Keir Starmer at it again..

[The Saturday Boy]

Political strategy isn't gesture politics if it gets you a massive majority. It's the whole point of it.

I agree with the last sentence entirely.

“political actions or positions taken chiefly to gain publicity or influence public opinion, typically requiring little effort or having no significant impact.“

It took little effort to not commit to abolishing the cap and it has had no significant impact on child poverty.

They needed a “gesture” to show they were serious about the finances, and the hill they chose was kids in poverty. I don’t think that is a particularly good position to take but somehow he’s not the bad guy.

 

[The Bear]

 

[Del Woppio]

“political actions or positions taken chiefly to gain publicity or influence public opinion, typically requiring little effort or having no significant impact.“

It took little effort to not commit to abolishing the cap and it has had no significant impact on child poverty.

They needed a “gesture” to show they were serious about the finances, and the hill they chose was kids in poverty. I don’t think that is a particularly good position to take but somehow he’s not the bad guy.

How can he be the bad guy? He hasn't done something that he said he wouldn't do, which is immediately remove the cap. He's been saying the same for weeks and weeks.

The forty odd abstentions had the right approach. Many were very public in their demands for the cap to go, and will continue to influence the policy as it gets closer to the next fiscal event

 

[Templeton Peck]

How can he be the bad guy?

It's this bit


'They needed a “gesture” to show they were serious about the finances, and the hill they chose was kids in poverty.'

Welcome.

 

[Templeton Peck]

She's had a proper look at the books.

Rachel Reeves expected to reveal £20bn shortfall in public finances

Chancellor may raise some taxes in the autumn due to what Labour describes as its ‘shocking inheritance’ from Tories

www.theguardian.com

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Well, you sort of need to be in power to get that look at them

 

[Templeton Peck]

On your first day as chancellor you get taken to a big secret room in Westminster where the books are located. It is only at this point you can look under the bonnet at the nations finances and develop policies accordingly.

 

[Del Woppio]

Are you trying to say that you think they get no additional or more accurate information being in government than they did in opposition?

 

[Tredman]

I think he's saying the labour party are sell outs and will be first against the wall come the revolution

 

[Del Woppio]

It's weird, I'd have thought higher taxes (especially if it's not aimed at the poor or struggling) and repaired public services would be celebrated. I'm pretty sure that 10 weeks ago the argument was that they're red Tories and we've just got more austerity to come.

 

[The Saturday Boy]

Are you trying to say that you think they get no additional or more accurate information being in government than they did in opposition?

There have been access talks going on for nearly 6 months between Labour and the Civil Service, pretty much all of what Rachel Reeves is about to announce will already be known to the Labour Party but the access talks are always treated confidentially. It is quite likely that, on understanding the financial situation as a result of the access talks, Labour will have prepped the Civil Service to be ready to audit the Treasury within days of taking office, the Civil Service could not prepare this report while there was a Conservative government. The Audit of the Treasury is for the public, not Rachel Reeves.

There will be no surprises (for the Labour Party) in the Treasury Audit. We already know that the above inflation pay rises to teachers and NHS staff (if agreed) will be an additional £3 billion per year if it is fully funded by the exchequer. The new Labour Mayor in the West Midlands has paused the metro extension in the Black Country saying the money is not there...so expect a few more projects supposedly funded by HS2 cancellation to be in the mix.

The NHS maintenance backlog is estimated to cost in the region of £10billion, to clear the waiting list around £17billion. Then there are previous commitments to defence spending to take into account...all of this is already out there and will have been solidified in the access talks.

Whatever they say in public, Labour already knew before they got into office.

 

[Del Woppio]

Writing in Civil Service World at the time IfG programme director Catherine Haddon said talks usually take place away from departments to avoid interference with ongoing work to support the government.

“Some shadows will bring detailed policy plans and even draft legislation, as the Conservatives did for the academies programme in 2010. Others might be more of a getting-to-know-you exercise,” she said at the time.

“The civil service are restricted in what they say. They can’t share insights into current government plans, nor give policy advice. Permanent secretaries are supposed to be in ‘listening mode’. And as they continue to serve ministers, they also have to be careful about how the talks are perceived.”

Sunak clears civil service to hold pre-election access talks with Labour Party

Cabinet secretary Simon Case will “oversee” discussions between officials and Keir Starmer’s team

www.civilserviceworld.com

You're lying to yourself if you think that over the last six months Labour have been given a warts and all, access all areas account of each department and its finances.

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/general-election-access-talks

Six months of access talks probably translates to a handful of meetings, not a lengthy handover period. And even that is shorter than it has been recently - it was apparently 18 months ahead of of 1997 and 2010.

Of course they knew it was bad, they've been saying so for ages, and that' clear from the 'front of house' state of pretty much every public service. But hard, audited numbers, future government plans, the exactly why and how much something is fucked - none of that will have accurately been revealed until bums were on seats

 

[Templeton Peck]

Are you trying to say that you think they get no additional or more accurate information being in government than they did in opposition?

Yep. Its govt finances not MI6. You can look all this shit up. Makes me laugh when taking over govt is made to sound like you've just inherited Ian Beales cafe. 'I've had a proper look at the books babe, it don't look good.'

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

This seems a weird thing to criticise the Labour party for.

 

[Templeton Peck]

Wonder if she's been given the nations credit card yet?

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

We all know it wasn't going to be good. But if you are in this handover period and haven't even won the election yet, what are you supposed to say and do?

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Wonder if she's been given the nations credit card yet?

If she puts taxes up I thought you would be wanking your bell end off at that, as you demanded the red tories should be doing so in the run up to the election?

 

[Del Woppio]

Yep. Its govt finances not MI6. You can look all this shit up.

Cool, can you show me where it was publicly available that the Rwanda shambles had cost £700m to date as opposed to the widely reported £3-400m please? Or where it was known that they'd intended to spend £10bn on the plan?

The Migration Observatory's latest post on it says it was £318m based on all publicly available information. They're quite clever but if they're looking in wrong place for information you should drop them a note.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I'm sure they kept all the corrupt billions of Covid contracts out there ready to be read when the fall out could have brought them down. Every single pound of it.

In truth Reeves has probably just found out the exact amount Carrie Antoinette spent on wallpaper.

 

[Del Woppio]

Nah don't be daft, any idiot with a smart phone has the same direct and unfettered access to any insights and information as a cabinet minister does, and the government of the day keeps no secrets. Literally everything is published for the public to look at