As an American with British Labour Party views, I feel like a fish out of water. In America we have a class struggle. We have so few HAVES that look down on the HAVE NOTS and the subject is never discussed. I look on Tony Blair and the Labour Party as the leaders of Western Civilization. Your comments please...???

oo er. I am not 100% on politics - but the labour party has always found it's support with the working classes as I understand it.

I was brought up in a town called Barnsley which is not really far from Sheffield - which is REALLY working class with coal miners and such.

It was almost offensive to find out someone you knew voted for the conservative party. The one kid in our class who admitted to his parents voting conservative, got grief for ages. The other conservative child used her head and claimed a labour vote and kept her self respect. Then again I am one of Thatchers children.

Now in Sheffield I am looked at funny when I comment I vote labour - and now find myself leaning away from Labour as it moves us further and further into Europe.

I don't really know if they are leaders of Western civilisation - I would be happy for Britian to have the 'Great' put back and for our children to be happy to celebrate their religion and culture without fear of sparking some lawsuit.

Moon Maiden

Originally posted by "MaroonMan"

As an American with British Labour Party views, I feel like a fish out of water. In America we have a class struggle. We have so few HAVES that look down on the HAVE NOTS and the subject is never discussed. I look on Tony Blair and the Labour Party as the leaders of Western Civilization. Your comments please...???

Your comments about the British Labour party surprise me as the Labour Party here is more right wing now than the Conservative Party. The latter has gone decidedly 'soft' and wishy washy while Tony Blair has sadly taken the Party much further right.
Mr Blair has made public many times that he was a great admirer of Mrs Thatcher and I firmly believe that if she hadn't sold all our nationalised industries off then he would have. :evil:
Perhaps if you elaborate a little more on your meaning i might understand.

The Labour Party had to become more 'Right Wing' to rid it of it's 'loony left' image. No way would they have been voted in as a UK govt harbouring the 'politically correct brigade'..... would they ????

Originally posted by "Michael_W"

The Labour Party had to become more 'Right Wing' to rid it of it's 'loony left' image. No way would they have been voted in as a UK govt harbouring the 'politically correct brigade'..... would they ????

I don't know about you but I would question a person or party's integrity and sincerity if they altered their beliefs and principles simply to get more votes.

The present Labour Government is made up of some of the very people who you refer to as the 'loony left' eg Clive Betts and David Blunkett to name just two. Remember when they controlled Sheffield City Council which was run in the early/mid 80's just like Derek Hatton's Liverpool.

Unfortunately people seem to have very short memories.

Now were talkin Mo, let's put a few things together here - New Labour, Spin, Power - now what were you saying about integrity and sincerity ?
Look how divided the current Labour party is/was over the Iraq Crisis - will these divisions exist come the next general election ?
My opinion is that Labour is coming across as Centre Right for the public vote while many Labour MPs are still lefties !!!!

My support for the labour party in Great Britain has been and still is absolute,I was brought up in poverty ,clean and respectable but very,very, poor. All my family have supported Labour, Mother Father, Brothers,Sisters and I am no exception, also,I am proud of it.

My Father became very ill in his thirties,could barely walk,spitting blood but always went to vote labour,along with all my family. Because of people like him this is a much better world and the working class has at last got a better deal from employers than they ever had.

I know there are still some low paid workers,and that needs to be put right,but with this government it will be if we give them our support. We are all better off under a labour administration and hopefully they will remain in power for years to come.

Nice one halevan.

Education, health, clean air, you name it, it came under Labour.

What short memories people have.

Originally posted by "maxt"

Nice one halevan.

Education, health, clean air, you name it, it came under Labour.

What short memories people have.

education: currently being ripped apart (and i should know)

health: worst state its ever been in

clean air: well, burnad road anyone?

you name it, it all came under labour, and then was consiquentially destroyed by them

Originally posted by "maxt"

Nice one halevan.

Education, health, clean air, you name it, it came under Labour.

What short memories people have.


Yes Labour gave us this and more besides,unfortunately what we have now is New Labour ,a way of replacing the Tories with little Tories who pretend to be the workers party,something Labour always was.Sadly Blair has ripped up the Labour party constitution and sold out to the bosses.The welfare state,public services,trade union rights all cast aside.No i`m not looney left,but i know betrayal when i see it.

Over 100 Labour mp`s rebelled in Parliament,if that is repeated on May 1st by those who put Blair in power he should get the message.

Labour, Liberal, or Democrat, greatest good for the greatest number. The function of government is to serve. The UK Labour party has already realized that empowering people by giving them opportunities is the only way that a nation can prosper. In early school, we learned that people are the greatest asset a nation has. With W. Bush leading our country, we are being ruled by about 2% of the people, but we continue to call it a "democracy"- what a joke!

The 2000 election had a sitting vice president who was the son of an ex-senator (Gore), the son of an ex-president and grandson of an ex-senator (Bush). Neither had ever done a day's work- Bill Clinton was not rich, could link with all groups and the country grew, he just couldn't keep his pants zipped--so what? What you do or who you do privately is none of anyone's business. We must elect people who are of the people. People, to paraphrase Bill Clinton, "...Feel our pain."
Have a great day...I'm out!

The Labour Party of today has never been anything to do with the old labour pre 1997. Tony Blair has made it clear that they are related in name only.

The old labour party sadly died along with John Smith, which is what led to Arthur Scargill launching the Socialist Labour Party.

I don't shed any tears for the death of Old Labour and I'm a lifelong Labour supporter. I'd rather have a party that can actually get elected and has policies based on reality not ideology.

At least this party can actually bring in policies that actually effect peoples lives for the better rather than impotently rage from the sidelines about the injustices of the world without the ability to do one thing about them.

It's just a pity that so many people base their idea of Britain on what the tabloids tell them to believe.

Old Labour was born of the working class, New Labour has lost touch with the working class, workers in whats left of the manufacturing industries in this city will vouch for that !
Labour gets a strong 'traditional' vote in Sheffield but support is definately waning, why may I ask ?

Waning??? What b*ll**ks is this
For three years we had a LibDem Council but the Labour Party in Sheffield slowly won the power back.
There are about 10 more Labour Councillors now than there were 3 years ago.
how is that waning??

Nicely put LouiseB, how many people bother to vote ?
I would consider myself a 'traditional Labour' voter and have worked with many, do I get off my backside to vote for them these days....NO and many more do the same. If there was a general election tomorrow do you think the Labour party would be returned with the huge majority they got last time ?
Waning ? YES