I think there is just a stunning lack of imagination in politics, coupled with the fact that the British Public tend to like performative cruelty aimed at other people, and don’t tend to vote for measured, long term approaches to social problems.
For every left wing person saying this is a betrayal of Labour values, I’ll show you be saying it’s a good think to go after benefit scroungers.
The cognitive dissonance for Labour is that the first set of people would vote for them, but now probably won’t. The second set of people will never vote for them.
Again you attempt to muddy the waters with you’re usual “show me the part where…” responses. It’s my opinion they are self-serving twats and whether you agree with that or not doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t alter the fact you are now saying Labour are essentially the same as the Tory’s when last year you were jumping on anyone saying they were all the same.
And if you want examples of them being self-serving twats go and have a look at their expenses claims and bungs from their backers’, Starmer in particular.
You’re taking my words out of context and you’re complaining about me calling you out on it?
I’m saying that the Labour policy on this seems to be mimicking the Tories, and you’re extrapolating that to say that I think that Labour are identical to the Tories?
Or are you suggesting that I go back and edit my original comment to make it clearer that I’m referencing that in the context of their policies?
‘They are all the same’ is still too simplistic an analysis.
Going after the disabled in a similar way to the Tories is massively disappointing. But see what they do over a few years.
Tony Blair was branded a red Tory, and in many ways he was. But the Tories would have never set up sure start, established a minimum wage or massively invested in the NHS.
And I’m sorry but on personal corruption, it’s not even fucking close. Starmer isn’t even in the same ball park as Johnson and Cameron when it comes to nest feathering. Getting sent a few suits and tickets to Arsenal games isn’t worthy of being said in the same breath as the millions of pounds in loans and favours that Johnson availed himself off with in high office.
The issue here I think is that the elephant in the room is really about wealth rather than “high earners”, which here, is about income earned through work rather than income earned from capital.
I can’t believe that I’m having to defend Starmer when he should have known better, but absolutely, the scale and the nature of it is vastly different.
Not a ‘wealth tax’ specifically but increases in taxes on ‘wealth’. For example, Capital tax rates have increased, and some reliefs have been cut. Owning multiple properties comes with higher costs now and stashing money into private pensions to evade inheritance tax is not so easy.
The frustrating thing is that Starmer should be fully aware - as should his MPs - that he is judged to a totally different standard than his Tory peers. He should be aware that if he nicks a fucking stapler from the number ten stationary cupboard, the papers will be screaming corruption, in a way they conspicuously didn’t when Matt Hancock was funnelling multi-million pound covid contracts to his mates, and Johnson was appointing people he happened to be shagging to public sector advisor roles.
The main issue with taxing wealth is how do you lever that money out of the super-rich?
Seriously. I know that that vast money have stolen from the economy. I know that the number of billionaires has increased massively. But I have no idea how you get this money back when the super rich are fucking brilliant at hiding it.
Fascinating view but it doesnt highlight the core issue which is inequality. Tax burdens maybe lower for many but people are still having to make choices on whether the heating goes on.
And yes I understand @Mascot’s point about how do you drag that wealth back. It is difficult, but I see no other choice.
The government is skint, flat broke and is not able to provide the services taxes should pay for. That trend has to be reversed somehow, or we might as well start looking at how people live in places where the poverty gap is even bigger.
I agree it’s my point of view and I know a lot of kiwis would not agree. (Including prominent MPs.)
However having been on the receiving end of anti GM, anti climate change NZ professors in recent weeks. My view is freedom of speech is alive and well in NZ !