lozgti

I'm sure something good was done by them but so far the only things that stick in my mind are

1.Banning Foxhunts

2.Talking about plastic bags at a budget

3.Lagging my loft

4.Insulating my walls

5.Getting themselves a new bank.

6.Getting rid of pubs and increasing drunkenness at the same time

Did I miss anything special they did? (3&4 made my laugh at the radio this morning as did Hilary Benn struggling to be serious about it)

PeteBrant

1. Increased spending in public services
2. reduced overall waiting times for NHS appointments
3. lowest sustained inflation for 40 years (regardless of which measure you use)
4. Lowest crime levels on record.
5. Highest level of employment ever.
6. 85,000 more nurses and 32,000 more doctors (since 1997)
7. Introduced paternity leave
8. Introduced minimum wage
9. Banned fox hunting
10. Scrapped section 28 and introduced civil partnerships.

Probably lots i have missed

PeteBrant

By the way, their idea of half price insulation to help people struggling is mental.

The Zohan

Let's not forget drastically reducing gun and knife related crime either

c_maguire

If only I could come to terms with the fact that we've obviously never had it so good I might be a bit less miserable.
Kevin

PeteBrant

Look, this thread is basically going to a Labour moan-a-thon. So I thought I would give a bit of the other view early on.

Just like any other Government that has spent an extended period in power; they have gotten plenty wrong, but have done some good.

The Zohan

That is very true - removing the 10p tax was a real good and well thought out move and i bet many of those on the minimum wage thanked thier lucky stars that NL was able to do this for them.

And the best bit those on less than 40,338 will receive 60.00 in this months wages + 10 per moth extra for the folloing six month. Now i bet many of those on 30-40k really need that money in the same way those on 12-20k do - good, joined up thinking by an experienced seasoned team imho

Henrik

iTrader: (5)

On the back of Chinese / 3rd world (near) slave labour.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

My favourite memory was of the fuel blockade and seeing Blair's face when the public who elected him had the audacity to stand up and defy him! Priceless.

When did the British public become so spineless?

Ns04

WRXWagon.

Never forget that the Tories believe in slave labour IN THIS COUNTRY!

lozgti

Nah.Labour Daft- a -thon

I'm just finding it very hard to listen to the stuff about fuel poverty with alleged political heavyweights on serious radio shows saying

"Phone 0800-08000800000 and see what YOU could save today"

They are reminding me of the nutter who does the double glazing adverts.

(and what the heck is fuel poverty about after we have all been promoted to riches beyond our wildest dreams.Surely we can afford the gas bill )

Even Help the Aged have just told the Government to go take a hike

phil_wrx

iTrader: (2)

under labour things have been very good up until say 2 years ago.

my dad always told me they where a Boom and Bust party

Devildog

Although yet to manifest itself. Its not what gets spent thats important, its how efficiently the money is used.

By imposing targets that mean you don't often get enough time with your doctor to enable proper diagnosis of the problem

Yet strangely your weekly shopping is up to 20% more expensive than this time last year....

Yet knife crime is massively worse. And of course, many "minor" crimes no longer form part of those stats

That's what happens when you re-categorise what constitues "unemployed"

I'll give you those

Yes -

how about the highest level of consumer credit and personal bankruptcies since records began.

How about not giving our troops proper equipment to fight a war they shouldn't arguably have been fighting in the first instance

How about record levels of secondary infections in hospitals that simply are not clean..

The list goes on.


And on


And on

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Applauds!

Many of the "achievements" of the Labour government are actually artifacts of spin, reclassification and statistical manipulation! The reality of modern Britain, as we all know, is one of massive debt, problems with youth culture, severe problems with social integration of a diverse populations, hideous inefficiency in the public services, treatment of the armed forces that verges on the insulting, the creation of endless think tanks consisting of unelected individuals with too much time and not enough brain syndrome, and so on and so on.

Ns04

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I'm surprised that support (so far) for the minimum wage is so consistent. What about those people who find themselves with no job at all because their employer now has to put work overseas to remain competitive? Is that actually good for them, their (former) employer, or the country as a whole?

The Zohan

Nicely put - you ae wrong of course and i am sure that PB will be along to point out the error of your ways

phil_wrx

iTrader: (2)

under the coservatives the troops never had the proper kit either

PeteBrant

Of course, but the fact remains that Public spendign has increased enourmously. In 1997 we sepnd less on out public health that pretty much any other country in the EU, we are now average.

Quantify "often"

No it doesn't. GO and look at the infaltion rate, CPI or RPI or RPI-X, its still constistantly lower.
Not according to the BCS , what measure are you working from?

Actually many people are being forced onto jobseekers from other benefits so as to be forced to look fo rwork to claim benefits.
Thankyou!

Indeed, I did say that there was both good and bad.

Add to that the spin, the 42 days disgrace, cash for honours and so on.

I'm just not blinkered to the good as some people are (not that you are).

PeteBrant

Glad to be of service

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I'm sorry - I thought the title of the thread was Labour Mammaries, as they are, frankly, a bunch of ****.

The Zohan

LOL!

I make take one at you from time to time however, i for one value the other side being put and it is good to have balance.

dpb

Some usefuls things ( for the poor ) were implemented earlier on when there was some cash in the kitty - mainly from the last lot


but teh last few years has just been some plainly desperate half-minded dithering - more or less stabbing in the dark

PeteBrant

Of course!

Ditto.

mrtheedge2u2

PB... has the national debt increased or decreased under labour (in real terms, not as a percentage of GDP)??
has the standard of living increased?

Martin2005

UK living standards outstrip US - Times Online

Living standards are much higher, borrowing is up at nearly the levels of the last conservative government!

Before we launch into the usual 'let's hammer the government for everything', let's all at least agree that 12 years of uninterupted economic growth is pretty exceptional for our economy (given historical performance)

mrtheedge2u2

from what the Centre of Policy Studies says, the National Debt is 1340 billion...... we should have a soddin higher standard of living.... lol

GDP is 1294 billion dollars.... so in effect, UK government (and UK) is broke.

PeteBrant

In actual numbers, yes of course it has - But thats next to useless, which is why the measure is as a percentage of GDP.

As the years go by, things cost more, the Dole will obviously pay out more in 2008 than it did in 1990, simply because £30 won't last you 5 minutes now.

The cost of a given operation will cost more now, because the equipment will be more expensive, the surgeons wages will be higher


Government borrowing has to be linked to GDP otherwise you have no frame reference.

mrtheedge2u2

Ok... then see above post hahaha

At the end of December 2007 general government debt was £618.8 billion, equivalent to 43.8 per cent of GDP. This was reported to the EC.

However this did not include cost of public sector pensions liabilities, the hidden costs of Labour's flagship Private Finance Initiative contracts and debts incurred by Network Rail.

added in... the national debt is 103.5%

PeteBrant

I think you are misunderstanding things a bit here.


You are mixing perdonal debt with government borrowing and mixing in a different GDP figure.

UK Tax take is aroun £600 billion
UK GDP is aroun £1,200 billion
UK government borrowing is around £40billion.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

So does that make it OK

How many illegal wars did we fight under the Conservatives, remind me?

And for another negative, the sodding Barnet formula that allows the sweatys to have free student grants, free bridge tolls, free prescriptions, (coming soon), and better care, free, for the old............all at ENGLAND's EXPENSE!!!

Alcazar