Labour woes

Labour has learned little in the nearly three months since the election. In that, it has tried to cos-play Conservative policies, and cutting an area of social benefit.

That they chose winter fuel payments for the elederly is something of a surprise, but as I have argued for a while, all other secotors of the Welfare State have suffered cuts, why not the elderly.

Because they'll freeze in their homes, the Mail and Express shot from banner headlines.

Which is true, and would be fine for them to make such statements if they had reacted the same way in relation to cuts to the disabled, single parents, the sick and so on. Austerity, it is estimated, raised the excess death rate to 20,000 per year, yet neither the Mailor Express said a word.

The Justice system was slased, sashed by 40% in a decade, and courts closed and sold off, and those left in such bad state of repair that manay are perating less than 50% of capacity. The NHS had its budget slashed, and the COVID inquiry heard how austerity made it almost impossible for the NHS to react when COVID hit.

And then there is gifts from party friends nad backers. Politicians and Ministers have been given tickets to events, clothes and trinkets for them and their partners, but again looking at the right wing press you would think that Labour was the only party in Government to have done this.

So, the lesson for the Labour Government is you may as well do things your core support wants, like fair pay for public sector workers, tax the rich, privatise the water industry, bring back freedome of movement for the under 30s, because the right wing press will hate that too, but you will be seen as improving the lot of the lowest 70% of socienty.

Will they lean?