Current Affairs The Labour Party

[roydo]

Well, you cant doubt that rail prices have rocketted, and the amount of journeys delayed is legendary. As for violence on and around the railways https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49582512

What I struggle with mate is how and why the magic wand of public ownership will deliver some nirvana. It didnt in the past, and I do not believe it will in the future.

Like I said earlier, bewildered at the privatisation of water, so I am not on some Profit is Good mantra. I just generally think Governments are crap at being runners of stuff.

 

[Brennan]

There isn’t consistent evidence that nationalising things on a large scale leads to a better proposition for the public.

Or if there is I haven’t seen it.

 

[PhilM]

Privatisation has been a disaster for most people looking to get around in this country on public transport. It's dangerous, expensive, inefficient and wasteful. And it gets propped up by state funds too. Network Rail is state funded and that means the TOC's have a free rider off public cash.

The nationalised railways of the past were allowed to be underfunded and led into decline.

Yet, most people involved or interested in the industry signal that British Rail, while abundant in stock, was grossly inefficient in pretty much most categories.

Punctuality, investment in rail stock and prioritisation for key routes were poor, at best. Let’s be clear, it’s not all rosy now, but the past wasn’t utopia.

Rose/red tinted glasses and all that.

 

[polish]

Like I said earlier, bewildered at the privatisation of water, so I am not on some Profit is Good mantra. I just generally think Governments are crap at being runners of stuff.

Deutsche Bahn works rather fine

 

[Moomin]

Hardly travel by rail, nor bus for that matter, but when I have, its actually been the complete opposite in my experience. £22.50 return from Bristol to Llandudno was the last time. Approached the station as the station clock gently turned over to 10.33, the arrival time. Didnt feel endangered neither.

It's a rip off, if i have a last minute meeting in London I'm looking in excess of £250 quid.

Compared to France and Holland are railways are of a lower class and about treble the price.

SNCF the French railway company state owned actually run a few networks in the UK, so the profits they make here they put back into its infrastructure.

Network rail is funded by the Government.

 

[Billy Dean]

British rail is a mess and desperately needs at least a partial renationalisation

 

[davek]

Yet, most people involved or interested in the industry signal that British Rail, while abundant in stock, was grossly inefficient in pretty much most categories.

Punctuality, investment in rail stock and prioritisation for key routes were poor, at best. Let’s be clear, it’s not all rosy now, but the past wasn’t utopia.

Rose/red tinted glasses and all that.

It's all down to funding. Underfund something = it's rubbish; fund something = it's good.

 

[Socrates]

The only snag I see in taking back privatised utility suppliers is that regardless of ownership, they will still be run by British management.

In my experience, among the worst in the Western World.

Case in point is car manufacturing.
It's no co-incidence that the ones based in this country are among the most productive in the world.
The shop floor workforce are excellent but the management is Japanese or German in the main.
And very profitable.

So, it might not work as well as Labour hopes because the same sort of people who have mismanaged the economy for the last 9 years will mismanage our utilities.

 

[Agent Blue]

Profits are reinvested now. And at the moment, the entire payroll of every single company he wants to bring into public control is paid by those companys. He will now be the payer. Like I said, its ideological. Thats it. Zero benefit to anyone else.

And "the only obstacle is skilled people" is the exact point I made. Its a laughable proposition in a 5 year term.

But all those companies have shareholders so if you were to add profit and dividend payments together you could then reduce the cost of supply to the consumer. This benefits everybody or do I have that completely wrong?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

"The Conservatives have repeatedly raised the state pension age despite overseeing a decline in life expectancy," the manifesto says.
"Labour will abandon the Tories’ plans to raise the State Pension Age, leaving it at 66.
"We will review retirement ages for physically arduous and stressful occupations, including shift workers, in the public and private sectors."

HUGE

Hugely irresponsible. Pensions already cost as much per year as the NHS, while life expectancy since the state pension was brought in rising significantly. It means that what was roughly 1% of GDP when it was introduced is now around 8%.

We always bang on about how the generational wealth shift is unsustainable, yet continue to pander to the generation we regard as the wealthiest, just because they vote a lot.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Binning university tuition fees off - Is that a surprise announcement or has it been labour's position for ages? Wasn't aware that they were committed to that path.

The word science mentioned twice in the manifesto (both times in connection with climate change - zzzzzz) - half as many times as the word football.

To be fair, it's only right that builders, waiters, plumbers and nursing home staff pay for those who go to university and have higher incomes than them. It's progressive, or something.

 

[Number_25]

To be fair, it's only right that builders, waiters, plumbers and nursing home staff pay for those who go to university and have higher incomes than them. It's progressive, or something.

I don't know of any builders, waiters, plumbing and nursing staff who earn over £80,000 mate.

 

[Blue 1]

Hugely irresponsible. Pensions already cost as much per year as the NHS, while life expectancy since the state pension was brought in rising significantly. It means that what was roughly 1% of GDP when it was introduced is now around 8%.

We always bang on about how the generational wealth shift is unsustainable, yet continue to pander to the generation we regard as the wealthiest, just because they vote a lot.

I imagine the generations that follow them into OAPhood won't have as many gold-plated public sector pensions to sustain so that might bring it down a bit. I dunno, just taking a stab in the dark.

I just know the pensions my parents got for working in local government were bananas and those days are purported to have gone.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I don't know of any builders, waiters, plumbing and nursing staff who earn over £80,000 mate.

Ah, so the taxes that pay for the intellectual elite to go to university will somehow only come from the financial elite? Study after study highlights how graduates earn considerably more than non-graduates over their lifetimes, so it's really quite bizarre that Labour supporters think it progressive that the taxes from the non-graduates should contribute towards furthering that inequality. I wonder how many of those backers are just hoping for their education to be paid for by someone else?

 

[Number_25]

Ah, so the taxes that pay for the intellectual elite to go to university will somehow only come from the financial elite? Study after study highlights how graduates earn considerably more than non-graduates over their lifetimes, so it's really quite bizarre that Labour supporters think it progressive that the taxes from the non-graduates should contribute towards furthering that inequality. I wonder how many of those backers are just hoping for their education to be paid for by someone else?

You're a bit weird.

On one hand, you insist that the general population aren't educated enough to have been able to have made a sensible decision concerning our nation's membership of the EU.

And on the other hand, you insist that education isn't a right that people should be afforded in a kind and decent society.