Re: The Blair legacy : Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:50 am
The "Blair Legacy", in terms of economics, should really be the "Thatcher Legacy".Blair and Brown saw that the mood of the country had changed and that voters saw the traditional Labour model as out of date and inapplicable, hence they switched to "whatever works" to lose the old tax-and-spend image.
Tax had become a dirty word and remains so.
However, without taxation, provision of services has to be cut, dropped or privatised.
Unfortunately, the "Me" mentality still prevails and too many are of the the "Why should I" persuasion to get a consensus of joint responsibility.
Even economies that were functioning social democratic models were seduced by Thatcherite ideals and are now seeing widening inequality and increasing poverty.
We must not forget where most of the debt came from, i.e. largely unfettered banking spivvery.
So far, I've heard a lot of rhetoric but seen no action from the coalition about this (and about tax avoidance), instead they are taking a wrecking ball to the remaining skeleton of collective provision.
What is government for?
Is it to ensure the benefit of the whole nation or is its purpose to subjugate the nation as a cash-cow for the few?
Back on topic, to describe the current state of the House of Lords as the "Blair Legacy" is utterly vacuous.
At least Blair made a start, but the coalition have since simply stuffed the place with more unelected yes-men than ever before.
