Forum Topic

Labour manifesto - front page

Thoughts1. Keep council tax low with a fifth consecutive council tax freeze next year2.  Continue to campaign to save our hospitals from Tory cuts, including a blue light service at Ealing & Charing Cross A&Es3. Install new CCTV, alley gates and street lighting in crime hotspots.4. Make Ealing cleaner, including 50% recycling by 2018 5. Build at least 500 new council homes and create 500 apprenticeships for young people

George Knox ● 4394d34 Comments

Nope!

Nigel Brooks ● 4281d

I've read the various party manifestos and I'm undecided. I can't help feeling that perhaps there's too much democracy in the UK and perhaps its time for actually getting things(policies) done, as opposed to just talking about getting things(policies)done. Anybody else feeling these thoughts?

Gerry Tan ● 4281d

Good points George!The people who complain the most probably don't bother voting!

Jean F Fernandez ● 4281d

Well said George.However you intend to vote. Please vote, you have no right to complain if your don't.

Nigel Brooks ● 4281d

I have dispensed with pledge 2.What about Labours PLEDGE no.3 to improve safety by blocking off passageways,etc?Well I won't argue with that. But if they do just one alleyway they will have achieved their goal. Since they have not told us the extent of the works it no way is a vote winner for me. It's a two penny halfpenny pledge not worth a single vote in my book. It's going to benefit but only a few people. Wow.The TORY PLEDGE is to include the above, but additionally make a Borough wide controlled drinking zone work effectively. If they achieve that one then thousands will benefit. And who in their London lifetime has not been sick of street drinkers when they frighten people or urinate everywhere.  To me that pledge is far more valuable.PLEDGE no.4 aims to make the Borough cleaner and increase recycling to 50%.A worthy cause indeed provided the second bit does not include coercion. The Tories successfully managed the predecessors to Enterprise. Enterprise and their successors have been a miserable failure under the Labour Party and the senior Council Officer. The proof has been in the pudding. Don't believe a word of this pledge. Labour just can't hack it.And finally, PLEDGE no.5.500 Council Houses plus 500 apprenticeships. Cllr Phil Taylor can chuck his statistical mind at the housing one. Is it achievable? It a laudable aim in my book provided there is no ghettoisation or extreme ugliness involved.To me an apprenticeship is about training a person towards being a technician. I am very suspicious about what apprenticeships entail today. If they get someone just a basic job then I don't want to see our residents having jobs without prospects and self improvement potential.I thought Labour supported helping the less advantaged. Ealing's Labour does not. It reduces services in Social Services, does away with some Day centres, slashes funding to charities, fails under enforcement to eliminate beds in sheds, tries to close a library or five to limit young people (who can't afford books) from learning, fails to claim any real impact on raising school standards, brings the environmental standards down by tolerating waste lying on the streets for four years all over the Borough, allows a proliferation of drinking and gambling outlets so the poor can make themselves poorer and less healthy and worst of all indicates the Council Tax will rise and doubles the parking charges and tramples over the idea that a life socialising is less important that ripping off visitors in CPZs with huge parking charges. The Acton and the Southall Councillors may or do rule our lives and the Labour Leader does what he can to please these factions and sacks anyone who stands in his way. Reminds me of TB and GB. Ealing Labour has become the nasty party.Finally the National polls are going against Labour. I think that's because the electorate can see through the Labour Party silly but delightful promises. Silly because they won't work. Silly because like Mr Bell, weak Ed Millie will raise taxes. And what at long last the public CAN see are some of the Tory promises coming true. So THIS time round my advice is don't vote Labour (or UKIP).

George Knox ● 4281d

I think 'little' substance is being generous.I do really hope that the electorate will remember the number of broken promises come May 22nd.'No cuts to frontline services' should hang over every Labour member when they recall  (as they won't) the shameful reduction in provision to the mentally ill.A disgrace.

Nigel Brooks ● 4290d

IN other words, hollow words of little substance.Very disappointing, even worse than other parties manifestos.

Anthony Waller ● 4290d

Even if they secured a gold-plated cast-iron 'guarantee' about Ealing A&E I could not, in all conscience, vote for a party that has itself cut the services to the most vulnerable.I doubt though that they even know how to hang their heads in shame.

Nigel Brooks ● 4290d

Labour might as well claim this achievement now.They are and they will be campaigning re the hospital. Even if Labour loses they nevertheless will have campaigned.So far as I can make out all main parties in Ealing oppose the closure of A&E at Ealing. So this pledge will not make me vote Labour even though I agree with it.

George Knox ● 4290d

Phil. I am concerned. I just read M.P. Angie Bray's local election communication that came through my letter box a couple of weeks ago. It lists several sins that Labour have committed in Ealing ending with the £13,000 Christmas tree, however I find no mention of two major topics, the attempted closure of the libraries, and the closure of a substantial chunk of the disabled facilities by Laboour in in the borough. This omission worries me as these were much bigger issues than the Christmas tree and by implication casts a shadow over the future of what remains of the libraries and the disabled/ill care support facilities in Ealing under the next Ealing local council government if Angie Bray's (and your party) the Conservative Party. Could you clarify the Conservative party's stance on disabled/mentally ill care facilities  and libraries in this borough under the Concervatives. I intend to vote for whoever will guarantee the security of the libraries and will guarantee the restoration of care facilities for the disables and mentally ill.

Peter Mcleod ● 4334d

Or how eaily 'bribed'.Somehow I don't think all of the street works and new car park in Southall are mere coincidence.

Nigel Brooks ● 4376d

You had to be borderline sectioned to have elected them in the first place.It never ceases to amaze me just how gullible the electorate at large is capable of being.

Tony Colliver ● 4376d

George to clarify the history of the council tax freeze.  It was started in 2009 by the 2006-2010 Conservative administration.  We froze council tax in 2009/10 and 2010/11 without any specific central government support.  The current Labour administration is freezing it for the four years it sets a budget 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15.  It has also promised to freeze it the year after, 2015/16.  This "Labour" five year freeze in Ealing has been paid for by £25 million of Council Tax Freeze Grant paid to Ealing by the "Tory-led Coalition" as a totally unringfenced grant.  Conservatives believe in lower taxes and people keeping more of their own money.  The previous Conservative administration  froze council tax, Boris Johnson has reduced his share slightly and in government the Conservatives have given Ealing £25 million to continue Ealing's freeze.  Can you see a pattern?  On the other side of the debate Cllrs Julian Bell, Yvonne Johnson, Jon Ball and Gary Malcolm were the people who voted in favour of the 26% council tax rise in 2003.

Phil Taylor ● 4377d

Well George we can also 'close' point 4 as the mismanagement of the cleaning and recycling contract by this administration has seen Ealing's streets dirtier than ever. Nothing points towards their ability to actually deliver cleaner streets now or in the near future no matter how many soundbites or video clips that Cllr. Mahfouz 'treats' us to.

Nigel Brooks ● 4378d

To conclude then on point 1, I think we can safely say that thanks not to the local Labour party, but thanks to the coalition (onto whose backs on this point Cllr Bell has climbed) we shall see Council Tax kept frozen for one year and low for up to three years.Wow. Well done. That's one tick in the box for Labour.Sorry Mr Bell but item one does not make me want to vote for you. Coalition have said frozen for two years.So onto point 2. Will Cllr Bell be able to tick his second box?

George Knox ● 4378d

Thanks for the heads up regarding vested interests Phil. It's disingenuousness like this ,amongst a litany of other reasons, that has turned me, a life long Labour voter away from them never to return. I would wager there are a good many people throughout the country who feel the same too. And before this is mistaken for a 'Tory rant' by anyone, I am not that enamoured of them either but at least they have not betrayed their roots and heritage. By the way, are they still New Labour? What are they calling themselves this week?

Keith Iddon ● 4380d

Keith,You make a good point.  The worst ten years for building social houses post war were ... wait for it ... 1998 to 2007.  The worst year was 2003.  The lowest number of council houses post war was 2004 when Labour built 130 across the UK in times of relative plenty.  Here is the graph:The facts are clear.  The last Labour government was significantly worse than the preceding Conservative governments in providing social housing even though they had a long period of economic growth and stability.  All the numbers come from the DCLG’s Table 241: Permanent dwellings completed, by tenure, United Kingdom, historical calendar year series.

Phil Taylor ● 4380d

Paul, Before you use phrases like "standard Tory rant" you might declare your interest as an active Labour activist who failed to win a seat in Walpole ward in 2010 (you did at least beat Rupa Huq mind).  As an active Conservative myself I don't know Chris so maybe the "standard Tory rant" is having some resonance?  You mentioned the changes to the local health system.  As you know well (but Labour has cynically refused to acknowledge) these changes follow straight from Labour party policies that were implemented in 2009 and written down in their 2010 manifesto.  The Shaping a Healthier Future programme is being driven by the Nicholson challenge – a programme put in place in 2009 by the then Labour Secretary of Health, Andrew Burnham.  It is designed to take out £20 billion in efficiencies and put it back into new services in order that the NHS can deal with new demand within a flat real terms budget.  It is quite easy to prove that this is Labour’s policy – they wrote it down on page 4:3 of their 2010 manifesto:

Phil Taylor ● 4380d

Keith,The rate went up to 50p on 6th April 2010 and Labour lost power on 6th May.  That adds up to 31 days out of 13 years.  For the previous 12 years and 11 months it was 40%.  The Conservatives will get to 2015 having had a 50% rate for 3 years and a 45% rate for 2 years.  Just about everything Labour says on this subject is twisted nonsense.  In 2007, before Labour's 7.2% economic slump, the top 1% contributed 24.4% of income tax.  This year it will be 30%. 

Phil Taylor ● 4380d

Labour, of course, will promise anything with an election looming and may well make a 'fist' of attempting to deliver.Do remind me though how well Labour manage finances, both local and national, when it comes to the delivery phase. Cynically creating (non) jobs in areas of high unemployment which, coincidentally, happen to be either marginal or safe Labour seats. Locally, building totally useless car parks while cutting funds to the most vulnerable. Selling a community asset (Warren  Farm) for a fraction of its true worth. In a world of sane men these people would never, ever, be let anywhere near a budget again.

Nigel Brooks ● 4380d

I wonder if they wouldn't have been better building those houses rather than castles in the sky during their 13 long years in power.

Keith Iddon ● 4380d

All of the promises are eminently realistic and can be delivered. In fact it should be possible to exceed what has been promised in some cases; for example, more affordable houses can be built, especially if there is a new government next year and new Mayor in 2016 who is committed to affordable housing. On my original point, which no one has rushed to answer, I think people can draw their own conclusions on how to vote if they object to their local health services being cut.

Paul Conlan ● 4380d

Typical diversionary tactic.What about Labour's countless hollow promises?

Nigel Brooks ● 4381d

You've memorised the standard Tory rant pretty well Chris, you deserve some sort of reward for parroting it so faithfully, but maybe you have departed from the script with point 2. Are you saying that you approved of the drastic cuts to local health services all along and the all party campaign against them followed by the hollow local Tory claim that A&Es had been "saved" was all a waste of time?

Paul Conlan ● 4381d

In a word Chris, NO.One would have to be 'borderline sectioned' to re-elect Bell's Buffoons. I would find it incredulous if either of the other 'main' parties could have made such an abysmal series of decisions month in, month out.I still await though the manifestos from the other parties.

Nigel Brooks ● 4385d

1. The rise in council tax is capped by the government so this is an empty promise - not least because the current volume of property development means actual revenues will rise anyway (more council tax payers year on year).2. Labour are obstructing badly needed healthcare reform and a shift to more primary care - they are effectively pledging to maintain services that are poor quality and result in avoidable deaths, just because they are 2 miles down the road.3. They don't use or maintain existing CCTV properly  -why not sort that before spending more money on it?4. Ealing has slipped from one of the cleanest to one of the dirtiest boroughs under Labour - are we supposed to be grateful they are now pledging to make it slightly less filthy?5. 500 homes actually means 500 dwellings so about 1.5 flats a week. That will be a great comfort to the thousands already waiting for a home and the thousands more who will join the list year on year.These pledges are every bit as empty as the previous "no council tax increase' pledge which has resulted in 300% increases in residents parking costs, chargeable garden waste, and illegal targets for parking ticket fee income (covered in the report on BBC Inside Out which also showed parking officers falsifying tickets).Under the current labour group Ealing is dirtier, more expensive, has closed down old people's centres apparently on cost saving grounds while finding enough spare cash to make loans to third parties and building car parks in Southall that aren't even needed. Is this what we want more of?

Chris Martin ● 4385d

HA!These are all good promises.  Aren't they? What really hurts is that despite the 'headline' rates, the marginal rate of tax for many lower down the income scale is much higher, (up to 45%) because for every extra £ in income earned,they are losing social security benefits and tax credits.The truth is that the wealthy are doing just fine, right now, and it's the vast (silent) majority are continuing to pay for the excesses and stupidity of the Banksters.

Mark Walker ● 4385d

Bearing in mind when New Labour were in power they only actually put the rate for the top earners up to 50% in the last couple months of their 13 year tenure, handing the Tories a poisoned chalice. In the outlandish likelyhood of them winning they would probably have put it down to 45% like Osborne has. Talk about disingenuous and slippery. The Tories are probably getting more from the rich at the 45% rate than New Labour would by putting it up to 50%.

Keith Iddon ● 4387d

Why can't I trust the local Labour party?For they display the same fiscal probity and adroitness as a drug-addled, alcoholic lottery winner.One only has to look at Ed (overtax the rich, but don't make fun of my name) Balls.The role model for Labour budget-holders everywhere. the man who doesn't have a clue, having overestimated by 200-fold, how much a 50% tax rate will raise. Of course he follows in the footsteps of Darling and Gordon (let's sell our gold reserve while prices are low) Brown.Labour and financial control, strange bedfellows who have never met.

Nigel Brooks ● 4387d

Manifesto point 1.Keep council tax low with a fifth consecutive council tax freeze next year.NEXT YEAR????Does that mean they will put up taxes for the remaining three years? George Osporne in his June spending review has protected CT for the next two years.Why can't I trust the local Labour party?

George Knox ● 4387d

I think the parties are similar in that they promise so much but once in power some of those promises are conveniently put aside.

Jean F Fernandez ● 4394d

Blue Light Gerry means a hospital that will accept emergency ambulances with a fully equipped and staffed Accident and Emergency department.Like you, I shall wait for the other pledges and manifestos before commenting.

Nigel Brooks ● 4394d

The aims of Labour's manifesto look laudable, but are they achievable - I'll wait and see the other manifestos before I make a decision. Btw, what's a 'blue light' service please?

Gerry Tan ● 4394d

Fairy Stories!I don't believe any of them!

Jean F Fernandez ● 4394d