Reply to: Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition

[LazyFan]

Wasn't Thatcher's politics supposed to sort all this out a long time ago?
I mean the Tories were in power for ages, Blair carried it on and so did Cameron. I have not seen any centre party really and possibly because the Liberals who had massive centre policies in the last election got absolutely smashed.

Therefore I cannot see how going to the so-called centre (which means policies of the Liberals) will win you an election, yet everyone in the press and here says that's the way to go when the evidence is actually against it!

[d000hg]

But they don't need to do that really.

But it's surely easier if you can differentiate yourself rather than saying "we basically think the same as the other lot but we'd do it much better".

[ladymuck]

Tories occupy the centre ground - even some centre-left policies. Which by tradition means Labour have to go more left to differentiate themselves. But while left-wing policies seem very popular on TV shows and social media, people don't want to vote for them. Or perhaps people just don't want to vote for the people campaigning for those policies. Same difference right now, I wouldn't say it's impossible a bright charismatic leader could sell more left-wing policies in the wake of Covid but they don't seem to have anyone like that.

But they don't need to do that really.

What any party lacks is:

• Economically viable policies
• A commitment to fixing the really broken stuff (opinions will vary on what that is but at a guess I'd consider NHS, welfare state, public infrastructure)
• A commitment to resolving the pile of crap that is our tax laws
• A long term vision

The last point is key. The last person I can think of who actually looked beyond their current term was Thatcher.

Since then, all they do is look for quick wins that will achieve results in the short term with no thought to how that may pan out longer term.

[d000hg]

Tories occupy the centre ground - even some centre-left policies. Which by tradition means Labour have to go more left to differentiate themselves. But while left-wing policies seem very popular on TV shows and social media, people don't want to vote for them. Or perhaps people just don't want to vote for the people campaigning for those policies. Same difference right now, I wouldn't say it's impossible a bright charismatic leader could sell more left-wing policies in the wake of Covid but they don't seem to have anyone like that.

[malvolio]

Mocdern politics is liek choosing between two piled of tulip- only the consistency differs.
If Labour didn't go insane SJW way, they'd have been in power for 6 years now and going for another 50.
Nobody LIKES the Tories, they just like Labour even less

That's part of the problem actually. It's not supposed to be about who you like, based on what you see on the telly and the half-dozen or so people who have a national profile. That's why we have a total waste of space of a constituency MP; everyone knows he does sod all for us and simply does what the Government tells him to do in Parliament, but since he's a Tory we're sort of stuck with him. The alternative is a Lib Dem who is OK on the council dealing with local stuff but would be almost as useless as an MP.

It's supposed to be about who is best for the country. Right now, it's a close run thing, with the Tories in front only because Labour appear to have no policies on anything

[lorakeen]

And the Tories will keep laughing while Labour are in chaos

Mocdern politics is liek choosing between two piled of tulip- only the consistency differs.
If Labour didn't go insane SJW way, they'd have been in power for 6 years now and going for another 50.
Nobody LIKES the Tories, they just like Labour even less

[SimonMac]

the fact labour still exists baffles me to no end.

And the Tories will keep laughing while Labour are in chaos

[lorakeen]

the fact labour still exists baffles me to no end.

[SueEllen]

Thatcher was unpopular with the electorate?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electo...garet_Thatcher

She was back stabbed much as May was.

They don't care as long as they can get another leader who can keep them in power or get them in power.

B'liar was a challenge but if Maggie had faced him she would have probably won, she was the original B'liar was just a poor copy.

Blair ended up being open about his admiration for Thatcher to the horror of the left wing of Labour.

[vetran]

It's actually for the party in power to completely screw up before people vote for the opposition e g. major, Brown.

The Tories are very good at getting rid of unpopular leaders e.g. Thatcher, IDS, May including when they are in power, while Labour isn't.

Thatcher was unpopular with the electorate?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electo...garet_Thatcher

She was back stabbed much as May was.

B'liar was a challenge but if Maggie had faced him she would have probably won, she was the original B'liar was just a poor copy.

[SueEllen]

That's about to come screeching to a halt. Watch the next budget.

Labour are out of power until they come up with some sensible, achievable policies. Evidence to date is that they prefer to criticise other people's rather than think for themselves: one headline yesterday was Starmer demanding to know why that shooter was allowed to have a gun licence. Well bugger me, hadn't thought of that myself...

It's actually for the party in power to completely screw up before people vote for the opposition e g. major, Brown.

The Tories are very good at getting rid of unpopular leaders e.g. Thatcher, IDS, May including when they are in power, while Labour isn't.

[malvolio]

Surely Bojo's magic money tree is much bigger than Corbyn's.

That's about to come screeching to a halt. Watch the next budget.

Labour are out of power until they come up with some sensible, achievable policies. Evidence to date is that they prefer to criticise other people's rather than think for themselves: one headline yesterday was Starmer demanding to know why that shooter was allowed to have a gun licence. Well bugger me, hadn't thought of that myself...

[Paddy]

Quite. We need to address problems like inequality but most people are sensible enough not to believe in Corbyn's magic money tree. What far left government in the world has ever not been an economic basket case?

Surely Bojo's magic money tree is much bigger than Corbyn's.

[xoggoth]

Labour needs to purge all the crazy lefties and take centrist position - best (and probably only) way to win landslide election.

Quite. We need to address problems like inequality but most people are sensible enough not to believe in Corbyn's magic money tree. What far left government in the world has ever not been an economic basket case?

[SueEllen]

Labour needs to purge all the crazy lefties and take centrist position - best (and probably only) way to win landslide election.

You mean copy what Labour leaders did after Foot?