Labour's defeat in Runcorn was entirely avoidable - and is the direct result of the party
leadership's political choices. By pushing policies like cuts to disability benefits and scrapping the winter fuel allowance, the leadership is driving away our own voters - and
letting Reform squeeze through. The Labour leadership must urgently change course and govern with real Labour values
Which high profile Tory MPs do you think will defect to Reform UK after yesterday?
You have to believe that Suella Braverman is going to make the jump sooner rather than later since her husband is a Reform UK member and she'd love to serve as Nigel Farage's Home Secretary where she'd be unleashed like Tom Homan in Trump 2.0.
I don't know where it's been proven that neoliberalism inevitably leads to fascism, but I just don't understand a labour party acting this way. It's absurd and absolutely anti-socialist.
Because of decisions made during the Tory government and by voters themselves (Brexit) the UK is arguably in an economic death spiral with no obvious levers to pull to arrest the decline. They are increasingly unable to support the NHS in its current form with a rapidly aging society.
One astute observer of UK politics, Robert Peston, has this take on that:
"…the UK’s vote to leave the European Union demonstrated, that we live in an age where voters’ grievances and aspirations can’t neatly be packaged up as tribally Labour or Tory.
"The great paradox of all this can be summed up in a word: “Trump”.
"It is a paradox because the polls show that British people dislike him personally and his chaotic policies. But a significant proportion of British voters yearn for something Trumpian that would break a political system which - they feel - ignores and even harms them."
. And:
"Do the Tories or Labour yet appreciate the magnitude of the threat to them this represents? And what will their survival instincts ultimately force Labour and Tories to do: remain proudly independent till death, or make common cause and form coalitions with like-minded parties?
"Big change is coming. Its shape is yet to be determined."
As well as a House of Commons seat. As I posted in the last thread:
UK: Labour loses a seat to Reform it had won by nearly 15,000 last year.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/02/reform-runcorn-and-helsby-byelection-local-elections
A Labour MP reacts:
Labour's defeat in Runcorn was entirely avoidable - and is the direct result of the party
leadership's political choices. By pushing policies like cuts to disability benefits and scrapping the winter fuel allowance, the leadership is driving away our own voters - and
letting Reform squeeze through. The Labour leadership must urgently change course and govern with real Labour values
https://bsky.app/profile/richardburgon.bsky.social/post/3lo6ice7bj223
Which high profile Tory MPs do you think will defect to Reform UK after yesterday?
You have to believe that Suella Braverman is going to make the jump sooner rather than later since her husband is a Reform UK member and she'd love to serve as Nigel Farage's Home Secretary where she'd be unleashed like Tom Homan in Trump 2.0.
It's disgraceful for a Labour Party to behave like Margaret Thatcher. What in the world are they thinking?
They think it’s the 1990s. And haven’t learned the lesson that neo-liberalism leads to fascism.
No, that was PM Cameron being an imbecile that started it.
I don't know where it's been proven that neoliberalism inevitably leads to fascism, but I just don't understand a labour party acting this way. It's absurd and absolutely anti-socialist.
Your last claim is pure hyperbole.
It's hard but necessary as they don't have an American style printer due to our exorbitant privilege.
Because of decisions made during the Tory government and by voters themselves (Brexit) the UK is arguably in an economic death spiral with no obvious levers to pull to arrest the decline. They are increasingly unable to support the NHS in its current form with a rapidly aging society.
Lots of skilled Poles and Romanians also went back to their countries with their experience gained.
I can't believe it. How much have taxes been raised on the wealthy and big corporations?
Reeves did raise some taxes on them, it was a tax and spend bill.
It doesn't sound like they raised taxes enough on the wealthy, if the alternative is making the poor freeze.
Seems like no Trump-backlash in the UK . . .
One astute observer of UK politics, Robert Peston, has this take on that:
"…the UK’s vote to leave the European Union demonstrated, that we live in an age where voters’ grievances and aspirations can’t neatly be packaged up as tribally Labour or Tory.
"The great paradox of all this can be summed up in a word: “Trump”.
"It is a paradox because the polls show that British people dislike him personally and his chaotic policies. But a significant proportion of British voters yearn for something Trumpian that would break a political system which - they feel - ignores and even harms them."
. And:
"Do the Tories or Labour yet appreciate the magnitude of the threat to them this represents? And what will their survival instincts ultimately force Labour and Tories to do: remain proudly independent till death, or make common cause and form coalitions with like-minded parties?
"Big change is coming. Its shape is yet to be determined."
https://nitter.poast.org/Peston/status/1918207911333179680#m