nun

I've been away from the UK during the whole of Tony Blair's
PMship. Now that I'm going back I wonder what sort of UK
and political environment I'll really be going back to.

Did David Cameron finally acknowledge the "elephant in the room"
when he offered to support TB's new education bill;
that TB and New Labour are really the Conservatives in
everything but name.

macadian

Well for sometime now many 'old labour' supporters refer to 'New labour' as 'Pink Tories'. As they say in Canada...go figure.

charlie brown

it's not good, if you work they tax really sneakily ie. council tax, fuel tax ,etc, etc etc,about the same as all govs cannot agree with each other and cover every thing up. they just look after themselves as always the wages may be high here but the deductions are large and the cost of gas, elect, etc is a major factor in the wages being as high as they are,

Polyphemus

Well, it's not a democracy.

seacreature

Unlike many people, I actually think New Labour have done good things for Britain. I like the minimum wage, letting the Bank of England fix interest rates, banning fox hunting and introducing civil unions. Sure, they've made mistakes, but overall I like them and would vote Labour again.

uk+kiwi

but they truly are conservatives in disguise - except worse!

seacreature

We'll have to agree to disagree.
I don't think Labour are anything like the Tories.
Could you really imagine Maggie Thatcher introducing the minimum wage?

SANDRAPAUL

What you get told as time goes by gets distorted by those telling you and those that are listening. Minimum wage concepts did not start in 1997. And the framework for what was then re-titled the minimum wage was taken from the previous government's.. See the bit in bold. New Labour is not the flag waving Union leader of the 21st Century. So while the idea of a national minimum wage is good it is nevertheless a natural follow on from what has gone before.....and it has really only been possible by Mrs Thatcher's breaking of the union stranglehold that was 'Britain' through and through. The late Peter Seller's 'I'm Allright Jack' was of its time to a tee.


Municipal regulation of wage levels began in some towns in 1524. Later, the Trade Boards Act of 1909 (introduced by Winston Churchill) initially created 4 Trades Boards that set minimum wages (which varied from trade to trade) for a number of sectors where 'sweating' was generally regarded as a problem, and where collective bargaining was not well established. This system was extended considerably after the Second World War; in 1945 Trades Boards became Wage Councils, which set minimum wage standards in many sectors of the economy, including the service sector as well as manufacturing. Wage Councils were finally abolished in 1993, having fallen into decline due, in large part, to Trades Union opposition. A pay floor was regarded as threatening the voluntary system of collective bargaining favoured in the UK. Government had first made a serious attempt to abolish Wage Councils in 1986, having abandoned existing legislation that tried to extent voluntary agreements to include those firms that had not taken part in negotiations, such as the Fair Wages Resolutions. These required that government contractors pay fair wages and respect the rights of their employees to be members of trades unions. A national minimum wage (NMW) was introduced for the first time by Tony Blair's Labour government in April, 1999, at the rate of £3.60 per hour for those workers aged over 22. It took the recommendation of this rate from the Low Pay Commission, an independent body that the government had appointed in July, 1997. The LPC exists to this day to maintain the NMW, and consists of three members with a trades union background, three members with an employer background, and three academic labour market relations experts. The commission is widely regarded as a successfully example of 'social partnership'. The current minimum wage in the UK for adults aged 22 or older is £5.05 or approximately $9, as compared with $5.15 in the US. Despite a much higher minimum wage, the UK has lower unemployment than the US.

For workers between the age of 18-21, or who are in the first six months of their job and receiving accredited training, the minimum wage is £4.25 per hour. The minimum hourly wage for workers aged under 18 is £3.00, provided that they are no longer of compulsory school age and are not apprentices.

These values are tentatively scheduled to increase in October 2006, with 22-year olds and older receiving £5.35 hourly and 18-21 year olds receiving £4.45.

SANDRAPAUL

Economic facts.

Since 1997 at that very point we have had in the UK a worsening Trade Deficit account.

The year 2005-2006 will see the Private sector go into the red by over £60 Billion. The government will borrow (largely to pay the Civil Servant army created by New Labour) at least £40 Billion. £100 Billion is a sum the UK owes as extra to the rest of the world. This is the PEOPLE'S debt - not the governments! As a Per Capita debt that is over $1,000 Billion Dollars US in one year. With the US's worrying deficit of $670 Billion US which country should worry the most? The country with huge natural resourses, a huge buying capacity to breath in our out or a country with dimminishing natural resourses, a workforce approaching only 8% in manufacturing and running out of options?

Borrowing should have gone into giving tax breaks to small and medium size 'niche' manufacturing based activities. Instead these have been stealth taxed to death.

The leading advisor to the government has stated that the only way to stop the rot is to put personal taxes up hugely. On top of the stealth taxes the £ in the pocket will dissappear down the drain.

I walked past a building society window a few days ago. Big poster....


125% MORTGAGE.

Does anyone have the slightest idea of what this means to the UK society?

Interest rates went up over the last 18 months as everyone was shitting themselves as to the debt levels being taken on by householders.

Since these rate rises and in August 05 a small drop, personal debt has risen by another £56 Billion. House prices have not dropped sufficiently to allow over 25% of young families to even get onto the property ladder to start their own lives.

IF the borrowing habits abate in the UK the economy will sink into the quicksand as highligted by the 1.75 GDP as given to Brown by the consumer in the year 2005.

So the consumer via imports and debt keep the economy afloat - but no one can tread water forever.

Grayling

I vote Labour

G

uk+kiwi

No I can't, and whilst I am not very interested in politics because the whole system is so amazingly inefficient, I would say that Thatcher is not representative of the current Tory party and its policies.

If the conservatives got their act together with a decent head figure, I'm sure it would pay off in dividends, although I'm not sure they would actually want to take over the economic mess that is brewing in the UK at the moment.

This all reminds me though - didn't Tony Blair himself defect to Labour to achieve his current PM position?

SonicBird

You could always vote Lib Dem... and then be outted by the press for having a relationship with a male prostitute?

Just a thought?

Craftybanshee

Want to know what you're coming back to? Rip off Britain that's what!

eurotramp

Did you ever lived in a different country, then the UK?

Craftybanshee

Yes I have, I come from a service background. I'm entitled to my opinion and I don't like the current government or their policies!

I'm not looking at emigration with 'rose coloured specs', I know the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Edited to add - I'm an immigrant to the UK, came here as a small child.