Comments on: This is the week Labour turned its back on the welfare state

By: Rob the cripple

Rob the cripple — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 22:12:12 +0000

Miliband is poor he cannot speak, he cannot give a view, he’s really poor, Ball’s is another who has an issues when speaking but at least he does not drone on as Miliband does.

The real issues with Miliband he’s not a leader, he should never have been picked he was and he’s out of his depth.

Now he is hoping and praying he gets in not because he a good leader, he’s hoping the Tories will be so bad the public will vote him in because they have nobody else.

We had twenty years of this with Thatcher and here we are again, another twenty years out of power until what another Blair or another Thatcher.

By: sean whelan

sean whelan — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:34:47 +0000

Listening to ed balls defending Osbornes decision to imcrease new jsa claiments wait from 3 days to 7 days was discouraging to say the least. We now can choose between evil tories and just bad tories (new new labour).

By: Tim Mann

Tim Mann — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 11:04:26 +0000

I give up. The things the two Eds will shy away from saying just in case someone doesn’t vote for it….
It’s the “Thick of it” come to life.
I’m reduced to voting Green AGAIN!

By: Glenn Meredith

Glenn Meredith — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 10:20:38 +0000

Tom Walker’s article ought to be required reading for those on the Left who still pursue the line that “…without [the Labour Party] there is no realistic prospect for change (or at least not in England)” Soundings 53. Editorial.page 5.
The Labour Party was in power from 1997/2010, after all and, as such, was responsible for carrying out the political, economic and ideological groundwork which laid out the conditions for the present crisis. The Kilburn Manifesto is academically exemplary, but remains blind to the elephant in the room which constitutes the greatest block to any meaningful left advance in the UK. This consists of the way by which the major trades unions financially underwrite the Labour Party. Beyond the fact that they have always “traditionally” done this there is no explanation for them doing it apart from having a taste for an incredible amount of political masochism.
The trades union link with the Labour Party, together with the vagaries created by an unreformed first-past-the-post electoral system, constitute the greatest block to any left advance in the UK (correction in England, where there is no nationalist party for the disaffected left to turn to-though this still leaves the unreformed nature of Tom Nairn’s “UKania” open to question).
To conclude, if Red Pepper wishes to be a gadfly on the left it should proclaim “End the trades unions link with Labour!” on its mast head. That most certainly would open the flood gates. However, it is also the reason why the conservatives within the trades unions and Labour Party would do their utmost to stop it happening, since it would create a movement which they could not control

By: susan coleman

susan coleman — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:04:40 +0000

what planet does that Idiot live on, Up north there are NO jobs, everything is closing down. People are being crucified on a daily basis & he wants to put the boot in even more. please Karma strike now!because if you don’t I really really want to. grrrrr

By: Derick Tulloch

Derick Tulloch — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:19:48 +0000

There is a mainstream political party in the UK which is prepared to defend the principles of universalism and the Welfare State.

And which is prepared to act on those principles to the best of it’s ability.

Scottish Parliament Debate on Universal Services, 17 April 2013. First speaker is John Swinney, Finance Secretary
http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/scotland-22171459

“we will defend the social gains – policies such as free personal care and bus passes for our older folk – who have paid their taxes, powered our economy, raised the children, and deserve something back from society. That is what it means to be a society.

AND THE ROCKS WILL MELT WITH THE SUN BEFORE WE ALLOW TORY OR LABOUR TO TAKE AWAY THE RIGHT TO FREE EDUCATION IN SCOTLAND.”
Alex Salmond, 12 March 2011

http://www.snp.org/blog/post/2013/mar/alex-salmond-speech-snp-spring-conference

I would point readers also to the excellent work of the Reid Foundation in their Common Weal project

By: Margaret

Margaret — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:56:15 +0000

The plain answer to this article is that the British public, for whatever reason, be it brainwashing by the Tory press or unwillingness to pay higher taxes to get better social benefits, simply will not vote for a Labour party which is very left-wing. I think they are wrong and shortsighted, because they will not take the long view – they want jam today! But it’s called democracy, however anyone might not like it.

By: MRadclyffe

MRadclyffe — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:12:12 +0000

Chrisso,
You state that you “know from my own work sphere there are some that don’t wish to work whatever incentives are offered” which is countered by “But it’s a small minority.” This is the crux of the entire problem. Most people think, and this has been borne out by polling and anecdotal experience, that incidences of fraud from the welfare state are rife. They. Are. Not. You seem to bear this out. The fact is of over 18 million claimants in the UK there is a total of 0.7% claimant fraud across all benefits. 126,000 costing £1bn a year. The cuts being made will cost £12bn over the next 10 years. The total for DWP and claimant error – under- and over-paid benefits, and under-claimed money – is far higher. Believe me, the welfare state has always been very quick to get its money back when it has paid out too much!; not so fast when they should be paying back. Fraud from the tax payer’s pound is not down to the scroungers and skivers that the Tories and Labour – oh, what a misnamed mimic it has become! – would have us think. Please people: Spread the word. Sign the WOW Petition. Save a disabled person today! It might be one you like!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:09:55 +0000

By: Owen

Owen — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 12:38:09 +0000

“Getting rid of this principle will simply exacerbate ‘them and us’”.

The problem is, it is ‘them and us’. And that should be the starting point of this debate.