Brown's class war could doom Labour for years

Sally Chatterjee

A majority needs to rally opinion, not divide it. The wilderness is inevitable with Brown as their leader.

All we're seeing is a rearguard operation that serves two purposes, exciting a bitter core vote and positioning for leadership bids after Brown.

Alex

Those chaps are wearing their morning suits without waistcoats ... not a good look, especially when coupled with a pair of cheap shoes

Tiberius

Blair warned the party against such a strategy in his final conference speech as leader.

But the Dr Strangelove Mentality has prevailed, and I'm sure Blair's warning will prove to be right.

Billericay Dave

I agree with the opinion about a retreat from the politics of aspiration but what about the politics of envy
"If I cant have that why should I strive to have it. Why work hard when the state owes it to me"
There are a growing number of people who arnt willing to work to get on in life and would rather bash the better off than do something to improve thier own lives.

General Zod

"In 1997, 2001 and 2005, we pledged not to increase the basic or higher rates of tax. And golly! Look what happened!"

They lied.

The continuing 10% rate debacle.

The 50% band (which they would extend downwards if re-elected).

The (deliberate) failure to increase allowances, meaning that the 40% rate has encompassed an ever greater proportion of taxpayers.

The NI increases.

etc.

etc.

oldtimer

Perhaps Cameron and co should take the hint.

Ian Walker

Billericay Dave: because in our modern, largely-classless society, most people think that they could one day be "one of them". That's exactly why the class war doesn't work any more.

the shade of dr kelly

alex - you are right to criticise the lack of waistcoat, it has been troubling me every time i see the picture.

mind you if you have to rent a morning suit then these things must happen.

perhaps it saved a few quid to leave the waistcoats in the hire shop - after all labour's finances are pretty bleak!

this is why the country is in a mess.

Olaf

If you've got a job you're more likely to vote.

If you've got a job you're more likely to be taxed more under Labour.

So Labour pisses of a larger proportion of people who actually go to the polls when it starts class politics.

If you've lived your life on benefits and have avoided education you're not very likely to bother to vote.

Hawkeye

I would hate to see Labour being "doomed for years". Labour does not deserve that.

It deserves to be wiped out. Forever.

Billericay Dave

Ian I agree with your sentiments, I like a many people have worked my arse off to improve my life and have tried to instill the attitude into my children that you work hard to improve yourself, the point I was trying to make was that there are a growing number of people in this country that think the state owes them a living and want all the better things in life without doing anything to to get them.

Marco9

I can't understand this belief that so many Tories have that victory is certain. The latest I hear is that Labour may be ahead in the next few opinion polls. However disgusting, class warfare is winning. As is the propensity of Brown and Darling to deceive. For months now, the Tories have been coasting. And the Spectator compounds it with its demands for draconian cuts. The Telegraph is also helping Labour by its endless concentration on the expenses scandal, which most people consider to be a Tory scandal. For God's sake you Tories, the voters are thick; they can only understand a few simple things. And these simple things are all coming from Labour.

EyeSee

It fits in with New Labour's strategy. Having destroyed the ability to move up in life, they now feel there can be no harm in saying they'll tax the rich, as you wont ever be able to be one of them. And as Peter Mandelson has shown as often as he can manage, the super rich have absolutely nothing to fear as long as the favours keep flowing.

Vulture

If class war ain't going to work, how come CH has posted so many comments over the past month or so telling us it ain't gonna work?

It's clear that you Camerloons ARE worried abt the ruling party clique being a load of privileged toffs coming from a background totally out of touch with 'ordinary people' which is why the biogs of the party leaders are full of guilt and Orwellian euphemisms abt the old school, donchaknow.. Next the Old Etonians will be claiming to have been 'educated near Slough'. Why doesn't Dave have the honesty to come out and say,
'I want all you oiks to vote for me and Zac, then I'll tell you how much you'll have to pay in Green taxes,OK yah?'

Woody

If Labour are closing the gap in the polls, then I would suggest there is something untoward going on.
The last poll from the Observer was held back for a week and I suspect the one that is due at the weekend, will show Labour closing the gap as well. No doubt the BBC will be leading their bulletins with this as they did a few weeks ago.
This is going to be the dirtiest election campaign ever and I also have grave concerns about postal voting, it is to open to fraud and as the police have been politicised, I doubt if they will take too seriously any irregularities.
Gordon Brown seems to be set on a path to destroy this country and I am not normally prone to exaggeration due to my mature years but this man scares me to death.

JONNY

'The latest I hear is that Labour may be ahead in the next few opinion polls. However disgusting, class warfare is winning.'
Really Marco9 is that a fact?
More seriously it's this kind of guffo that makes me rather grateful my computer went on the blink for the last 10 days.

Nicholas

Every time I see that picture I imagine what it must feel like to ram those toppers down over those stupid drongos heads, spin them round and give them a hefty boot up the arse. Non-violently of course.

THX1138

Well if it's not about class war Dave, doesn't seem to have got the e-mai.

His decisions to give up hunting, shooting an fishin' and other things he used to like, such as belonging to White's (his father Ian was chairman) , his environmentally fashionable bike-riding and his cultivation of the image of an ordinary middle-class bloke.. His reported advice to Annunziata Rees-Mogg, the Tory candidate for Somerton and Frome, that she change her name to "Nancy Mogg all smack to me of a desperate need to drop his Tory "toff" image

It's not class that Dave has to worry about but his perceived phoneyness and the electorate can smell that a mile off and that is the real reason IMO that the polls are narrowing.

Dirty Euro

Tom Harris is a disgrace. I am glad he was removed form the government.
WE DO NOT NEED TO HAVE LOW TAXES FOR THE RICH. The USA has tried that model and has got poorer and poorer with worse public services and poorer people. What is the point? Why did he join labour?

Juan Carlos

Good morning !!
I have lived in the UK for around 3 years and have visited and worked in Ireland/Spain/Portugal and France. I think the main problems Tories would have to tackle should they want to win the elections are these in my humble opinion from the point of view of a marketing expert :

1. The welfare trap which can be described - as I see it - as the ever lasting situation where many low income people want to progress but cant because of ridiculous welfare rules. I remember a case of a nurse in 2005 who could not work because she started suffering panic attacks at work - she was certified by the NHS of her illness - but the silly rules say she cant get her disability allowance because she had 5000 pounds in her bank and she could only have maximum of 2000 I think it was. These things take away capital from people and encourage spend and spend instead of saving.
The Tories should come up in the next election with crystal clear cases and explain it pedagogically so to speak !!!!
So many politicians here in Spain where I live and in France just talk about abstracts. Or they could put this in political ads !!!

2. Lots of quangos and silly commissions such as the infamous Racial one, Equality etc...Just cronnies doing a " marxist tower watch on ethics " to assure stupid political correctness.

3. Immigration : people who emigrate to another country should - as Sarkozy said - be respectful to the host country and the guests as well to the newcomers. But in UK it is the opposite : a few PC politicians from Labout/LibDem PRETENDING to speak in the name of these minorities wreck our Christian values and use " race and religion " as a way of letting others impose their views " on the majority.

Well Marry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all Spectator readers and to staff for producing an intelligent magazine. Juan