word this socialism? A word to be avoided, it seems, by politicians in our democratic nation? Is it because it reduces capitalism? Is it because we would have to pay real taxes (all of us) to enjoy a fair society for all? Is that so scary? It's maybe because the actual definition of socialism means that the workers own the means of production and we Brits, on the whole, tend not to espouse that policy. That's probably a bit esoteric so the other possibility is that the word is associated with the extreme left wing and Corbynism etc. That's not popular either.
As a nation we don't much like extremism in any shape so you don't hear of the other side of the coin either. When did you last hear of anyone proclaiming that they are a capitalist? Imagine doing that on this forum - you be torn to shreds!!!
Mick
Mick
Not popular with the banks, financial whizz kids and those who have big fingers in our pie (including those Tories in Government who take care of their buddies). It is popular with the electorate plebs who work for others' profits. |
|
|
|
Post by zou on Jul 2, 2024 16:54:35 GMT
More PFI shite we'll be left paying for long after the private investors have stopped caring. |
|
|
|
Post by dans on Jul 2, 2024 17:24:08 GMT
2 major parties? Hopefully those days are over. Think there is only one major party this election but I'm hopeful future elections will be more open. Am I the only one who realised ages ago that we own nothing in the way of internal wealth creation/retention or reinvestment? The only way to stop it is either to nationalise certain industries or bring back the days of only a certain amount of money can leave the country. I well remember the days of having to budget hard to take a trip to France, for example. We all have lived with 'hot' money coming into the country and industries bought by foreign concerns. I agree. Manufacturing was scrapped in this country and growth was given over to the financial sector. No wonder we are in a mess. Fewer and fewer people are owning their own homes, so who does own all these homes, it doesn't look like my children will ever be able to buy and own one, but someone has to own them, and therfore be taking that money. If they don't reinvest it, which they don't seem to be doing, then they are using it to buy more houses and take them away from, and beyond the reach of, our children. The answer isn't 'build more houses'! Where I live we have had so many new builds, we are quite literally one of the towns which has expanded the most, but house prices haven't come down, they've actually gone up, by a ridiculous amount. |
|
|
|
Post by andy on Jul 2, 2024 18:15:30 GMT
More PFI shite we'll be left paying for long after the private investors have stopped caring. I see no mention of PFI and apparently the tories stopped that in 2018 anyway. What it sounds like is the UK government putting up money to start a new energy company in the hopes of one day rivaling the likes of EDF. |
|
|
|
Post by zou on Jul 2, 2024 19:55:18 GMT
More PFI shite we'll be left paying for long after the private investors have stopped caring. I see no mention of PFI and apparently the tories stopped that in 2018 anyway. What it sounds like is the UK government putting up money to start a new energy company in the hopes of one day rivaling the likes of EDF. It won't generate anything, it's a financing vehicle. www.thecanary.co/trending/2024/06/30/labour-gb-energy/ |
|
|
|
Post by willien on Jul 2, 2024 20:11:47 GMT
I see no mention of PFI and apparently the tories stopped that in 2018 anyway. What it sounds like is the UK government putting up money to start a new energy company in the hopes of one day rivaling the likes of EDF. It won't generate anything, it's a financing vehicle. www.thecanary.co/trending/2024/06/30/labour-gb-energy/So is should generate... funding... |
|
