Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuart
I think Miliband damaged his own chances without the aid of Russell Brand. After all, he lost the election *despite* Cameron's government being in power while a record number of people are using food banks, prices are going up (with the Government seeming unwilling or unable to tackle them), especially food. Unemployment is going down, but seemingly as a result of low paid jobs or zero hour contracts, so we don't know what the actual figure is. We also have a Government that his introduced a tax that would seem to massively penalise benefits claimants while not really affecting the rich (the bedroom tax). These are *all* things any halfway decent opposition leader should be able to use as weapons against the incumbent Prime Minister, and possibly even force a vote of no confidence. After all, despite 5 years of severe cuts, the debt is *still* worse under David Cameron than it was under Labour.
Ed (along with the entire Labour leadership) has failed to do ANYTHING with all of those.
|
Actually, these arguments were made, Chris, but the public weren't having any of it.
1. Food banks have sprung up of late, but this shows that there are good natured and well meaning people trying to help people less well off than themselves. I'm not convinced, frankly, that the food banks are a reliable indicator that things have got worse.
2. Prices are going up? Have you seen the inflation figures? The reduced price of fuel more than makes up for the increased food prices. This wouldn't have happened under Gordon Brown - remember his fuel price escalator?
3. The zero hours contract issue is a desperate move by Labour to make a problem out of nothing. The vast majority of new jobs are
not zero hours contracts and the figures prove it. In any case, such contracts suit those who want flexibility. The Coalition was already on the case to sort out those employers who were abusing it.
4. There is no such thing as the bedroom tax. It is a benefit, and the Conservatives have made no bones about reducing these, which have my full support. This is my money Labour wants to give away. How can it be fair that people on benefits and in council housing can claim this when those renting private accommodation cannot? What the Coalition did was to even up the playing field.
5. As for the debt, of course it's increased. Until the deficit is reduced and becomes a surplus, the debt will continue to increase as well! How can the debt be paid off before the deficit is reduced? It is this economic illiteracy spouted by Labour that has fooled so many. Let us not forget who gave us this deficit and who spent all our money on foolish Labour whims so that we couldn't fund the economic collapse when it came.
Under this Government, you will see the deficit become a surplus just after about three years (or maybe before if we can dispose of our shares in the banks and make a profit sooner rather than later) and the debt will start to come down at last. I had no confidence whatsoever (and nor did the thinking electorate) that Labour could have achieved this, and with the SNP snapping at their asses, spending would have got out of control again and the debt would be massively bigger by the end of this Parliament.