[Livia]

Multi-millionaire Tony Blair went to Fettes in Edinburgh, don't see anyone on the left kicking up a fuss about that. In fact, more than half of Labour Party MPs have been privately educated. But if a Tory is privately education it's a stick with which to beat them, supposedly.

The financial mess was in full flow long before the Conservatives came to power. No bankers have been prosecuted by the Conservative Party in much the same way that no bankers were prosecuted under Labour. The Fred Goodwin/RBS scandal happened under Labour. They didn't even ask him for his knighthood back, so how anyone would imagine that bankers should be prosecuted now the Conservatives are in charge smacks slightly of double-standards.

Originally Posted by Livia

Multi-millionaire Tony Blair went to Fettes in Edinburgh, don't see anyone on the left kicking up a fuss about that. In fact, more than half of Labour Party MPs have been privately educated. But if a Tory is privately education it's a stick with which to beat them, supposedly.

The financial mess was in full flow long before the Conservatives came to power. No bankers have been prosecuted by the Conservative Party in much the same way that no bankers were prosecuted under Labour. The Fred Goodwin/RBS scandal happened under Labour. They didn't even ask him for his knighthood back, so how anyone would imagine that bankers should be prosecuted now the Conservatives are in charge smacks slightly of double-standards.

If I was defending Labour and Blair you'd have made some decent points. But I didn't. I am way to the left of the centre-right Labour party. There is a plague on both their houses as far as I'm concerned. It's just that the current ruling party (Forget about the LD's), is waging a war on the poor and most needy, whilst protecting their friends. Labour would have done the same but to a lesser extent. They certainly wouldn't have demonised people on benefits, though, the way the tories have.

I say this as someone who was fairly privileged growing up myself. Although not on the same level as Boris, David and the rest of the Bulingdon Club.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Jesus.H.Christ

If I was defending Labour and Blair you'd have made some decent points. But I didn't. I am way to the left of the centre-right Labour party. There is a plague on both their houses as far as I'm concerned. It's just that the current ruling party (Forget about the LD's), is waging a war on the poor and most needy, whilst protecting their friends. Labour would have done the same but to a lesser extent. They certainly wouldn't have demonised people on benefits, though, the way the tories have.

I say this as someone who was fairly privileged growing up myself. Although not on the same level as Boris, David and the rest of the Bulingdon Club.

My points about the current Labour Party were valid, regardless of your own particular point of view. But, as you say, there there is no 'left' in British politics now. One politician I really admire both as a politician and as a human being is Tony Benn, although I don't always agree with him. Born to a privileged life but a real left-winger. I wonder what the Labour Party might be like if they had more politicians like him instead of the insipid champagne socialists who run it now.

I agree somewhat with the benefits point you raise, however, we both know that there are people claiming benefits to which they are not really entitled, or because they are better off on benefits than they would be if they were working. How do you flag up those people if not by reforming the way benefits are allocated? Labour does not generally reform benefits because those people who receive them are (generally) traditionally their voters.

I say this as someone who, unlike you, does not come from a fairly privileged background. I come from one of the poorest (Labour) Boroughs in east London. I worked hard for my degree while working to support myself. Nobody ever handed me a damn thing. Yet I grew up surrounded by people who live their life on benefits, housed by the council, who had their values and work-ethic handed down to them by parents who had lived the same lifestyle.