Read on Twitter
Thread on why “Keir Starmer is more right wing than Ed Miliband in 2015” is wrong, policy by policy:
RE: Tuition fees
MILIBAND: Cut Tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000.
STARMER: Abolish Tuition fees.
MILIBAND: Cut Tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000.
STARMER: Abolish Tuition fees.
RE: Energy
MILIBAND: Freeze energy bills for two years, then increase regulation.
STARMER: Nationalisation.
MILIBAND: Freeze energy bills for two years, then increase regulation.
STARMER: Nationalisation.
RE: Railways
MILIBAND: Freeze (privately owned) rail fares.
STARMER: Nationalisation.
MILIBAND: Freeze (privately owned) rail fares.
STARMER: Nationalisation.
RE: Welfare
MILIBAND: Review Universal Credit.
STARMER: Abolish Universal Credit.
MILIBAND: Review Universal Credit.
STARMER: Abolish Universal Credit.
RE: Taxation
MILIBAND: Income Tax up for top 1% of earners, keep Corporation Tax “the most competitive in the G7” (which I guess means keep them low?)
STARMER: Income Tax up for top 5% of earners, “reverse Tory cuts in corporation Tax” (not clear how far).
MILIBAND: Income Tax up for top 1% of earners, keep Corporation Tax “the most competitive in the G7” (which I guess means keep them low?)
STARMER: Income Tax up for top 5% of earners, “reverse Tory cuts in corporation Tax” (not clear how far).
RE: House of Lords
MILIBAND: Abolish Lords and replace with “Senate of Nations and Regions”
STARMER: “Abolish the House of Lords – replace it with an elected chamber of regions and nations.”
interestingly enough, neither the 2017 nor 2019 manifestos went this far
MILIBAND: Abolish Lords and replace with “Senate of Nations and Regions”
STARMER: “Abolish the House of Lords – replace it with an elected chamber of regions and nations.”
interestingly enough, neither the 2017 nor 2019 manifestos went this far
You might say I’m cherrypicking, and you’re entitled to that, but please find me a single policy issue where Starmer is “to the right of Miliband”.
Sources:
2015 Labour Manifesto: https://action.labour.org.uk/page/-/A4%20BIG%20_PRINT_ENG_LABOUR%20MANIFESTO_TEXT%20LAYOUT.pdf
Starmer’s 10 Pledges: https://keirstarmer.com/plans/10-pledges/
2015 Labour Manifesto: https://action.labour.org.uk/page/-/A4%20BIG%20_PRINT_ENG_LABOUR%20MANIFESTO_TEXT%20LAYOUT.pdf
Starmer’s 10 Pledges: https://keirstarmer.com/plans/10-pledges/
Some people counter when I use these Pledges by saying “hOw CaN yoU bELiEvE hE’LL LiVe uP tO tHeM!”
1. These are pledges. Promises made to the membership. Literal suicide for him not to live up to them.
2. If he does go back on them significantly, of course I’ll call him out.
1. These are pledges. Promises made to the membership. Literal suicide for him not to live up to them.
2. If he does go back on them significantly, of course I’ll call him out.
Some can argue that he wouldn’t have made these pledges if not for Corbyn. And that may be true. Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that he made these pledges and can’t afford to go back on them politically.
FYI: This isn’t me trying to discredit Miliband, I think he’s great, but it does show how significantly we as a party have moved to the left in the past 5 years.
