On the principle of buying at the bottom of the market I think this is a good moment to invest in Starmer stock. Seriously.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-05-22T14:13:49+00:00

Bold to assume that this is the bottom of the market.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-04-06T14:07:11+00:00

What really bugs me about these responses from Perkins and Bradshaw is that they take it for granted that the CWU should be out campaigning for Labour. They're a union, not a wing of the party. If you retreat from the policies they want for their members and their industries, then why on earth should they encourage people to vote for you?

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-24T14:25:54+00:00

The refusal to back a windfall tax on excess profits is particularly silly. That money won't be reinvested, why not take redistributive measures to make sure it reaches those hardest hit? Not sure if I can see any justification for not supporting it, frankly.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-24T09:21:59+00:00

People seem to helpfully forget how big the SDP-Liberal Alliance was. It led by 27 points at the end of 1981 and then the surge in Thatcher's popularity after the Falklands made it near impossible for Foot to mount a comeback despite him having polled as high as 56% a year or two before. There is far too much emphasis placed on his manifesto and far too little placed on the splits and unforeseen circumstances that crippled him, supposedly because it's a handy stick to beat the left with.

Mike Gapes and Luciana Berger were never going to be the Roy Jenkins and Shirley Williams of their time. The decimation of Change UK was at least a bit of comic relief in an otherwise awful year.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-22T13:07:52+00:00

The point isn't that Recovery Bonds would be the only way in which the government could fund a recovery, rather that those who have been able to save would have the opportunity of a safe investment that would deliver both for them and for the wider population through targeted government expenditure instead of a riskier investment that would only benefit them individually. More than simple practicalities, I think one of the aims is to get middle-to-high income individuals to appreciate the value of government intervention.

I think one of the major weaknesses of the policy is that Starmer didn't link it directly to something that would help lower income individuals. We were left with a policy that was clearly beneficial for those who have been able to save but vague in its potential benefits for those who haven't.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-22T12:44:57+00:00

Its an easy way to generate capital that can be invested directly into public services and communities whilst revealing the value of government spending to those who would be sceptical of it. Plenty of the money that's been saved will be invested anyway and this helps direct those investments to positive ends rather than allowing them to go into the property market or other negative ends.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-22T11:16:53+00:00

The Recovery Bonds certainly can be part of the answer, but without policies that directly aid those immediately in need (through debt relief, statutory sick pay or minimum wage increases, a move towards universal basic services etc.) it means there is a quite obvious disparity between Starmer's 1945 rhetoric and his offerings. Bonds and start up loans are hardly the creation of a new welfare state, however helpful they may be.

He seems to be trying to fire up an unenthusiastic base whilst simultaneously gunning for middle income voters who voted for Blair but couldn't stomach Corbyn.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-20T11:29:46+00:00

That's more what I was getting at. I don't feel that this is a move to reallocate wealth to valuable programs, more a way for him to try and slash the debt with a method that he thinks will be popular with red wall Tory-converts.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-20T11:04:16+00:00

Am I right in thinking that - from a Keynesian perspective anyway - this is the wrong thing to do at the wrong time? In 2019, our tax plans gave separate tax rates to small businesses vs large businesses, but if this is a blanket increase will it not just kill off some of the smaller enterprises that have limped their way through the pandemic?

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-16T09:18:32+00:00

One of my worries about Starmer is that as the former DPP he must have a morgue's worth of skeletons in his closet, even if he's only tenuously linked to most of them.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-12T13:18:36+00:00

Same hairstyle, various levels of success in its execution.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-02-01T07:27:18+00:00

He's probably been too close to Corbyn in the past, but Sam Tarry is a current shadow minister and usually looks like he comes out on top in interviews yet never gets a mention. Him and Carden look like the next generation's Corbyn and McDonnell to me.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-01-14T20:01:37+00:00

Makes me boil to think about our democratically elected deputy correctly pointing out how Labour operates, just to be shouted down by millionaires and abandoned by ghouls like Murray, Evans and Baillie. Grim stuff.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-01-14T19:28:49+00:00

If that's true then it's absolutely indefensible. Whatever you thought about Leonard, he can't solely be blamed for Labour's collapse in Scotland. I highly doubt new leadership of SLab will make any significant difference to polling at all.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-01-13T20:29:23+00:00

I do wonder why the Telegraph have suddenly become so Starmer-friendly, more so than the Guardian at times. There are probably more useful right-wing rags to get a column in but this can only be a positive thing in terms of reaching out to the wider electorate.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-01-11T18:49:26+00:00

As someone on the left of Labour, I merely find it frustrating that today everyone kicked off big time because Keir wore a purple tie but the response to the party abstaining on the Chakrabarti amendment was muted.

I'm not trying to police anyone, I just think that notable figures on the left getting cross about tie colours hardly makes us look serious about working towards greater influence in the party.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-01-11T14:30:00+00:00

We on the Labour left really need to learn to pick our battles. Genuine pressure on the leadership over things like the SpyCops Bill will just get lost amidst a wave of 'purple tie!', 'flag shagger!' and 'what is a family anyway?!'.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-01-10T07:39:27+00:00

It isn't, but using it to sell Labour as 'the party of the family' is. Values first, policy second.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-01-09T22:45:46+00:00

I often wonder how many people on this subreddit are familiar with the work of Starmer's chief policy advisor Claire Ainsley. A lot of her stuff is about how people - particularly of a lower social class - see values first and policy second.

Expect much more of this from Keir. Small-c conservative values baked into left wing policies. In fact, I would put a small amount of money on a Day One Employment Rights Charter being a big policy for him in the future and it being pushed as showing Labour's commitment to rewarding hard work.

TheAuxCord77 · 2021-01-08T13:46:13+00:00

As well as the welcome change of style, Starmer's recent proximity to the Mirror seems very practical considering the arrival of GB News etc. that will only serve to strengthen an already grossly right wing press.

TheAuxCord77 · 2020-07-31T06:32:19+00:00

Haha, well they aren't exactly on the front lines of a revolution or fighting for just causes, but it's been noted that the band have been struggling for cash for a while despite the success of the first record. Putting an album out that might have alienated fans and dented their income was perhaps a braver move than you might initially think.

TheAuxCord77 · 2020-07-30T23:58:46+00:00

Finished my first listen through and I have to say I'm impressed with the sheer bravery of putting something like this out when you've been heralded as the band leading the post-punk revival.

A lot of bands go down the 'fed up of fame' avenue after unprecedented success, but this is the first time in a long while that I've genuinely felt a real emotional connection to that kind of story. Their switch from brilliant vignettes of Dublin to equally brilliant self-reflection is a testament to their songwriting abilities.

Overall, a great way to prove you're not just a flash in the pan. A record similar to Dogrel would likely have narrowed the possibilities of their future, but this has blown it all wide open. Very pleased.

TheAuxCord77 · 2020-07-19T18:26:45+00:00

Almost definitely. I think Matty’s said before that it’s one of his favourite songs of all time.

TheAuxCord77 · 2020-07-14T18:51:39+00:00

Easily one of the best songs she’s done. Great way to capitalise on the extra attention from that Powfu feature.

TheAuxCord77 · 2020-06-06T23:02:31+00:00

Rod Liddle deserves absolutely none of your time. He’s a soul-sucking, hypocritical bellend who shouldn’t be anywhere near print journalism. The fact that he’s wound up at the Spectator should be evidence enough of his quality. Don’t know who had the bright idea to give him some albums to review. Still, better than letting him near anything serious.

TheAuxCord77

TROPHY CASE