Right Folks, I'm Gonna Come Clean....

[10ClarionSt]

After just 3 months of this new government, I'm totally disgusted with Labour. This is from someone who has been an active trade unionist, voted Labour all my life, was a member for many years. I used to meet with our local MP, have met Dennis Skinner and other prominent Labour politicians. 

I was absolutely delighted when Labour won the GE in July but this has quickly turned to dismay, disappointment and disillusionment. Keir Starmer says that the country voted for change which is true, but we voted to change for the better and I can't see where that is going to come from. One of the first things that happened was the withdrawal of WFA. How insensitive and insulting was that to older Labour voters like me? 

Then there is this mythical "Black Hole" of £22bn, part of the excuse for WFA withdrawal. Where did this figure come from? Who found it? Where is the evidence, never mind the proof?

Then we become aware of the "gifts". Hardly in power and jumping on the gravy train before it's had time to stop.

Sir Keir Starmer and Labour have lost me, for sure and that is something that I never thought I would hear myself say. And I suspect many others feel the same.

[barry1010]

I doubt you are the only despairing and disappointed Labour voter.

The government is totally tone deaf and can't see the damage they are doing to themselves 

[Rosetta]

I am not a labour supporter but admired Dennis Skinner who seemed to be true to his values, an old fahioned politician if you like. I didn't like all of his policies but I doubt he ever got involved in the sleaze the current mob have

[DDIL]

Should this be in chatterbank?

[barry1010]

I have always been a floating voter and thought John Smith would have made a good PM.  

[vulcan42]

As barry 1010 says, you are probably not alone and I would suggest there are just as many ardent Tory devotees in the same position. We seem to be a country that is incapable of producing people who are wise, charismatic and worthy of the title Statesman or Stateswoman. The very people who stand for election are the very ones who should't, their priorities seem to be self, party and country a distant third. It's saddening to note I don't have an answer and worse still, neither has anybody else.

[davebro3]

Once Labour voters become as disillusioned with their party as Tory voters were with theirs we may get some fundamental changes in UK politics, with the smaller parties getting seat numbers in the HoC that better reflect the number of supporters they have in the country.

[ToraToraTora]

Well done 10cs I'm proud of you. It cannot have been easy to come clean like this. Politically we are chalk and cheese but I respect what you have done here. You are correct "change" was the ticket yet there is precious little of that.

"Then there is this mythical "Black Hole" of £22bn, part of the excuse for WFA withdrawal. Where did this figure come from? Who found it? Where is the evidence, never mind the proof?" - they've been banging on about that like a broken record yet no one seems to know the origin of the figure.

If they are alienating core Labour voters like you then I wonder how many are also alienated. The Lib Non Dems could well benefit from this come the next election. Perhaps a New New Labour will emerge but you are correct I think 2TK has wasted this chance. Real Labour have not been in for 45 years before this and with what they have done it'll be a lot longer next time.

[theshedman]

I think that if there was this black hole before Labour came into power then it should be published to show exactly where it was.  At least this way we will know for certain if it was actually there or not and the exact amount.  No good doing it on today's figures as all these pay rises will have made it much bigger.  We need the truth.

[Canary42]

I already expressed my doubts on here about Starmer before the GE. My worst fears realised. Pushing the Tories back in at the next GE.  I still suspect he's a plant from the Tory Dirty Tricks Brigade, infiltrated to destroy Labour from the inside.

[Clone]

My wife has finally admitted I was right when telling her the vast majority on MP's are in it for themselves. She had every faith that Labour was going to prove me wrong once in power.

At least you have the balls to admit your  disappointment, I'm finding it difficult to get anyone in my local boozer to admit to voting Labour. 

Labour are a party of narcissistic idealogues that will plough on with their agenda no matter what the general public feeling is.

[Deskdiary]

It would be good if the likes of nicebloke were as honest as you - he's stated on this board that he thinks they're doing a good job.

 

I've heard Labour commentators on the radio saying the WFA fiasco and the freebies scandal will all be forgotten about in the near forseeable future; that's what they hope will happen, but it won't - people have long memories.

 

Just yesterday SKS stood up and said it was the right thing to do to return the £6k of freebies he's had since he came to power as though he were being all virtuous - that's £500 a week he's received. He's returning it solely because he's been found out. Is he going to return the tens of thousands of other freebies he's been given?

 

The likes of nicebloke and Gulliver will always, always spin it about the Tory freebies (which were in no doubt), but they conveniently miss the point. The point being SKS stated, when in opposition, that there would be no cronyism and yet he was receiving freebies from a crony. His hypocrisy is breathtaking.

 

Anyway - kudos to you for your honesty.

[10ClarionSt]

Thank you for the replies folks. I suppose from the point of view of a new govt, they might say, well, it's not where you start, it's where you finish. Judge us in 5 years time. But as far as I'm concerned, it's been awful and totally devoid any inspiration, it really has.

I know this has been mentioned before, but Labour were very, very fortunate to come to the election with the Tories in such a shambles. Tory voters deserted them in their millions, much to the benefit of Labour and the others. The Labour vote was only up by 2% compared to 2019. 

All politicians these days are career politicians and have never really had a job like the rest of us, like Dennis Skinner and Joe Ashton, both former miners. They have no idea what life is like for us, The Great Unwashed, and that is part of the problem. They're out of touch with reality. I await the budget with trepidation, which will probably be filled all the excuses about the last govt being the cause of the measures taken. I would also like to see Ridley Scott producing the science fiction film "The Black Hole form Toryland" . Well, you get my meaning!

[ToraToraTora]

sorry 10cs the other way around I'm afraid Starmer got 9,708,706 votes compared to 10,269,051 from agent Cob.

[10ClarionSt]

Thanks for that, TTT but I seem to remember seeing the figure of a 2% increase on the election results on the BBC, when they were showing the share of the vote. Perhaps it referred to something else. Thanks anyway.

[ToraToraTora]

sadly it's a decrease me old china:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_United_Kingdom_general_election

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_Kingdom_general_election

The thing is that labour won a hige majority in seats but many of them are just by a few votes. Thus they will all revert back next time.

[Deskdiary]

We're only three months in, and already I reckon it's a safe bet they'll be a one-term Govt.

[Khandro]

Your OP is well said 10C. Obviousla I didn't vote for them and was dismayed when by a quirk of fate they were elected with such a small amount of votes acheiving such a large majority.

I feared it would be bad, but not this bad.