More Tory than the Tories: that’s Labour’s new shadow chancellor
Keir Starmer must be really desperate to divert blame for Labour’s diabolical performance in the English local elections off himself.
He has launched a shadow cabinet reshuffle that has already been dubbed a right-turn so hard it would give you whiplash.
Nowhere is this clearer than in his appointment of Rachel (more Tory than the Tories) Reeves as shadow chancellor.
Ms Reeves is the Labour politician (never forget) who, as shadow Work and Pensions Secretary back in 2013, vowed to be “tougher than the Tories” on benefit claimants.
The former banker said a Labour government with her as Work and Pensions Secretary would be tougher than the Tories on benefit claimants, in order to reduce the national benefits bill – a bill which, by the way, has always been entirely affordable.
Two years later, in 2015, she unilaterally cut millions of UK citizens and voters from Labour’s target electorate by saying the party did not want to represent people who don’t have a job.
“We are not the party of people on benefits. We don’t want to be seen, and we’re not, the party to represent those who are out of work,” she said.
“Labour are a party of working people, formed for and by working people.”
So, according to Ms Reeves, nobody currently claiming Universal Credit because of the Covid-19 crisis should expect help from Labour. Have I got that right?
I’ll admit, that’s an extreme conclusion to draw, but it is clear that, as Labour MPs go, Reeves is an extreme right-winger.
Don’t forget that the Tories have modelled themselves as “the party of the workers” in recent years. They love working people because working people generate the profits their donors send to their offshore bank accounts.
In promoting Reeves, Starmer has sent a very clear message to the electorate – that we can all go to hell as far as he cares. He’s in politics for himself and nobody else.
Why do I say this? Simple.
Commentators are going to be so horrified that Reeves is now in one of Labour’s top jobs that they’ll forget about Starmer’s abysmal election. Or at least that’s what he’s hoping, I reckon.
It mustn’t work. Labour’s election campaign was run from Starmer’s office and as leader he is ultimately responsible for it. The buck stops with him and he should not be trying to pass it onto those he has sacked already or will sack in the immediate future.
And Reeves will be a terrible shadow chancellor. Critics may have attacked former shadow chancellor Annaliese Dodds for failing to challenge the Tories adequately – but, again, it is likely that she was hamstrung by Starmer.
Reeves is likely to agree with every single penny-pinching policy the Tories produce for the purposes of garotting us.
Finally, let’s not forget that by promoting Reeves, Starmer is contradicting his own policy on anti-Semitism because – as we all know – Reeves is a supporter of anti-Semites.
She infamously praised Nancy Astor who, besides being the first female MP, was a notorious anti-Semite, Nazi idealogue and supporter of Hitler.
That’s the extent of Rachel Reeves’s right-wing tendencies. Starmer should be expelling, not promoting her.
Source: Labour reshuffle: Anneliese Dodds out in Starmer’s post-election reshuffle – BBC News
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Notice that the appointment took place AFTER the vote? This would be after millions of disabled, jobless and elderly voted Labour.
Yvette Cooper allowed the WCA to be applied leaving millions of disabled struggling against corrupt DWP assessors for any kind of support, with this new appointment, I’d say the Right Wing element of the Labour Party has made that end run and without someone like Corbyn to stop them there is no-one to protect aforementioned and the homeless. It’s like watching the Republicans versus the Democrats in the USA, neither party actually serving the interests of workers, disabled, jobless or homeless.
You won’t agree, but the Labour Party is dead in the water and even though I am not a socialist, unless the SEP can rally support and wrest the Labour Party funding from the Unions there will not be any effective alternative or opposition party to divert the toryfication of politics in this country.
Our democracy is simply an illusion.
I do agree that Labour in England is dead in the water, though! It will remain that way, as long as people like Starmer are in charge.
Why no mention of the R-W Witch Hunt, and bringing in Streeting to reinforce it?
Why no mention of Starmer’s witch hunt – has he brought in Streeting to reinforce it?
Politicians LOVE to add on to the ‘lazy benefits claimant’ trope. They’d have us believe that ALL the money goes to shiftless people who have large screen TVs and their curtains shut all the time – all of this has ACTUALLY been said.
In fact the lion’s share (by a long chalk) of ‘benefits payments’ goes to pensioners. Now, during these days of PIP evaluations and trick questions and having to appeal – taking more than 6 months, you really CAN’T go on ‘disability’ purely because you feel like it. Nowadays you’ll have to convince, al LEAST, your GP, a Consultant who specialises in your ailment AND someone from DWPs appointed successor who is SPECIFICALLY assigned to try and pick holes in your ‘story’ Then there’s the Unemployed themselves. The VAST majority of unemployed are out of work for a matter of a couple of weeks. One job finishes and there’s a gap to the next one applies to most, a slightly longer gap for the rest. Very rarely are people unemployed for more than 6 months never mind TWO YEARS. The system currently in place means you MUST demonstrate and prove you are applying for jobs and going for interviews where successful. You will be ‘helped’ with CVs and applications too and jobs may well be offered to you also. Failing to cooperate or take work results in you being taken off benefits entirely. It’s almost impossible to be long term unemployed now. As I say this is a ‘trope’ and there’s no basis in reality.
However, if it’s money that the party wants to draw to the Treasury there’s a simple answer. Tax. There is so much tax fraud as to be almost unbelievable. I’m not even talking about loopholes either – if they were closed and Amazon and the like paid their fair share we would have £billions extra to spend. But Tax Fraud investigation is VERY poorly resourced. For example, ONE office covering one town in Scotland investigating Benefit Fraud has the same resources assigned as for the entire Tax Fraud team for the WHOLE of Scotland. Benefit Frauds, at their worst, are a few thousand. Tax Frauds are at LEAST a few thousand and at worst £multi-million and there are MANY of them as they know they aren’t likely to be investigated.
As usual, blame the victim.