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..posted by a good friend of mine on Facebook, thought I'd share it on here. He's a former professional footballer (briefly for Birmingham City) and a former copper, working mainly out of Camden police station. He grew up in Kilburn/Queens Park. He's now a writer (among other things).
Worth a read I think, hope you enjoy, whether you agree with him or not, even when he veers off-topic...
"Thoughts of the Week (part 1)
Let’s start with a subheading. ‘Dear, oh dear Diane Abbot!’
In the upcoming General Election campaign and apart from the ‘Leader’ (no, not Gary Glitter) no one is more important for the Labour Party campaign than the Shadow Home Secretary. Why’s this? You ask. The reason is obvious: Theresa May —the strong woman, Ms subtle, but steely - was the former Home Secretary. A position which she used to inflict near terminal ravages of the nation’s police forces. Under her auspices we saw numbers cut, benefits cut and police stations closed willy-nilly to cash in, short-term, on the booming (especially in London) property market.
The short-sightedness of this policy is astounding. No matter the so-called austerity budget (which only seems to apply to the working classes, while the privileged elite continue to live the life of Riley) the question must be asked as to what will happen when there’s some serious social unrest — and you can feel it stirring. Remember 2011 when the riots broke out? We had anarchy and nihilism on the streets and the police force didn’t cope with it at all. Instead we had a grand mopping up campaign. Suddenly all those poor silly students who had been demonised as hard-core criminals after they smashed the windows of the Tory HQ — and received ridiculously harsh prison sentences for what were in the main first offences - were kicked out of the pokey and replaced by the new batch of rioters. The Criminal Justice system ground to a halt, the prison’s overflowed. The courts were as ram-jam packed as a back-in-the-day David Rodigan dance. In response what did the great Theresa May do? She further decimated the police force. She did the same to the prison service. The vaunted Border Force, our first defence, is comically short of manpower and morale as they attempt to hire staff on Mickey-Mouse contracts. Labour should be slaughtering Theresa May on what she’s done. Instead we got that car crash of an interview on LBC.
To be honest I resisted calls to listen to it for a time. Some of my more right-leaning pals were raving about it, but I thought they were overreacting due to a general contempt for the Hackney MP. I was wrong. When I actually got round to listening to it I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was stunningly incompetent, mind-blowingly nonsensical, embarrassing and shocking. Is this the Shadow Home Secretary who’s going to lead the challenge to Theresa May’s record? She should have stood down immediately and if not the great leader should have forced her hand, no matter past rendezvous in the sack. Of course it didn’t happen and Labour under Jeremy Corbyn has no hope in this election. What a shame it all is because there are loads of issues that they should be taking the government to task on. Just look at that bumbling Tommy Cooper impersonator of a Foreign Secretary, a million miles removed from a serious statesman: Mr Retraction — an embarrassment to the nation.
I’m voting Labour in the coming election, but not for Jeremy, more for the thought of the millions of people who are going to suffer under the coming five years of Tory rule: the working men and women who haven’t seen their wages rise, in real terms, for the last thirty years, while the fat cats, sharks and speculators are minted; the students starting out life saddled with debt; the millions who’ll never be able to afford a home; and in honour of the National Health Service, soon to be dismantled further, but remaining the brightest light in the nation’s modern history. What a rotten, unfair and unbalanced society we’ve become.
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 19:38 - May 28 by JamesB1979
Well she's leader of 1 of the biggest parties in westminster (in terms of MPs anyway)
But she's not even standing for Westminster - she's not going to be part of any coalition should there be one - at the very least someone should be asking how the heck that would work? Who would be sitting in cabinet for the SNP in that eventuality? We got a whole load of stuff about Scottish education and health, but that's not what we're voting on. Confusing.
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 20:15 - May 28 with 2138 views
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 19:47 - May 28 by ElHoop
But she's not even standing for Westminster - she's not going to be part of any coalition should there be one - at the very least someone should be asking how the heck that would work? Who would be sitting in cabinet for the SNP in that eventuality? We got a whole load of stuff about Scottish education and health, but that's not what we're voting on. Confusing.
"Who would be sitting in cabinet for the SNP in that eventuality?"
Angus Robertson would as he is the deputy leader and the SNP group leader in the commons.
If there is the slightest chance of that odious gimp Angus Robertson losing his seat to a Tory I will.not go to bed on election night until I have watched it ...
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 20:29 - May 28 with 2122 views
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 20:15 - May 28 by CamberleyR
"Who would be sitting in cabinet for the SNP in that eventuality?"
Angus Robertson would as he is the deputy leader and the SNP group leader in the commons.
But we know nothing about Angus Robertson - would he just do what the unelected Sturgeon told him to do, or would he do something else? It's not an entirely trivial point is it? If Davidson were part of a coalition in the Scottish Parliament then they wouldn't be too happy if May started making all of the decisions would they? The SNP seems to get away with stuff which nobody else gets away with.
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 20:30 - May 28 with 2122 views
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 20:18 - May 28 by essextaxiboy
If there is the slightest chance of that odious gimp Angus Robertson losing his seat to a Tory I will.not go to bed on election night until I have watched it ...
The next Ed Balls moment maybe? Missed the interview but did Brillo ask her about the 10% deficit against GDP and how she would get round this to end Scottish Independence in joining the EU? Did he ask her how much she hated the English or how she has managed to get on in life without having any lips?
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 20:29 - May 28 by ElHoop
But we know nothing about Angus Robertson - would he just do what the unelected Sturgeon told him to do, or would he do something else? It's not an entirely trivial point is it? If Davidson were part of a coalition in the Scottish Parliament then they wouldn't be too happy if May started making all of the decisions would they? The SNP seems to get away with stuff which nobody else gets away with.
Well unelected Farage was voice of Ukip. Not sure what issue is. They are both leaders of a party that has at least 1 Mp. Therefore interview with their leader makes sense.
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 20:41 - May 28 by JamesB1979
Well unelected Farage was voice of Ukip. Not sure what issue is. They are both leaders of a party that has at least 1 Mp. Therefore interview with their leader makes sense.
Farage did stand for parliament though, and if UKIP had won enough seats to play a part in government then he'd have been part of it - what you saw was what you got.
With Sturgeon - we don't know who we are seeing and we don't know what we are getting. Many people will have made postal votes without there being an SNP manifesto on the table. It's a bit of a shambles. Brillo didn't ask her much at all that was particularly relevant to our election.
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:02 - May 28 with 2083 views
Well, looking back through this thread, I think I’m finally seeing what it takes to be a real British patriot.
People who are so patriotic they want put the nation’s health in the hands of American private healthcare providers. People who are so patriotic they embrace the sale of our infrastucture to foreign-owned companies and the business arms of foreign governments. People who are so patriotic they supporting cutting the education of British children.
People who passionately love Britain and British values, but just not the Scots, or the Welsh, or the northern Irish, or Scousers, or Londoners, or Muslims, or women who get too mouthy in public, or anyone who doesn’t vote Tory or UKIP. And in one very special case, people who love Britain so much they think maybe we should introduce apartheid.
[Post edited 28 May 2017 21:03]
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:15 - May 28 with 2060 views
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:02 - May 28 by DannytheR
Well, looking back through this thread, I think I’m finally seeing what it takes to be a real British patriot.
People who are so patriotic they want put the nation’s health in the hands of American private healthcare providers. People who are so patriotic they embrace the sale of our infrastucture to foreign-owned companies and the business arms of foreign governments. People who are so patriotic they supporting cutting the education of British children.
People who passionately love Britain and British values, but just not the Scots, or the Welsh, or the northern Irish, or Scousers, or Londoners, or Muslims, or women who get too mouthy in public, or anyone who doesn’t vote Tory or UKIP. And in one very special case, people who love Britain so much they think maybe we should introduce apartheid.
[Post edited 28 May 2017 21:03]
Then there are people who passionately love Britain and British values but hate anyone who votes Tory
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:29 - May 28 with 2041 views
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:15 - May 28 by QPR_John
Then there are people who passionately love Britain and British values but hate anyone who votes Tory
I dont feel hated tbh . I have taken some insults ( that I just didnt reply to) but I have had some nice compliments too. All very civilised IMO ..LFW personified
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:37 - May 28 with 2029 views
Ok let's sum up the campaign, May has been a disaster, complacent doesn't even begin to describe it. Just turn up and say strong and stable. She has not offered much more than that. An horrendous u turn has compounded things. Corbyn has made a case for his manifesto, it's by no means perfect but if you have lived through seven years of austerity and are trying hard to better yourself and your families lot. Who would you vote for? The whole taxation thing is a red herring, the happiest people tend to be the scandanavians who pay high taxes but have superb support/health care etc.
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:45 - May 28 with 2009 views
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:37 - May 28 by easthertsr
Ok let's sum up the campaign, May has been a disaster, complacent doesn't even begin to describe it. Just turn up and say strong and stable. She has not offered much more than that. An horrendous u turn has compounded things. Corbyn has made a case for his manifesto, it's by no means perfect but if you have lived through seven years of austerity and are trying hard to better yourself and your families lot. Who would you vote for? The whole taxation thing is a red herring, the happiest people tend to be the scandanavians who pay high taxes but have superb support/health care etc.
As I said on another thread,when I started work in 1978 the tax rate was a lot more than it is now.What is the point in paying less tax for fewer public services? But raising tax rates isn't something the tories would ever do.
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:46 - May 28 with 2008 views
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:15 - May 28 by QPR_John
Then there are people who passionately love Britain and British values but hate anyone who votes Tory
The difference is, I wouldn't necessarily call myself patriotic, or insult other people for not being proud enough of their country (when in fact I just disagreed with their politics).
Personally I just try to be a reasonably decent person. I don't think an accident of birth or the passport I hold makes me better or worse than anyone else, and while there's an awful lot in British history and British society I think is great, at least some of what I admired about our country appears in the process of being destroyed.
For what it's worth the only person I'd happily say I hated on this thread is the poster who spoke up in favour of apartheid. Who is very clearly a prize c-nt.
[Post edited 28 May 2017 21:57]
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 22:20 - May 28 with 1953 views
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:37 - May 28 by easthertsr
Ok let's sum up the campaign, May has been a disaster, complacent doesn't even begin to describe it. Just turn up and say strong and stable. She has not offered much more than that. An horrendous u turn has compounded things. Corbyn has made a case for his manifesto, it's by no means perfect but if you have lived through seven years of austerity and are trying hard to better yourself and your families lot. Who would you vote for? The whole taxation thing is a red herring, the happiest people tend to be the scandanavians who pay high taxes but have superb support/health care etc.
This is a British General Election. Not a presidential campaign. That's where the Conservatives are going wrong. IMO
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:37 - May 28 by easthertsr
Ok let's sum up the campaign, May has been a disaster, complacent doesn't even begin to describe it. Just turn up and say strong and stable. She has not offered much more than that. An horrendous u turn has compounded things. Corbyn has made a case for his manifesto, it's by no means perfect but if you have lived through seven years of austerity and are trying hard to better yourself and your families lot. Who would you vote for? The whole taxation thing is a red herring, the happiest people tend to be the scandanavians who pay high taxes but have superb support/health care etc.
Labour have argued that they can pay for their programme by only increasing tax for 2% of the population, and for companies. High tax in Sweden is much more egalitarian.
This is based on a quick reading, and there may be quirks I haven't picked up, but income tax starts earlier and at a higher rate in Sweden and flattens out much earlier.
In Sweden, only £1,700 of income is tax free, then you start paying 31%. Above £40,000, you pay 51%, and £58,000 makes you a top rate tax-payer of 56%. On top of that, VAT, that everyone pays, is 25%, compared to 20% here.Corporation Tax is 22% (19% now, 26% proposed by Labour). Sweden has NO inheritance tax, though there is capital gains tax of 30% payable when you sell inherited property, or any other type.
Current UK marginal income tax rates are as follows, adjusted for National Insurance: 0% to £8,160 12% to £11,500 32% to £45,000 42% to £100,000 52% to £123,000 (as basic rate relief is withdrawn) 42% to £150,000 47% from £150,000
Labour proposes changes to the top end 47% £80-100,000 57% £100-123,000 52% from £150,000
Swedish income tax thus falls heavier on the lowest incomes (also taking into account VAT), then about the same, then extremely heavily in the £40-80,000 area, that Labour will leave untouched.
One quirk of both corporation tax and top-rate tax, is that receipts seem to rise when they are cut and fall when they are increased. I'd be fascinated to know what Labour would propose to do if the amounts they expect from these sources disappoint. Would they raise rates higher in this area, and risk collecting less, cut their proposed spending, or actually tax the middle income tiers they way the Swedes do? I can't help thinking that there is a strong streak of "Impossibilism" in this, making promises that they know will fail to turn people against the perceived failure of the whole system.
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:45 - May 28 by stowmarketrange
As I said on another thread,when I started work in 1978 the tax rate was a lot more than it is now.What is the point in paying less tax for fewer public services? But raising tax rates isn't something the tories would ever do.
I started a year before, I think tax was about 30% and I think they started VAT at 8% about then
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 11:46 - May 28 by 2Thomas2Bowles
Some on here clearly don't think these terrorists have never heard of an eye for an eye and it's irrelevant anyway
Diane Abbot I don't like myself but some on here are talking at least as dumb as her, that are supporting tories
I give you Michael Fallon
[Post edited 28 May 2017 11:47]
Making a prick of himself again on peston . Peston is calling him a liar Peston ripping him and May apart Said he was twisting and lying about what JC has said and that Boris was the one saying it couple of years ago, made him look an utter prick
Never really being keen on Peston but he stuck the boot in there and called him out.
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 21:37 - May 28 by easthertsr
Ok let's sum up the campaign, May has been a disaster, complacent doesn't even begin to describe it. Just turn up and say strong and stable. She has not offered much more than that. An horrendous u turn has compounded things. Corbyn has made a case for his manifesto, it's by no means perfect but if you have lived through seven years of austerity and are trying hard to better yourself and your families lot. Who would you vote for? The whole taxation thing is a red herring, the happiest people tend to be the scandanavians who pay high taxes but have superb support/health care etc.
Are these the same Scandanavians that seem to have near enough double the suicide rate as the UK?
What makes me laugh about this thread is the vitriol given by those that intend to vote Labour towards Tory voters. For fûck sake get real, the world is made up of different opinions and ideologies. Everyone has a right to their own thoughts and that doesn't make them scum.
And the biggest laugh I have is over the constant scaremongering by the Labour supporters over the NHS. Since its formation 70 years ago it has continued the majority of the time under Tory led governments and yet the biggest damage to it was done by Blair and Brown with their wonderful PFI scam. The biggest problem with the NHS is an aging population, the cost of advances in medicine and treatment and the fact that a larger proportion of the population is now retired and living much longer.
What makes me laugh about this thread is the vitriol given by those that intend to vote Labour towards Tory voters. For fûck sake get real, the world is made up of different opinions and ideologies. Everyone has a right to their own thoughts and that doesn't make them scum.
And the biggest laugh I have is over the constant scaremongering by the Labour supporters over the NHS. Since its formation 70 years ago it has continued the majority of the time under Tory led governments and yet the biggest damage to it was done by Blair and Brown with their wonderful PFI scam. The biggest problem with the NHS is an aging population, the cost of advances in medicine and treatment and the fact that a larger proportion of the population is now retired and living much longer.
Yeah nothing to do with the pop going from 50M 1950 baby boom to 55M in 1970 to 65M now.
On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 22:54 - May 28 by MrSheen
Labour have argued that they can pay for their programme by only increasing tax for 2% of the population, and for companies. High tax in Sweden is much more egalitarian.
This is based on a quick reading, and there may be quirks I haven't picked up, but income tax starts earlier and at a higher rate in Sweden and flattens out much earlier.
In Sweden, only £1,700 of income is tax free, then you start paying 31%. Above £40,000, you pay 51%, and £58,000 makes you a top rate tax-payer of 56%. On top of that, VAT, that everyone pays, is 25%, compared to 20% here.Corporation Tax is 22% (19% now, 26% proposed by Labour). Sweden has NO inheritance tax, though there is capital gains tax of 30% payable when you sell inherited property, or any other type.
Current UK marginal income tax rates are as follows, adjusted for National Insurance: 0% to £8,160 12% to £11,500 32% to £45,000 42% to £100,000 52% to £123,000 (as basic rate relief is withdrawn) 42% to £150,000 47% from £150,000
Labour proposes changes to the top end 47% £80-100,000 57% £100-123,000 52% from £150,000
Swedish income tax thus falls heavier on the lowest incomes (also taking into account VAT), then about the same, then extremely heavily in the £40-80,000 area, that Labour will leave untouched.
One quirk of both corporation tax and top-rate tax, is that receipts seem to rise when they are cut and fall when they are increased. I'd be fascinated to know what Labour would propose to do if the amounts they expect from these sources disappoint. Would they raise rates higher in this area, and risk collecting less, cut their proposed spending, or actually tax the middle income tiers they way the Swedes do? I can't help thinking that there is a strong streak of "Impossibilism" in this, making promises that they know will fail to turn people against the perceived failure of the whole system.
Those marginal rates of tax are way out - there are so many little thresholds and massive marginal rates applying to people who are unaware of their situation. No major party talks about it because either they are responsible for it or they want to make it even worse.
Here's a Telegraph chart from 2015 - it's not that much different now:
[Post edited 29 May 2017 10:32]
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On Diane Abbot, why we should vote Labour anyway, and more... on 10:38 - May 29 with 1646 views
What makes me laugh about this thread is the vitriol given by those that intend to vote Labour towards Tory voters. For fûck sake get real, the world is made up of different opinions and ideologies. Everyone has a right to their own thoughts and that doesn't make them scum.
And the biggest laugh I have is over the constant scaremongering by the Labour supporters over the NHS. Since its formation 70 years ago it has continued the majority of the time under Tory led governments and yet the biggest damage to it was done by Blair and Brown with their wonderful PFI scam. The biggest problem with the NHS is an aging population, the cost of advances in medicine and treatment and the fact that a larger proportion of the population is now retired and living much longer.
I'm sure there's a word for someone who loves to dish it out but then proves unable to take it.
You need to toughen up, snowflake. If your main form of communication is playing the internet hard man posting long sweary rants accusing anyone who doesn't vote Tory of being a terrorist sympathiser or simply thick, you might get the odd bit of blowback. Especially when you start publicly piping up about how life was better for black south Africans under apartheid.
The challenges you've described facing the NHS are exactly that - challenges. They're not pretexts to sell the lot to American private healthcare.
Your party have been hostile to the health service for years, and it's dishonest to pretend otherwise. If you know your political history you'll remember there was a bit of a scandal in 1982 when it was revealed that Thatcher was planning to dismantle the NHS and introduce compulsory private health insurance. She then had to climb down and say the NHS was "safe in our hands," which helped make the issue untouchable for a generation, much to the upset of many right wing Tories.
As you can see there were also plans to extend the reach of private schools and strip out state education. Would be interested to know what you think the "problem" is with state schools now, given the scale of the cuts they're receiving?
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