tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post3285832166959425142..comments2024-03-28T09:16:33.241+00:00Comments on Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: And a note on Labour sleaze...Sue Marshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849801822216267250noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-23632258157353862742011-01-12T02:15:41.781+00:002011-01-12T02:15:41.781+00:00Sue
"To leave public school a socialist make...Sue<br /><br />"To leave public school a socialist makes you rather unusual, believe me."<br /><br />You're right... the only one I can think of is George Orwell who went to Eton.<br /><br />It was obvious that LP MPs would be more blamed for all the reasons you mentioned... but IMO it is primarily the stereotype.... LP MPs are supposed to be honest, but no-one is surprised by a Tory using public money for cleaning out his moat!Syzygyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15033334461020443772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-62531516041669233502011-01-11T13:53:12.274+00:002011-01-11T13:53:12.274+00:00The Cowboy Online - Really? Now this I have experi...The Cowboy Online - Really? Now this I have experience of. You are taught to be a Tory at public school. To uphold the status quo and reject anything vaguely progressive. <br /><br />To leave public school a socialist makes you rather unusual, believe me.Sue Marshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14849801822216267250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-23125990991831611132011-01-11T12:50:41.098+00:002011-01-11T12:50:41.098+00:00"To leave public school a socialist takes str..."To leave public school a socialist takes strength of character and independent thought."<br /><br />I'd be more surprised if they'd left such a school without such values.The Cowboy Onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04967260831514096205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-35340871126716462752011-01-10T21:44:39.111+00:002011-01-10T21:44:39.111+00:00Sue
Alan Johnson and John Prescott are perhaps no...Sue<br /><br />Alan Johnson and John Prescott are perhaps not the best examples of working class NuLabour MPs.<br /><br />The fact that they are the only well-known examples of working class politicians at cabinet rank says far more about why people from working class backgrounds [like me] have left the party in droves.Malcolmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001468091843912502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-83627434895273593932011-01-09T22:30:27.652+00:002011-01-09T22:30:27.652+00:00Great comment Crispin.
No-one made much much of ...Great comment Crispin. <br /><br />No-one made much much of the fact that my closest Lab MP at the time, Laura Moffat, (Crawley) claimed nothing at all. (Or was it 36 quid?) anyway, it was the lowest and she had a campbed in her office instead of claiming accommodation.Sue Marshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14849801822216267250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-51469566910317588052011-01-09T22:18:19.761+00:002011-01-09T22:18:19.761+00:00Whilst I have very little sympathy for those MP...Whilst I have very little sympathy for those MP's who have been caught fiddling expenses I think Labour were always going to be damaged most by the expenses scandal for three reasons. Firstly at the time of the scandal there a lot more Labour MP's than Tory MPs. Secondly many Labour MPs respresented constituencies well aay from London so were likely to have second homes.<br />Thirdly hen it comes to fiddling expenses Labour MPs are rank amateurs compared to the Tories, most Tory MPs have worked as accountants, lawyers or in business so they are familiar with the art of creative accounting.<br /><br />It's a real shame that the media didn't spend a lot of time looking at what value for money we got from our MP's. Many Tory MPs collected full-time wages and claimed maximum expenses yet spent a lot of their time moon-lighting in the City. Having a publicly subsidied flat in the City must be handy if you have a dozen or so directorships. Perhaps a league table should have been published where MP's wages and expenses were divided by the amount of hours they spent working in parliament and in their constituencies.Crispin Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00422241837149899082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-8094536775278701372011-01-09T22:16:31.332+00:002011-01-09T22:16:31.332+00:00Peter - Well put. It's the mix that seemed lac...Peter - Well put. It's the mix that seemed lacking, and I agree totally that Labour needed to run a tight ship for a while. Now's time to let the ship sail perhaps though and see where she takes us?<br />I'm going to bed before I strangle any more metaphors :)Sue Marshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14849801822216267250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-7085671599267413542011-01-09T22:08:38.639+00:002011-01-09T22:08:38.639+00:00And BTW, I know all about Militant, I was member f...And BTW, I know all about Militant, I was member for a number of years until I saw sense. I'm still on the left of the party thoughtPeter Lockharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08541478715220480055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-74651804970953700662011-01-09T22:06:31.385+00:002011-01-09T22:06:31.385+00:00We definatly need more working class Labour politi...We definatly need more working class Labour politicians at all levels but your right to mention at the end that we should also accept the Harriet Harmans. More so that her though is he greatest Labour politician and socialist of the last 50 years was from the aristocracy and thats Tony Benn. Tam Dayell was also a good leftist orator but an aristocrat. The balance in Labour became skewed, New labour wouldn't allow for any dissent, they were terrified of any voices not in agreement with them. There was some justification, what happened to Labour in the late 70's and early 80's can't be allowed to happen again but the right in effect have done exactly what Militant tried only from right wing instead of left. We need a balance of views in Labour. Labour is at its strongest when all sides can speak and we come to democratic decisions about policy.Peter Lockharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08541478715220480055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-70944417147995901842011-01-09T21:22:22.639+00:002011-01-09T21:22:22.639+00:00Oh, and at least as far as manifestos are concerne...Oh, and at least as far as manifestos are concerned, Polly T had a pretty damning indictment on whether Tories lie more than Labour yesterday. I linked to it in my "Interesting Articles" list and in the post.Sue Marshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14849801822216267250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-44032200945550867112011-01-09T21:21:20.094+00:002011-01-09T21:21:20.094+00:00Lol, ArtCo, I did say it was tribal.
I do think t...Lol, ArtCo, I did say it was tribal. <br />I do think there's a serious point to be made about making the Labour Party more representative though.Sue Marshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14849801822216267250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4568034298343558962.post-62776672781065155172011-01-09T21:15:24.110+00:002011-01-09T21:15:24.110+00:00So all the labour chaps that are due before the co...So all the labour chaps that are due before the courts are from oxbridge are they.I think you will find they are from working class / union roots.<br />"Tories cheat the working family, they lie, it's what they do"<br />I think you will find its all politicians that do that. Isn't politics wonderful.ArtCohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12161601578748770648noreply@blogger.com