I somehow think that if he thought I was being patronising he would have told me so, particularly given we’ve had a friendship that has lasted the best part of 60 years . But then again, now you mention it, him telling me that Starmer is just a ‘lying Tory’ is a bit patronising, given that I absolutely believe he isn’t, and I’ll tell him so next time I see him. We’ll still be friends though.
You cannot achieve anything without power. Other than being a protest group standing by and watching while the people you should be looking after are routinely shafted by ‘the natural party of Government’.
That's good. Sounds you were being tongue in cheek with your mate. Apologies if I misinterpreted the context. However, he does have a point just like you and me. We'll have to wait and see what happens when Labour get in won't we? Regards.
I’ve never been accused of being Thatcherite before. It’s sort of accepted in this country that elections are won from the centre. I’m not happy about that, and wish it was different, but then there’s lots of things I wish were.
Yep. But its what you do when in power and the country needs some big help and I'm concerned a Labour Party in power wont deliver and will ultimately make things worse by being cautious, unimaginative and not addressing real needs. As I said, if they're like this they'll get hammered for it in the media (which will use any stick) and by the voters who will move to the right. They need to be sensible but that means being bold and being more 'left wing' (I use quotation marks because being sensible is now considered left wing). My opinion of course.
Pfi was created by John Major , expanded by Blair regime Unfortunately the centres moved right out of town
I honestly believe that it’s currently about gaining power. We were just about written off after the last election. The turn around is remarkable, albeit helped greatly by us having the most corrupt, incompetent government in my lifetime. If nothing improves it’s still better than it continuing to get worse. But I absolutely believe that, despite the state this lot are leaving us in, things will improve. Let’s hope so.
I’m sure you’ve researched this very extensively, and have loads of verifiable evidence to support such a slur. Who needs a right wing media when we make such a good job of shooting ourselves in the foot?
The Centre disappeared with Blair , first time a Labour manifesto has no mention of council housing and when the Phones4U founder John Caldwell says he’s backing Starmer you know how far right the Labour Party has moved
I lived through the Blair years and saw, first hand, due to my younger son’s acute and then chronic illness and disability, how much our public services improved. The NHS in particular was unrecognisable once he’d been in power for a term. I know it’s fashionable to lambast Blair, and his decision over Iraq has deservedly tarnished his reputation beyond repair, but for those of us simply wanting a better life for ourselves and our children they were halcyon days. If Starmer can raise as many children out of poverty as Blair and Brown did then he’ll do for me.
And we're more ****** if any of the others get in the two right wing parties have both produced manifestos that are works of fiction . The lib dems well Ed Davey ex Post Office minister thats enough said about them and the Greens would have us all sat eating cold lentil soup by candlelight.
I don’t lambast everything Blair did some of it like you say clearly worked although improvements in the NHS weren’t universal and we’re paying the price for overpriced sub standard Pfi projects under Labour and Tory governments, I’ve just spent 6 weeks as inpatient in one of them Pinderfields and as building it’s not fit for purpose
You ought to be happy with him then? That's who you voted for in the last election. He's saying we won't rejoin the EU - another thing you were supportive of.
Is it possible to conclude that the degradation of the NHS over the past 14 years has been more or less universal? If not, it’s not for the want of trying by Lansley, Hunt, Hancock et el.
