Kevin Micklewright

Probably more to do with huge numbers of the electorate who feel completely betrayed by successive governments of all complexions.

Ok. But why all the pain on the retired? Wealth tax Andy. Wealth tax. Always the difficult decisions mean cutting benefits.

This is elite propaganda pure and simple. The tax codes benefit the very wealthy. Left alone the wealth accumulates in fewer and fewer. Inheritance tax does just a little to redress this

Honestly hard to stomach: 14 years they had. 14 years to fund the armed forces. Instead we got Brexit, profligate Brexit waste and austerity. Sad thing is a lot have already forgotten.

There’s always false equivalence: all politicians lie so any lie however egregious is ok; all political parties are funded therefore any money from any source is ok.

You know about this because it was declared. You know about Farage’s bung because it was discovered. Money in politics stinks but illicit backhanders, bribes and sweeteners stink worse

Seriously I think this is the problem: most worthwhile objectives take so much more than 5 years most Governments won’t commit to expensive projects that won’t pay back in one term.

Political parties in Britain should not be funded by foreign money that hasn’t stopped you from grubbing plenty from shady foreign crypto though.

UK energy companies make between £416 and £500 profit per household. Their profit margins around 23%. Start there. It’s privatisation.

I’ve long believed that better for all but the most able and those targeting very specific careers a technical education would be better (HNC, HND). That does not preclude University later of course

How the hell are Reform still in double digits?

My friend. I live in the UK. They are here - more or less. That’s the benefit of socialism.

Yes. It comes down to this: do we want to content ourselves with crumbs from the rich man’s table or do we want a society in which those who do the work get a fairer share of the wealth they generate?

The problem is who? Are we really thinking the Greens are in any way ready for Government?

Completely agree. The Neoliberal narrative has it that the markets are the universal panacea: experience teaches us exactly the opposite. It’s a sign of how far the window has shifted that such statements go largely unchallenged by our political class.

I’m afraid that none of them really do: look at the register of members interests; look at the political donations to the parties; look at the millions spent on lobbying. They serve the elite principally

I’m no Burnham fan either, but Starmer failed: he failed at the politics; he made bad appointments; he got the winter fuel allowance badly wrong. He also backpedaled on almost every promise he made in the leadership election.

Of course. Any increase in the standard of living of the majority has not been due to crumbs from the rich man’s table; left to them their would still be serfdom, kids down mines and rickets. Activism, feet on the streets and struggle have been responsible. Organise or lose!

It could actually be worse: it’s hard to think of an area where ‘forced labour’ wouldn’t or couldn’t replace paid labour. More unemployment, more benefits more forced labour. QED

Here’s some things he could do: go after the 50 billion plus every year that is not paid. Shift some of the burden from VAT which directly affects cost of living to wealth tax that does not, hit the energy companies with an excess profits tax and use this to discount bills