McDonnell at the Debate
Opening Statement:It's great to be with you all tonight, and I'm glad to have the chance to speak directly to Britons about why our plan is the clear choice to help bring our country back. I'll start off the night by noting that, if you were to look at the Conservative and Liberal Democrats' manifestos separately, it would be pretty damned tough to tell which is which. Austerity, tax cuts for the rich, you name it -- both of them deride Labour for irresponsibility while offering voters this mushy, establishmentarian, moderate hero platform. We have presented the people of this nation, you, with a clear program that will utilize massive Governmental investment in infrastructure to create jobs, spur production, and revitalize working-class communities across the Commonwealth while revitalizing our nation's transportation and internet services in rural communities. We have told the people of Britain how we will strengthen the NHS, reducing wait times and improving care options. And we have shown that we will reconcile Britain's minimum wage with the living wage, so that no one has to work full-time while living in poverty. So, to those struggling, I say this: help is on the way. Thank you.
1. SpendingI have made this clear through the entire campaign, and indeed, through my entire career. When the Government invests in its people, by building new roads and bridges and wind turbines and ports and cell towers, those people have money in their pockets, and they use that money to purchase goods from businesses, and that money goes to pay employees, and soon enough the increases in revenue from the economic growth pay for the additional money you spent. When you cut taxes for the wealthy, as my opponents have proposed, they just sit on that wealth, and it doesn't create jobs. In addition, the spending taken out of the public sphere by their austerity proposals would be catastrophic -- when money vanishes from the public sphere, or goes to the rich, it doesn't benefit the economy, and it doesn't benefit the people. So, yes, I am proposing Governmental intervention to boost economic output via increased spending on our people.
2. The EUThe European union, obviously, has some flaws. However, they do an excellent job of facilitating international trade, fighting crime, and presenting a unified geopolitical front so that we can fight for our common interests on the international trade. While, yes, some members are having financial difficulties, I think that whatever sacrifice we might make by giving them a chance to get their house in order is more than worth lower prices of goods and better representation around the globe.
I would also add that, whatever some might think, Euroscepticism isn't enough of a governing philosophy to run a country.
3. The NHSContrary to Mr. Clegg's claims that we "don't have the courage" to fix the NHS, we have put forward a bold vision for Britain's health program. We will invest in our country's health by hiring new staff, which (in addition to creating new jobs) will reduce wait times and allow for more personal care at NHS facilities. We have also pledged to expand patient options for in-home and private care, so that the people of Britain have a greater say in how they are cared for.
4. LabourThe people have spoken, and most of them wanted change in Labour's platform, but some didn't. What's more important to me than grudges or spats I may have had in the past, though, is my desire to present a unified front for left-wing policies in contrast to the slippery austerity proposed by the Tories and LibDems, and I hope that my fellow Labourites feel the same way.
In any case, my views are of the present -- the proposals I have made to change Britain, regardless of what happened forty years ago, are the proposals that Britain's working class needs to survive and thrive, and they are the proposals that I hope all Labourites can cast ballots for in this election. However, I'm not the type to shut people out, and I can promise that we'll all have seats at the table when I form a proper Government.
