Labour Party Conference 2014

[Massimo Giovanni]

I read a comment that putting Balls in charge of the economy would be as sane as making Jimmy Saville a youth club leader.
Poor taste analogy but the message is clear.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

Rachel Reeve has just been on the radio. Not one straight answer to a single question. She even messed up on how much a single pension is. If this is the sort of thing we have to look forward to then god help us all. All she did was trot out the same old lines without even giving a hint to how Labour are going to be an improvement. It was pitiful to listen to.

It is a frightening thought that this bunch of clowns might get in. And Rachel Reeves is thought by some to be a big hitter and a possible leader or deputy. You'd think they'd be briefed after Chuka Umunna could only name Scottish leader Johann Lamont and Kezia Dugdale - although he did not know her education portfolio when asked to list members of the shadow cabinet at Holyrood by Andrew Neil. He's supposed to be another "one for the future". God help us.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Actually Farage has never said anything regarding sailors or fishermen.

This is hardly the time or plaice for jokes like that.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Those who dismiss honest concern about immigration and multiculturalism as 'nonsense' are truly 'out of touch'.

Lots of traditional Labour voters are concerned about immigration because they are the ones competing with migrants at the lower paid end of the labour market and for finite resources such as social housing and healthcare. In the meantime employers benefit by being able to keep wages at rock bottom and offering little in the way of benefits.

Those raising genuine concerns are written off as racists and bigots by privately educated Oxbridge graduates in the liberal media who live in wealthy white bread parts of London and whose jobs are immune to market forces because they are essentially a closed shop for an elite few.

If the BBC and The Guardian started driving down terms and conditions by employing migrant presenters and columnists on minimum wage zero hour contracts I suspect some of these commentators attitudes would change.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Lots of traditional Labour voters are concerned about immigration because they are the ones competing with migrants at the lower paid end of the Labour market and for finite resources such as social housing and healthcare. In the meantime employers benefit by being able to keep wages at rock bottom and offering little in the way of benefits.

Those raising genuine concerns are written off as racists and bigots by privately educated Oxbridge graduates in the liberal media who live in wealthy white bread parts of London and whose jobs are immune to market forces because they are essentially a closed shop for an elite few.

Wholemeal bread surely? :winking:

 

[Uncle Leo]

If the BBC and The Guardian started driving down terms and conditions by employing migrant presenters and columnists on minimum wage zero hour contracts I suspect some of these commentators attitudes would change.

They have tried this once before, albeit with limited success.

[video=youtube;atfNL0_KAcs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atfNL0_KAcs[/video]

 

[leeblue]

I think milaband is just unelectable. ...the wrong brother got the top job and it will cost the party, I used to vote labour but can not bring myself to at the moment, ed balls......really? big clear out needed and a return to grass roots, even better....try and connect with rhe millions of people who dont bother voting for anyone

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Here's a man with a six goal plan.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-29310512

 

[Benfleet A1]

Wow, all that and the tax payers won't have to fund it? I'm amazed, I'm impressed, I'm overwhelmed. I'm resigning my membership of UKIP and hot footing it to the loving arms of those nice people who haven't been able to give a straight answer or offer an alternative for the last four years but have finally found the perfect solution and all in a 65minute speech. Amazing.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Lots of traditional Labour voters are concerned about immigration because they are the ones competing with migrants at the lower paid end of the labour market and for finite resources such as social housing and healthcare. In the meantime employers benefit by being able to keep wages at rock bottom and offering little in the way of benefits.

Those raising genuine concerns are written off as racists and bigots by privately educated Oxbridge graduates in the liberal media who live in wealthy white bread parts of London and whose jobs are immune to market forces because they are essentially a closed shop for an elite few.

If the BBC and The Guardian started driving down terms and conditions by employing migrant presenters and columnists on minimum wage zero hour contracts I suspect some of these commentators attitudes would change.

To be fair, I think the Grauniad does actually employ people on zero hours contracts, makes use of interns who they don't pay and publishes content for which the authors are not remunerated (I think this policy is known as "Comment is Free").

They could probably afford to pay more of these if Polly Toynbee took a paycut.

 

[superblue24]

I missed the conference. Was there anything about how Ed Milliband intends to be less of a snivelling weed? If not, I doubt he's done much to persuade the voters.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

I missed the conference. Was there anything about how Ed Milliband intends to be less of a snivelling weed? If not, I doubt he's done much to persuade the voters.

You can still catch the last day tomorrow.

Andy Burham and Caroline Flint (among others)will be speaking.

 

[Benfleet A1]

You can still catch the last day tomorrow.

Andy Burham and Caroline Flint (among others)will be speaking.

Can't wait. No comment to make on Milliband's misleading statement about the minimum wage?

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Can't wait. No comment to make on Milliband's misleading statement about the minimum wage?

Was it misleading? He gave a value and a date. Any party that thinks it should be higher or lower they can state the amount. All clear.

 

[Benfleet A1]

Was it misleading? He gave a value and a date. Any party that thinks it should be higher or lower they can state the amount. All clear.

Rubbish, and I would have expected better of you. A 1% rise at the rate of inflation would put it up to£7.60 by 2020 anyway so for Milliband to suggest he is introducing some sort of huge rise is completely misleading.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Rubbish, and I would have expected better of you. A 1% rise at the rate of inflation would put it up to£7.60 by 2020 anyway so for Milliband to suggest he is introducing some sort of huge rise is completely misleading.

Your mates UKIP should trump him then by stating what they will put it up to - politics made easy.

 

[callan]

Your mates UKIP should trump him then by stating what they will put it up to - politics made easy.

He should be easily trumped by all the other party leaders, as apparently he forgot to include all parts of his speech when he delivered it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29339584

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

He should be easily trumped by all the other party leaders, as apparently he forgot to include all parts of his speech when he delivered it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29339584

He chose to do it from memory rather than read it out but was so impassioned he missed some - the ultimate in style over substance I guess!

 

[callan]

He chose to do it from memory rather than read it out but was so impassioned he missed some - the ultimate in style over substance I guess!

So are you saying his memory isn't very good?

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

So are you saying his memory isn't very good?

This a a complete non-issue.

Ed Balls covered PLP economic policy fully, in his brief as Shadow Chancellor, on Monday.