Bye Bye Blair

[P.K.]

On the contrary, the damage they have done that will affect me during my lifetime can be summed up in one word: PENSIONS.

You're right of course. With improvements to the general health and wealth of the nation the wrinklies are living longer and longer. All they're thinking of is self self self self self - what a bummer eh?

 

Of course, you can always invest in a private pension but you don't want to do that, do you? Especially if you look at the current annuity returns. Low interest rates - what a bummer eh?

 

It does make me laugh how folks pillory socialist-leaning governments and yet at the same time they expect the same goverments to provide for them in their old age. The world just ain't like that any more.

[Mr. Sausages]

War because the US wanted us to, and lying about it = bad.

 

Relatively low interest rates = good.

 

The second one obviously outweighed the first otherwise he'd have lost the last election.

[Lost Login]

So as the other parties are not offering a better alternative I think it is hard to state that the Labour have done enough damage to last a lifetime based on Pensions as they would have all have done similar!

On the contrary, the damage they have done that will affect me during my lifetime can be summed up in one word: PENSIONS. Whilst I am also not a supporter of Labour, I do not see the other 2 main parties as offering a much better alternative as they currently stand. Slightly off topic, it will be interesting to see what President Sarkozy does in France and whether he lives up to his election mandate.

[Dave the Cardboard Box]

He did really well, surefooted in most things. The UK is a more tolerant inclusive place, the economy has been good for years, the vast majority are better off.

 

So why did he behave so stupidly by:-

 

a) Taking freebie holidays from the not-so-great and not-so-good (Berlusconi, Cliff etc). Surely after the Tory sleaze he should have made strenuous efforts to remain whiter than white. That was a very basic mistake.

 

B) Siding with Bush, lying about the need to invade Iraq, and continuing down that road regardless, all for the sake of USA unity with Britain.

 

If he hadn't done that, he would be retired a hero, and we would have even forgiven him his Freebie BeeGee Holidgee.

[Gladys]

Yep, I agree, overall I think Labour has done well. The War on Terror, Iraq and Afghanistan were, however, terminal mistakes. He may have been sincere in his belief that these were the right decisions, but the manipulation (or the acceptance of manipulation by others) of the truth in each case lost him serious credibility and we will be living with the ramifications for a long time yet.

 

Interesting that his plans include establishing a Foundation to open dialogue and understanding between the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. That kind of initiative is very much needed, although whether he is the right man for the job has to be questioned.

 

Ah well, another era coming to an end.

[Cronky]

Ah well, another era coming to an end.

 

Well not really . . . If you live in the UK you will still have to deal with the era of dirty hospitals, failing schools, overcrowding due to immigration, loss of civil liberties, high stealth taxes, an intrusive bureaucracy, increased risk of terrorism, loss of community, massive state surveilance, compulsory ID cards, drug fuelled street crime . . .

[Gladys]

Ah well, another era coming to an end.

 

Well not really . . . If you live in the UK you will still have to deal with the era of dirty hospitals, failing schools, overcrowding due to immigration, loss of civil liberties, high stealth taxes, an intrusive bureaucracy, increased risk of terrorism, loss of community, massive state surveilance, compulsory ID cards, drug fuelled street crime . . .

Indeed, that is why I am glad to be here.

[Albert Tatlock]

I do not believe that the UK has done well under Blair and a Blair led government. When I think of Blair, all I see are lost opportunities and: scandal, spin, high taxation, debt, eroded pensions, a housing crisis, Iraq (and 5 other wars), the foundation of an Orwellian state, and the undermining of parliament and his own party. Above all, I will remember Blair - as Bliar.

 

Blair came to power in 1997 saying he was 'a straight guy', yet he leaves as the first serving prime minister to be interviewed by the police in a corruption inquiry (cash for honours), and having overseen well over 100 scandals emerge in his party. People seem to have short memories in terms of: freebie holidays, Eccleston's loans, Mandelson's loans, Blunkett, Cherigate etc. etc. The spin came in the form of the manipulation of the media, 'good days to release bad news', the manipulation of statistics. Through spin Blair has done nothing but undermine faith in british politics. He was an an actor and a celebrity. All he has done is react to crisis after crisis through soundbites. He has spent all his time dealing with symptoms instead of dealing with the causes. Blair blamed the tories for everything for the first 5 years and having to dismantle 'what they had done' - only to spend the last 5 years putting it all back and rebranding it under NuShite.

 

Blair has overseen the largest rise in taxation in history. In 1997 the UK tax burden was close to the OECD average of almost 39 per cent of GDP. In 2007 it is forecast to rise to 42.6 per cent. The highest level since 1986. This is against a backdrop of increasing global competition and across the OECD the average tax burden has consistently remained under 39 per cent and will have fallen to 37.9 per cent in 2007. If tax levels had remained at the 1996 level in real terms, the average household would pay £5,140 less tax than it does currently.

 

Blair has overseen a rise in UK consumer debt to £1.3 trillion, and the UK are living 'on tick'. For the first time the amount of people going insolvent during the year will top 100,000. Blair has allowed this to happen, and whilst people feel they are doing well at the moment they seem to forget that all of this money needs to be repaid, and rely heavily on people at the bottom of the triangle to remain solvent and able to pay their mortgages, because if they don't - house prices will crash. People have been spun into thinking they are doing well, when all that has happened is that instead of the high interest rates of the 90s we have had low interest rates and the banks have been allowed to lend people too much money (up to 7.5 times salary in many cases). People now pay 40% of their income on mortgages against 20% ten years ago. The current trend in interest rates, the US picture and many other factors will not see the trend in interest rates decline. Blair and Brown have built a 'smoke and mirrors' economy. The housing crisis has not been made easier by immigration levels which have also served to undermine the wages of the less well off.

 

In terms of pensions, the Blair government have robbed many people of many hundreds of thousands of pounds in real terms. They have undermined the pension system via the tax system, and have plunged many of us into future poverty. People generally don't understand pensions at the best of times, but when they retire, or obtain a projection of what their pension will be worth (compared to ten years ago), they will see what all of this has actually done to their future income.

 

Then of course there is Iraq and his involvement with Bush. The biggest issue for me here has been the abuse and misuse of British forces.

 

One of the other main issues for me has been Blair's involvement in the foundation of an Orwellian and nanny state. ID cards, the 'War on Terror', the undermining of parliament and his own party and thousands of new criminal offences - including taking away many rights to freely demonstrate in a democracy. Remember Walter Wolfgang? - the old guy that got chucked out of the labour conference. Small wonder the Labour party has shrunk so much - if they don't even get a vote that counts and can affect the policies of the party to which they belong. Blair has overseen the introduction of 'the State' that interferes in every aspect of peoples lives, dictating how people must think, whilst monitoring and watching everything through CCTV, and traffic pricing etc. Controlling people through fear.

 

Then there is the rise in the level of apathy that he has overseen - his election on the lowest recorded votes in modern history - where over 70% of people didn't vote for him. Blair also broke the promise of the 1997 manifesto to introduce a referendum on electoral reform. The worst type of apathy was that we accepted the spin and let all of this happen.

 

No, Blair to me is a liar and a war criminal. He has undermined a nation which our children are going to have to pay for to put right. Blair's policies have penalised every decent, hardworking and honest UK individual. He is a manipulator that has sought to dumb us all down in his dumbocracy. As far as I am concerned people of the UK will only now be better off if they sell up and get out - before the debt collector arrives.

 

After Iraq, Blair's biggest legacy is David Cameron - and even more of the same - with Cameron blaming the first few years on Blair and NuShite...

[The Old Git]

Couldn't agree more.

 

Even the Womens Institute saw through his charade years ago

[Cronky]

A very good post from Albert. Thanks for taking the time to articulate your thoughts for us.

 

The problem is . . . Where do we go from here?

[tucker]

War because the US wanted us to, and lying about it = bad.

 

Relatively low interest rates = good.

 

The second one obviously outweighed the first otherwise he'd have lost the last election.

 

Shame that the rate of personal bankruptcies is at an all time high though

[tucker]

Of course, you can always invest in a private pension but you don't want to do that, do you? Especially if you look at the current annuity returns. Low interest rates - what a bummer eh?

 

"Dear Mr ------

Due to changes made by the Treasury the final value of your pension will be a lot lower than it otherwise would have been"

Part of a letter from my private pension company i received in early 98 !

[Lost Login]

Ultimately I think we get the political leaders we deserve as if we had an "honest" politician they would not get elected.

 

Things like the health service, law and order, education, pension, transport policy can only be greatly improved over a long time scale and by investing a lot of money at them. Any politiocian who stands up and ays yes we can improve but it will cost xp additional tax, and it will either take years of up heaval before you see results or you will not see the results for years might be honest but will not get elected. The Lib Dems did not get very far with their idea of 2p on income tax to go towards education.

 

Ultimtaely we the electorate wherever we are always tend to vote around the middle of the road option, the no major change option so politicians whilst expecting the incoming party to be a major improvement on the last.

 

I am sure law and order could be improved by having a higher detection rate and then punishing/educationg offenders. That require load more resources for the police, additional prisons, etc etc. They will take time time to train and build and all cost a fortune. It is probably a minimum of 5 years before you see a noticable difference if any. Same with Education and the Health service. Pensions are another Black Hole. Would the electorate vote for a party which said that we will improve these but it will take 10 years and it will increase the tax rate by 10p. Not in my opinion. Would people vote for a political party which stood up and said that on an issue there is little that they could do, say on anti social disorder which is a matter of personal responsibility.

 

Albert moans about the dedt ridden society. Who is responsible for people borroiwng more and more on credit cards or to buy houses. The Politicians or us as individuals. Would society vote for a party that restricted the amount of credit that they could obtain. Would there not be arguments about the nanny state and that this should be the own individuals responsibility yet it is the Politicians that get the blame.

 

People moan amout spin, I am one of them. Who is to blame us, the media or the politicians or all three. Yes politicians use PR but with 24 hrs media and scrutiny I do not really blame them when any discussion in a party is headlined as a party split. Anything a poltician does or says is scrutinised and then becomes the subject of huge conjecture no wonder they do their best to offset by "spinning" or saying as little as possible.

 

I am not saying that Politicians are not to blame but ultimately I believe the electorate and Media have shapped the majority of todays politicains and the utopia we all expect is now totally unrealistic. In this respect when I read the critisisms of Blair what depresses me is not that they are right or wrong but that I am not sure that any body else would have done any better or much different.

[Lost Login]

But who is responsible for that? Everybody these days is looking for somebody else to blame but in the majority of cases there is no body to blame but one self. Yes society has changed and people these days tend to accept less personal responsibility and want more and more but who is to blame. I am not sure it is the politicians

 

Shame that the rate of personal bankruptcies is at an all time high though

[tucker]

But who is responsible for that?

 

Blair! He set things up to encourage borrowing which enables spending which produces tax revenue .The UK economy has been feeding on itself since this set of t"ssers got in and it will be upto the Tories to sort out the mess they leave again .