Politics in the UK should not be for sale https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/06/02/politics-in-the-uk-should-not-be-for-sale/ The first-past-the-post electoral system is a massive obstacle to democracy in the UK, but corporate donations are almost as significant. The time when corporate donors can try to buy power in the UK should be over, for good.
Keir Starmer wants to increase wealth inequality https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/06/04/keir-starmer-wants-to-increase-wealth-inequality/ Keir Starmer has said the Labour Party's goal is to increase wealth, which, given the structure of the UK, means the wealth of the already wealthy. Is that really what a so-called Labour Party should really be all about? And what does it say about his economics?
With both the Labour and Conservative Parties - and some others, come to that - wanting to offer almost identical core policy agendas at this election, the branding is what seems to count now. But as a result, big ideas - like the difference between parties representing people and wealth - have disappeared, and that is a massive loss to us all.
@RichardJMurphy It depends on what you care about. ‘Scottish' Labour, with a few exceptions has been very supportive of efforts to alleviate child poverty, but it is a big project that needs the ability to innovate across multiple areas, some of which are directly effected by reserved matters.
Meantime with the mothership sniffing power and turning rightwards that support is evaporating into the ether and following a GE, Labour will abandon those ideas and further restrict Scotland’s abilities.
For more information on how the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland are tackling child poverty (with one arm tied behind their back by the UK Treasury):
Why won’t Labour end child poverty at this election? https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/05/28/why-wont-labour-end-child-poverty-at-this-eection/ Labour is saying it cannot afford to end child poverty. That, however, is only because it is refusing to charge more tax on the wealthy. For example, if it simply equalised the tax rates on income and capital gains, it could raise the money needed to end child poverty six times over. No reasonable person could object to that. So why is Labour refusing to consider it?
The NHS is a mess, created by meddling politicians who have broken it into hundreds of organisations that they pretend trade with each other. The result is not efficiency or productivity. The result is an admin mess and a failure to meet needs.
The only reform the NHS needs is to get rid of this mess by consolidating the NHS into regional and national care services that treat us as whole human beings. Then we, and it, might get better.
Would you put your savings into a fund that financed the NHS? https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/05/27/would-you-put-your-savings-into-a-fund-that-financed-the-nhs/ Labour says there is no money to invest in schools, hospitals, transport, and energy infrastructure. But hundreds of billions of savings lie idle in bank accounts. Suppose they were saved with the government to fund investment in these projects. Those savings could provide all the money needed to transform our economy. So why is no political party offering to do this?