this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2023
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UK Politics

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Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are facing their worst ever result at the general election and could be left with just 130 seats, according to Professor Sir John Curtice.

The country’s top polling guru warned of the bleak situation faced by the Tories as they head into winter with the news dominated by infighting over the prime minister’s Rwanda deportation plan.

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[–] 15liam20@feddit.uk 7 points 11 months ago (2 children)

That's right. I was someone who fell into the "they're red tories" trap during the Blair years. We were spoilt and didn't know how good we had it.

[–] buzziebee@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Yeah "They are all the same" clearly wasn't true then, let's not fall for it again. It's too damaging to the country.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Blair was New Labour, which I suppose you could call them, Tories Lite, but that's kind of unnuanced.

Regardless, "New Labour" essentially doesn't exist anymore.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Not "unnuanced", completely unjustified.

Even New Labour has absolutely no relationship to the Tories, spending on services went up, standards of living went up, child poverty went down, the economy grew, everyone was better off.

The only down point for the UK was during the global recession caused by the Americans, but that can't be blamed on Labour.

Then the Tories came back, cut everything, reduced taxes, and it all went to shit.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

The problem with that comparison is that the Tories have been shifting more and more right for a decade now.

New Labour was supposed to combat Tory classic, not this new branch of wingnuts. You know the Tories of the '90s they did at least recognize that welfare was something they had to spend money on.

[–] frazorth@feddit.uk 2 points 11 months ago

I'm not that young, I remember the 80's and 90's.

Relative poverty levels increased in the 80's, were fairly flat in the early 90's and decreased while New Labour was in power. Afterwards it flattened and has been increasing.

https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/improving-our-understanding-of-uk-poverty-will-require-better-data/

Just because Tory now is a complete and utter mess, doesn't make New Labour the same as Thatcher and Major.