Ten Years of Labour

[Silent Hunter]

Ten years ago today, the Labour government was first elected in the UK.

How well do you think it's done?

[Platypus]

Better than 10 years of the Coalition has done here. I mean, you don't have a government that infringes on privacy, breaks international treaties, has benefitted the upper and middle classes significantly over the lower class, especially in taxation, and watched the healthcare service go from bad to worse.


or have you?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Always thought it was kind of Major to call the election on May Day.

or have you?

Arguably the first two (and a ? after the arguably as far as privacy etc. goes), but not the second two.

As I think I've said before, my main problem is what's been done over the past decade, it's that not enough has been done... and more could have been done so... oh and that the same man has been P.M for at least three years longer than he had any right to be...

[afleitch]

First the rug got pulled from under my feet with the abolition of the assisted places scheme, then along come tuition fees, then university cut backs resulting the cancellation of my course months before I was due to start. But I plodded on, getting into debt, then the year before my graduation they cut back the civil service cutting off my intended career path with the closure of an entry level position I had been down for. Still, here I am in the public sector, on a measly wage that will be even measlier once the effects of this years budget come into play, my fee payments start coming off and my pension contribution balloons.

And I can't get on the housing market, nor can I afford the rent alone. I was lucky to stay at home; my other friends have 'boomeranged' back to the parental home, laiden with several thousand pounds worth of debt.

So today, I raise my arm in a one fingered salute to a decade of hard Labour.

[Verily]

Labour did well for the first couple of years, but it was all down hill from there. The Tories probably would have been worse, of course.

[minionofmidas]

List of major positive achievements of Blair administration:

Devolution.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

List of major positive achievements of Blair administration:

Devolution.

How are we defining "major" here? Because (as far as I'm concered anyways) that summary is both very right and very wrong. At the same time.
O/c it's hard to think of much positive that's happend over the past decade in British politics that would not have happend, eventually, had Labour had a different leader.

[minionofmidas]

List of major positive achievements of Blair administration:

Devolution.

How are we defining "major" here? Because (as far as I'm concered anyways) that summary is both very right and very wrong. At the same time.

As in, depending how broadly we define "major"? As in, you agree that was his biggest positive achievements, but think some others are also "major"? Well, just list'em. Then I'll tell you if they fail my definition of major, fail my definition of positive, or merely slipped my mind in drawing up the list.

[afleitch]

O/c it's hard to think of much positive that's happend over the past decade in British politics that would not have happend, eventually, had Labour had a different leader.

Devolution, in Scotland at least, was very much driven by John Smith and Donald Dewar and the participation in the SCC in 1988. It ensured that the issue was adressed within less than six months into the government. Had it not been, or sat on the back burner, it would probably been 'fudged' somewhat or languished in 'commission' stage; I certainly don't think Wales would have voted in favour if that had happened.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

As in, depending how broadly we define "major"? As in, you agree that was his biggest positive achievements, but think some others are also "major"? Well, just list'em. Then I'll tell you if they fail my definition of major, fail my definition of positive, or merely slipped my mind in drawing up the list.

"His biggest positive achievements", eh? Oh dear... not entirely sure if I can answer that.
Most of the positives (I'm thinking mainly of changes to labour legislation (not enough IMO, but a minimum wage and a statutary right to strike (so long as there's been a ballot), amongst other things, be better than what there was in previous years), changes to social policy [writ large] (a very long list and generally a fairly successful one... with some failures, obviously. And this is also the area in which I think more could have been done the most), the increases in spending on public services (especially when considering quite how badly cash-starved the NHS was before '97. This one has affected me personally o/c...) even if various middle managers haven't always been so clever with deciding on what their money should be spent... and so on. Other stuff in that general vein...) he himself didn't actually have much to do with.
You have other stuff like increased access to the countryside and so on (something that I tend to think of as important, but which most people probably don't).

Though I have just remembered the gay rights stuff (equalisation of age of consent, scrapping of s.28, civil partnerships, gay adoption). I don't think some of those would have happend with some of the alternatives (not just thinking of those on the ballot either) to Blair way back in '95.

[minionofmidas]

Minimum wage. Definitely something I forgot to list. Civil Unions. If you'd asked me a minute ago whether the UK has civil unions, I'd have actually said no. Weird. Why can't I remember that?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Civil Unions. If you'd asked me a minute ago whether the UK has civil unions, I'd have actually said no. Weird. Why can't I remember that?

Might have something to do with the extraordinarily low-key way it which it was done. I can't even remember when the vote on it was held.

[opebo]

When i read the title 'Ten Years of Labour' I thought it meant working for ten years straight.  Can you imagine?  The Horror.

[Cubby]

Though I have just remembered the gay rights stuff (equalisation of age of consent, scrapping of s.28, civil partnerships, gay adoption). I don't think some of those would have happend with some of the alternatives (not just thinking of those on the ballot either) to Blair way back in '95.

And those accomplishments are partly why I think Tony Blair's government has been a major success. I'm sorry you've suffered personally Afleitch, but you should be happy that you've had a modern left wing government. We've been suffering under 7 years of religious-based fascism here in the U.S.

Tony Blair=Bill Clinton (but more liberal)
John Major= Bush Senior? Don't know much about him. He was bland and inoffensive
Margaret Thatcher=James Dobson/Pat Robertson/Peter Akinola

Yes I know thats probably wrong on so many levels but its how I see things.

They had a poll on the Drudge Report yesterday that 69% of Britons thought that Blair's major legacy would be Iraq. Thats ridiculous. In a perfect world, Blair should have opposed the war. But there was no way he could have thrown away 100 years of Anglo-American friendship and joined Chirac and Schroeder. He made the right choice, although it would have been okay if he'd pulled out of the coalition in the past year or two.

In a cynical way, its a good thing Labour lost in '92, otherwise, we wouldn't have had these 10 glorious years. 

[Јas]

Of all things that can be said against Mr. Blair's time in office, his work in Northern Ireland should certainly be high on the list of positives.

[afleitch]

Of all things that can be said against Mr. Blair's time in office, his work in Northern Ireland should certainly be high on the list of positives.

But that would mean having to share some of the credit with Bertie Ahern, a host of NI politicians, the late Mo Mowlam and John Major. Mr Blair doesn't like to share.

[minionofmidas]

Of all things that can be said against Mr. Blair's time in office, his work in Northern Ireland should certainly be high on the list of positives.

Aye.

Although I sort of filed that under "devolution".