Politics politics politics politics
- 17 September 2011 19:52126927Hang on! There is a huge army of us lot in the middle, working hard, contributing in multiple ways to society, bringing up our kids to do the same, refusing the slide into poverty with all we are worth, even building businesses that will give back, and not in the pursuit of wealth, but in the pursuit of the Right Thing To Do.
- 17 September 2011 19:53126928Please excuse all those commas - I got carried away!
- 17 September 2011 23:35126961Bern, youth unemployment is particularly high, with no training at school or after leaving school in essential spheres of production, such as factory work.
There are no incentives either for this kind of work, as incentives usually centre on IT skills, yet there cannot be enough available places in offices for so many IT learned people.
Basicly, a minimum wage job does not confer membership of the middle class, and I'd dare say that even a £10 an hour job won't either, unless one owns one's own house and needn't pay rent or mortgage.
If this is not the case, then it just takes one act of redundancy to send a person into poverty, ie JSA.
Bern, most young people will not be able to afford to buy a house, at this present rate. The market prices are speculation-ridden, unrealistic, and the job-market is in shambles.
The money is not around in most people's purse to afford more than the essentials, unless they are free from paying rent/mortgage and have more than a JSA allowance.
To have a low-medium paid job but having to pay rent/mortgage is a precarious situation, verging onto serfdom, and unfortunately JSA is the rock bottom.
More and more people are falling into it.
I'm lucky, because I know I've got work for the next few months.
Middle class, Bern? Nah, not me!Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
Rule Britannia!
Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
18 September 2011 08:00126967alexander;
there are still quite a number of middle class persons, thus the move by ed to home in on them and attemps by ed to distance himself from the unions was a clear sign of labours direction.
bern;
Being active within the labour party for some 25 years i fully understand the labours moves away from the foundations it was built upon.
i also fully understand the reasons why blair at that time decided to change the parties direction.
if you ever get a chance to read blairs book on his time leading up to his leadership to when in govt, to when he left, he was quite clear he had no socialist principles, he was solely of the opinion of wanting to get blair into number 10, and nothing was going to stop him.
Kinnock(rightly)started this move by taking on the militant part at the that was operating within the labour party at the time in his liverpool speech, at that time the militant party had taken over many branch's within the labour party, when i joined all those years ago the priory branch was overun by militant party members who conrolled the branch, very worrying times, they were far from the image they created of looking after the working classes, they were undemocratic, even followed people home that didn't support there view in a threatening manner.
Worst than that the labour party is set up where you have a constituency party where 3 or 4 delegates from each branch go to a general committee set up,,
the militant party of course controlld many branchs and came close to getting control of the local party, i recall one such meeting where a vote of confidence in the chair was only won by the moderates by one vote.
Something had to be done to change things and a number of militant members were expelled from the labour party, others left and the labour party got back to normal.
just as an aside, when militant party were still in priory, one of our members wanted to vote for a particular delegate to go to the agm, the branch supported it so the militant party who thought this delegate was to moderate set up branch executive to overturn the branch decision!!! the branch member refused to accept the exec decision as the branch was the ione who she was mandated by, she voted for thiis lady, at thre next branch the militant made moves to have this woman removed, and this resulted in thewhole labour party locally in turmoil
as the branch wanted the womsan to remain, the party agreed wiuth the branch, thus open warfare started.
a spl meeting was called the militants refused to chair it, a person from another branch came in to chair a very hostile meeting
but in the end the militant stranglehold began to loosen, and support drain,
oesnt have that many more.
over the years labour locally has changed it got back to its roots and sensible policies, labour locally were very good on the doorstep and ran very good campaigns and had a mountain of people to go out election time.
over the years labour increaed its support
in those days on the local council labour had 13 cllrs
today labour doesnt have many more
it rebuilt itself and rose from 13 cllrs to 23 cllrs by hard work in every ward around the district, fior some years it controlled the council, but failed to beome a party that took on the officers and questioned advice they gave.
all parties fail at this, and im sure that wont change.
from all the years in control of the council some cllrs took there eye off the ball and go to involved in the council and neglected the electorate and lost seats.
a klot of hard work togain seats was lost, which had taken years to build up.
we are seeing some grassroots work starting up again, north deal being a good example, and labour is starting to regain seats again, not quite enough to get control but they are heading in the right direction, but ythey must move away from these continued attacks on the horrible tories, and more onto alternative stratergies, then it may well do a lot better at the polls,
There are issues that i disagree with labour thus i decided as bern said to remove myself from the labour party, i can now campaign for anyont i feel has the ability to make a difference, and i have campaigned for a number of candidates(not all labour)
I hope that labour can regain the electorates faith,
for me being the old lefty found it hard to move where t blair wanted the party,
this carried on under g brown, and ed looks to be continueing down this line.
the danger they have on this is if they distance themselves to much from the working class they will find the route back to number 10 very difficult indeed.
my latest dilema is where to cast my vote at the next general election
i dont want the tories or liberals anywhere near govt
and i dont want to vote for a parachuted in labour woman candidate
the smaller parties have shown they dont have the following to make any impact apart from dividing the main 2 parties and keeping one or the other in power
i know there are a number like me around in the district.
but i continue to live in hope.
blimey did i write all that lol
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - Brian Dixon
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18 September 2011 08:35126981kieth,are you feeling allright [or left],after typing all that you may need to liedown for an hour or two. - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
18 September 2011 08:42126984being even handed brotherALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
18 September 2011 08:43126985kieth,still think you need to liedown for a while.
- Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
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18 September 2011 08:49126988im ok geezerALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 18 September 2011 10:09127004Keith i'm with you on this one about a candidatefor the next general election, I do not think i want somebody who is bought in from else where that nobody knows from adam, and this idea it has to be a woman what happened to best person for the job.
- 18 September 2011 10:34127026I agree..positive discrimination in its worse form. Candidates should be selected on merit and not be determined by sex,race,creed,colour or religion and certainly not by inner party politics.
Having said that I would vote for Jan any day...purely cos she is oh so sexy.....thank God I'm hiding in Jersey.Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter) - 18 September 2011 10:40127028I also agree but I have heard that there is someone locally that is going to stand,she is young and has been a member for a while,if she decides to stand she will be good.If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
- 18 September 2011 11:53127047Keith.
Good and interesting post #24.
JHG.
I agree with Marek and I know many others, who do not approve of the, woman only, list.
I feel a local woman candidate, coming forward on her own merits, would be the best outcome for labour."My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum" - 18 September 2011 13:19127055the problem as i see it is that if the lady is as good as john says she will not stand under the present arrangement.
no-one likes to be patronised. - 18 September 2011 13:46127057What a good post, Howard - well done and what an effort it must have been! Now, be careful not to overdo it - a nice cup of tea and a lie down and you'll be as right as rain..........
- Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
18 September 2011 14:39127060john;
if men are unable to stand at the next general election as a labour candidate through labours stupid rules, they i dont care if shes local or where ever she comes from.
i have fought womens corner, but on this one it should all go on ability and any person male or female should be able to put themselves forward.
unless this happens im afraid my vote goes elsewhere.
i have no ide who this woman may be, whoever it is she needs to get out and about if shes serious on wanting to even think about taking on charlie.
so who is this secret woman john?
i will add later once answeredALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 18 September 2011 15:11127070# 24 True.,but at the time the country needed Blair.The problem being at the end he believed his own press.Brown would have been a superb in the Cabinet but not leader The same goes for ED.Time is of the essence to solve this problem.
Labour nationally and locally need to divest themselves of the negative tory bashing brigade and concentrate on positive policies for Joe Public.
MP candidates should only be chosen on merit and ability as it should be in all elections....QED. - 18 September 2011 15:45127071It's that Leadership thing - taking a look at all parties there are few natural leaders among them.
- 18 September 2011 16:13127072I agree about the all woman shortlisting it is stupid,but as I understand it and I am not sure if this woman would stand she has all the right assets.If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
- 18 September 2011 16:16127075when you say all the right assets john????
- Ross Miller
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18 September 2011 17:14127085Dont we have an honorable member who was parachuted in?
He seems to actually be doing a half decent job of supporting and representing the consituency"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi