this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2024
365 points (98.9% liked)

World News

32075 readers
1136 users here now

News from around the world!

Rules:

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

The Labour party has won over 400 seats (out of 650) in the 2024 UK General Elections, and Keir Starmer is expected to replace Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister. The Conservatives, in power for the last fourteen years, have suffered a rout, losing over two-thirds of their seats. The SNP has collapsed in Scotland, mostly to Labour, and the Liberal Democrats have gained over sixty seats.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] [email protected] 38 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (5 children)

I get what a lot of you guys are saying about Starmer and the Labour government not being as left wing as Corbyn. I would also like someone who would use this majority to implement some really hardcore leftist policies.

But please can we just take a step back and look at what he wants to do:

  • Massive amounts of NHS funding

  • Nationalised green energy

  • Tax private schools

  • Allow regulators to hit company executives with criminal charges

  • Nationalise the railways

  • Increase the minimum wage to a living wage

  • Free school meals

I don't know about you, but that seems at the very least, left of center. Sure, he's not making drastic sweeping changes right off the bat. But this country needs an era of stability, whilst we make small but consistent steps in the right direction, and that's what Starmer will give us

[โ€“] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

Still let's not forget the right-wing policies from their manifesto:

  • Increasing military spending by 13 billion

  • Increase police funding

  • More border security force to "stop the boats"

  • Build more prisons

  • Pour money into polluting industries (car gigafactories, steel production, "carbon capture")

  • Keep oil and gas production in the North Sea for decades, with the only focus on jobs and none on environmental issues.

So yeah I guess it's better to have an authoritarian social-ish democratic state than an outright fascist one but that's not a very high bar and will only work until the climate crisis boils us all alive :)

load more comments (4 replies)