Mark's Blog

I admit like many on the left I was rather disappointed by the previous labour administration on many fronts, I didn’t find there agenda to be very radical and it amounted to little more than more of the same. After nearly 20 years of tory rule we had a labour government that came in and didn’t at first make a big splash. However I think to truly judge how much the previous labour government actually delivered we only have to look around us. We live in a country that has undergone massive regeneration during the last labour administration. New hospitals, schools and serious improvements in the delivery of essential public services such as the NHS. I remember vividly during the tory years local news reports of some poor soul who had been in extreme pain for years on some occasions before being seen by a doctor. However labour made some serious mistakes there was a general erosion of civil liberties and being dragged into a war in Iraq and Afghanistan which might have been justified but the planning and general execution of both campaigns seems to have been rather poor. Its a real shame that it has taken a tory led government to abolish the ID card scheme an expensive waste of precious government money.

I was really disappointed that the previous labour administration weren’t more radically left wing. No freeing up of the draconian anti union laws drawn up. No real talk of renationalising the utility companies or public transport system, which have gotten worse and a lot more expensive in private ownership, in spite of all the tory double talk about efficiency savings and competition driving service levels up and prices down.

Now after all this you probably have a good idea that I am firmly of the left, which I unashamedly am. I see the links between everyone in society and know that its in the best interests of us all when we have a government and services which meet the needs of everyone especially those who are most disadvantaged. This is why I was so unhappy that we have now been con demned by the liberal democrats who seem to have spat in the faces of all those that supported the manifesto that the liberal democrats were elected to bring forward. I see the coalition agreement seems to broadly follow the tory manifesto but seems a long way away from what the people that voted liberal democrat actually voted for. It seems we truly are back to the hack and slash and screw the poor and disadvantaged of the Thatcher years, admittedly with better PR and a veneer of respectability bought in by the liberal democrat sell outs.

Whilst Dianne Abbot is the labour leadership candidate I would naturally support the most, it has to be about more than me it has to be about getting rid of the current condem coalition, and for that we need labour to win. For that we need a party that appeals to a broad range of people, and for me that means supporting David Miliband. Whilst he is not not radically left wing enough for me, he would never get elected if he was and its far better to get some of what you want a fairer government for all than to stick with the left and whinge about how the tories are wrecking our essential public services.

1. Red Mantis says:

   August 1, 2010 at 1:56 pm

   Your having a laugh
   Try working in Labours NHS
   Labour completely undermined the cooperative,public service NHS
   Labour and its gutless members are directly responsible for the break up and Privatisation of the NHS
   The hospials were built with PFI and PPP money transfering Billions to the Bankers and Hedge Funders
   The Drs got their mouths stuffed with Gold AGAIN
   Labour reintroduced the conservatives free market policies back into the NHS
   Foundation Trusts are Labour trojan horse for privatising NHS services,introducing a bullying anti union management who only care about Markets
   Labours policies resulted in the sick chaos of Mid Staff Foundation Trust, read the report

   Your Party has ratted on the NHS and the Health Workers
   You should open your eyes and look around instead of writing this bollocks

   Look at the mound of corpses you lrft behind Labour were not dragged into wars Blair and Brown volunteered and you gutless members sat on your hands and watched as the blood bath progressed,well done lets vote Labour again

   Labours a right wing, Neo Liberal, corrupt, Murdoch grovelling Party
2. Jonkarra says:

   August 1, 2010 at 8:37 pm

   I agree with a lot of what you have said. I didnt like PFI and outsourcing as that just gives good money away with little positive benefit to the tax payer or the employees which are then employed by at cut prices.

   However labour did increase the amount of money it spent on health and as an end user of NHS services you can see the difference with the new hospitals and better patient experience.

   As for Brown and Blair they are the reason I didnt renew my labour membership back in 1996, however I continue to believe that the labour party offers the best chance of a fairer future for all. And the best way to ensure the labour party continues to offer that chance it needs as many right thinking members as possible.

   I agree the labour party isnt ideal but if it was ideal for me it would be regarded as too left wing and never get elected, we need to build a consensus from which to get rid of the tories which are far worse than labour ever were.
3. Highlander says:

   August 4, 2010 at 11:25 pm

   You’ve been listening to Phil at AVPS too much.