brilliant post broken you've summed up what I've seen over the past few years
sometimes it's a lonely life being a socialist when you read in the left wing tabloids about what a great guy Blair is. You're right, he's bordering on the fascist, and he's probably worse than Maggie. Even Mozza has said he's exactly like Thatcher - all your points are well argued and as you've said in every area, he's proven to be as bad as, or worse than maggie thatcher. What the f*** has happened to the labour party? It's not only me, millions of labour people in britain are disgusted and pissed off by what has happened and we can't wait to vote him out.
Like Morrissey said, it doesn't matter who you8 vote for, just don't vote for Blair.
> Johan I prefer neither Bush nor Clinton and Thatcher only marginally over
> Blair.
> If you honestly think there's much of a difference between Bush and
> Clinton Johan, then I'm surprised at you. If one looks beyond the spin,
> there's little or no difference. So instead of resorting to petty
> namecalling etc, let's have a look at the records of Blair and Thatcher.
> Thatcher Vs Blair
> On the economy
> Thatcher slashes higher rate taxes and lower rate taxes, then later forces
> the poor to pay higher taxes to compensate the treasury for losses
> Blair, who claimed her tax cuts were "disgraceful" comes to
> power in 1997 and retains these same higher rate tax bands without any
> suggestion of change. Is that what you call "progressive
> government?" He then systematically increases the burden of taxation
> on the poor with "stealth taxes" over a 7 year period, until
> 2004 when the poor are paying higher taxes than ever before,
> proportionately.
> Thatcher presided over boom and bust monetarism. Blair has presided over a
> more sustained boom in which control over interest rates has been handed
> over to the bank of England's private vested interests - how egalitarian.
> Can't wait for the house price collapse. The IMF has repeatedly warned
> that britain is on the verge of a massive house price collapse with
> repossessions, negative equity etc, all looming on the horizon.
> House building
> Thatcher built more houses for the poor than Blair over his 7 years in her
> first 4 years. Nuff said.
> Poverty
> The gap between rich and poor has grown under "New Labour" to
> levels never seen even during the Thatcher years. It's hilarious that you
> see Blair as being the caring face of capitalism.
> Child poverty
> Is at exactly the same levels, but the government have
> "reclassified" the system to fiddle the figures
> Education
> Thatcher expanded university places and all were funded by grants - Blair
> has introduced fees and has planned "top up fees" while
> promising not to legislate in his manifesto. Still think he's a nice guy,
> Johan?
> Health
> Increased NHS spending, mainly paid for by the very poorest people, and
> falling levels of productivity, due to EU working time directives and the
> distortion of clinical priorities by bureaucrats. Yet another hollow
> victory.
> Unions
> Most of the anti-union legislation introduced by Thatcher to
> "outcries" from Blair and his cronies now remain in place after
> 7 years of New Labour.
> Corruption and sleaze
> Need I begin to discuss the relltive merits of both leaders in this
> department?
> Europe
> Thatcher was for limited EU participation and Blair is for federalism.
> Most British people don't want federalism, so Blair just lies about it. Is
> that another example of his more altruistic aspirations?
> War
> Thatcher defended the Falkland Islands from an illegal invasion and urged
> the defence of Kuwait - whatever your views, at least these were broadly
> reasonable policies. Blair has declared war more times than any other
> british politician in the 20th century and has gone into a completely
> illegal war in Iraq based on blatent lies devised by his own people.
> Again, is this in ANY WAY preferable to Mrs Thatcher's government?
> Social issues
> In this one and only area Blair has thrown a few crums the way of the left
> wing - on one hand being nicely liberal about homomsexual issues and law
> and order and adopting an authoritarian stance on fox hunting to placate
> the left. It's frankly pathetic that, having forced through some of the
> most crushing policies in British political history, which have adversely
> affected the lives of poor people in Britain, Blair thinks he can curry
> favour by throwing a few crums their on social issues which cost his
> corporate friends nothing.
> In summary: Neither are exactly fantastic choices, but Blair's agenda is
> clearly the consolidation and furtherment of Thatcher's early policies.
> The results are obvious to most people living in britain - I don't know
> where you live Johan but if you'd care to visit Britain, I could show you
> around and you can meet the people who suffer in Blair's Utopia. If you
> read your wishy washy pseudo-marxist European politics journals, you may
> fall for Blair's spin, but please don't lecture people who have actually
> experienced his policies first hand. There are now 1 million people in
> britain and hundreds of thousands of children living in temporary
> accomodation surrounded by drug problems and crime. It's a disgrace, and
> it's sad when people who haven't experienced it compliment Blair's
> appalling government.
