This Labour is not like the one your Dad or Grandma voted for
The Labour Party you may be voting for is not the Labour of your forefathers. They are not the party of the working man, they are not the party of human rights and they are not the party nationalisation. In the 1970s, the UK Labour Party was strongly associated with socialist values. Advocating for policies aimed at reducing income inequality, nationalising key industries such as utilities and transportation, expanding social welfare programs, and promoting workers' rights. The party's platform emphasised the importance of collective ownership, wealth redistribution, and government intervention in the economy to address social and economic injustices.
By the 1990s, the UK Labour Party underwent a significant ideological shift under the leadership of figures like Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and Peter Mandelson. This period, often referred to as "New Labour," saw the party embrace a more centrist and pragmatic approach to governance. New Labour moved away from traditional socialist policies and instead embraced free-market principles, deregulation, privatisation of some public services, and a focus on economic growth and competitiveness. That sounds very tory. The party also adopted a more moderate stance on social issues, seeking to appeal to a broader electorate and win over swing voters.
Presently the UK Labour Party continues to grapple with questions of identity and ideology. While some elements of New Labour's legacy persist, the party has seen a resurgence of socialist and progressive ideas, particularly under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. However his leadership was short lived and he was replaced by Sir Keir Starmer. A Labour Leader with a knighthood? Yeah I know! The contemporary Labour Party under Sir Keir has advocated for policies such as increased public spending on healthcare, wealth tax and taxation reform for higher earners, and nationalisation of key public services. No wait a minute that’s what Labour are supposed to do! The contemporary Labour Party under Sir Keir has, U turned, Flip flopped, Turned a whole 180 degrees on the following policies.
HEALTHCARE AND THE PRIVATISATION OF THE NHS
One of Starmer’s leadership pledges was stopping the creeping involvement of the private sector in the U.K.’s publicly-funded National Health Service. But, in an interview in the summer of 2022, he said the party will “likely have to continue with” some level of private provision in the health service if he takes office. Since then, his health spokesperson Wes Streeting has offered to hold the door wide open for the private sector. Sir Keir has also said, "The country must face the facts as they are, not as we’d like them. The NHS must be “reformed,” A phrase well understood in ruling circles to mean a root-and-branch restructuring for the benefit of the private sector and the wealthy. He told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge, “One of the issues that we’ve looked at is whether or not we’re using the private sector, effectively, a number of people do go as NHS patients to the private sector. Our research shows that that’s been underused, and we could do more of it.” Sir Keir is positioning himself slightly right of the Tories, as a firmer advocate of NHS privatisation. But it was his Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting who made this still clearer and spelled out that doing so will mean a direct conflict with the working class.
NATIONALISATION AND COMMON OWNERSHIP
Before he was leader Sir Keir pledged to nationalise the big four public services, Mail, Rail, Power and Water. He later said he did not commit to Nationalisation in an interview during his party conference, but instead said he discussed common ownership. Let's be clear on something, Common ownership would be the workers owning the factory for the common good of the workers. The State version of this is the people owning say the water services for the benefit of the people, can be described as common ownership but in truth we all know its nationalisation. Sir Keir likes a wee play on words doesn't he? The Common Ownership of Mail, Rail energy and Water would be the straight up nationalisation of these services. I personally think that this would be a good idea. The infrastructure of civilization should be owned by the people and not profiteers. Now Rachel Reeves, Sir Keirs Shadow Chancellor has said the policy of nationalisation was not compatible with the new fiscal rules she would introduce.
WEALTH TAX AND A TAX IN THE HIGHER EARNERS
SIR Keirs Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has also explicitly ruled out Labour imposing a wealth tax if it wins the next election. She has confirmed that a Labour Government would not bring in a mansion tax on expensive properties, increase capital gains tax or put up the top rate of income tax. “We have no plans for a wealth tax,” she said. “We don’t have any plans to increase taxes outside of what we’ve said. I don’t see the way to prosperity as being through taxation. I want to grow the economy.”
There may be some positives out there for Sir Keir’s Labour Party, I truly do not know what they are as his policies don’t seem to be aligned with the basic values of Scotland. I will also say you would need to be lacking in critical thinking around the NHS, Nationalisation and Taxation to consider the direction Sir Keir wants to take us in is going to be the best of these islands let alone Scotland. I hope those that are flexing we need to vote Labour to get rid of the Tories muscles are going to be able to live with themselves after the election when they discover that Labour did not require a single Scottish seat for a majority and that now he is in power he will ignore Scottish democracy for another five years.
