In impromptu journalistic style, could we amalgamate those of us who have worked extensively in the Nordics and Scandinavia to comment on the Labour manifesto?
I suspect Stek is currently in Denmark or Sweden - there's a prime candidate for commentary!
The jibes aimed at it, and the current party leader, remind me of the Republicans using social media and tea parties to ensure posters calling Obama a demonic socialist were spread like wildfire through the deep south of the USA.
For those of us who have worked and paid hefty tax in Norway, Sweden and Denmark - and to some extent Finland (slightly less Utopianesque): what do you think of the Labour policies?
Me: Worked in all of the above countries for approximately 5 years in total. I really noticed Sweden, a service-based economy, chiming with the UK style of thought process, particularly Scotland. Hefty tax in some areas, not so in other areas. Only seen a homeless person twice, one during charity work outreach, and beggars were extremely few and far between and minuscule when compared to London and Edinburgh.
Socially, it was common to see parents and children, young and old, out for runs together. I had never seen anything like this prior to working in those countries. A community spirit abound and entrepreneurship was still encouraged and rewarded. Norway is different in social attitude but similarly a great place to live and work. Do they have problems? Yes, that's the nature of us all being human beings. "Why aren't you living there now?" - my partner has cancer and is from the UK.
Overall I can't help but feel that voters in the UK shoot themselves in the foot and don't seem to realise that having, for example, a 5% 'fat cat tax' on salaries above £500k is not at all discouraging enterprise. 5%? FIVE? Come on - people with both entrepreneurial skill and the success to boot are not going to be concerned by such a tax.
I'm currently on a high paying contract in the UK and can easily see the deficit reduction itself in the UK hasn't happened - it's higher than ever. The tories sold you a lie and there is seemingly no alternative.
A leader in the UK government has no true leadership - all parties have a hierarchical voting system. As such, voting for Labour is not a personality contest.
In the Nordics and Scandinavian countries 90% of these policies would not seem out of place. What country(ies) do you wish aim for and be in future? A low tax service economy, as per the USA, but with one of the largest income inequality gap in the world? A country should treat everybody in a caring manner, don't go down this route. Why not try something new, something aimed at fairness? I compared the current Labour policies and ethos to that of the 1970's and 1980's and there are far less valid comparisons than are being spilled out by biased media outlets.
If you consider this to be communism, komradeship, and such then you are, quite frankly, not suitable to be judging this. Communism has a very harsh definition and is not valid present in any of the mainstream parties in the UK.
(And if you consider hiring one person who was previously in a communist party as being a valid indicator of the entire Labour party, then it sounds as if you are likely biased and unable to compare apples with apples. Back to university with you!)
Final note: people seem very persuaded into 'groups' in the UK. We are less so over in Norway and Sweden - we like to air ideas. I have found over here that people instead enjoy reciting what they have read in some billionaire-owned newspaper and reciting insults towards ideas and politicians.
You are a free socialist country who can't quite accept it in full name; NHS, free university education (in parts), free prescriptions (in parts), free bus passes (in parts), the aim of attempting to offer a fair level ground for all children, who do not choose the personality and faults of the parents they are born to.
I suspect Stek is currently in Denmark or Sweden - there's a prime candidate for commentary!
The jibes aimed at it, and the current party leader, remind me of the Republicans using social media and tea parties to ensure posters calling Obama a demonic socialist were spread like wildfire through the deep south of the USA.
For those of us who have worked and paid hefty tax in Norway, Sweden and Denmark - and to some extent Finland (slightly less Utopianesque): what do you think of the Labour policies?
Me: Worked in all of the above countries for approximately 5 years in total. I really noticed Sweden, a service-based economy, chiming with the UK style of thought process, particularly Scotland. Hefty tax in some areas, not so in other areas. Only seen a homeless person twice, one during charity work outreach, and beggars were extremely few and far between and minuscule when compared to London and Edinburgh.
Socially, it was common to see parents and children, young and old, out for runs together. I had never seen anything like this prior to working in those countries. A community spirit abound and entrepreneurship was still encouraged and rewarded. Norway is different in social attitude but similarly a great place to live and work. Do they have problems? Yes, that's the nature of us all being human beings. "Why aren't you living there now?" - my partner has cancer and is from the UK.
Overall I can't help but feel that voters in the UK shoot themselves in the foot and don't seem to realise that having, for example, a 5% 'fat cat tax' on salaries above £500k is not at all discouraging enterprise. 5%? FIVE? Come on - people with both entrepreneurial skill and the success to boot are not going to be concerned by such a tax.
I'm currently on a high paying contract in the UK and can easily see the deficit reduction itself in the UK hasn't happened - it's higher than ever. The tories sold you a lie and there is seemingly no alternative.
A leader in the UK government has no true leadership - all parties have a hierarchical voting system. As such, voting for Labour is not a personality contest.
In the Nordics and Scandinavian countries 90% of these policies would not seem out of place. What country(ies) do you wish aim for and be in future? A low tax service economy, as per the USA, but with one of the largest income inequality gap in the world? A country should treat everybody in a caring manner, don't go down this route. Why not try something new, something aimed at fairness? I compared the current Labour policies and ethos to that of the 1970's and 1980's and there are far less valid comparisons than are being spilled out by biased media outlets.
If you consider this to be communism, komradeship, and such then you are, quite frankly, not suitable to be judging this. Communism has a very harsh definition and is not valid present in any of the mainstream parties in the UK.
(And if you consider hiring one person who was previously in a communist party as being a valid indicator of the entire Labour party, then it sounds as if you are likely biased and unable to compare apples with apples. Back to university with you!)
Final note: people seem very persuaded into 'groups' in the UK. We are less so over in Norway and Sweden - we like to air ideas. I have found over here that people instead enjoy reciting what they have read in some billionaire-owned newspaper and reciting insults towards ideas and politicians.
You are a free socialist country who can't quite accept it in full name; NHS, free university education (in parts), free prescriptions (in parts), free bus passes (in parts), the aim of attempting to offer a fair level ground for all children, who do not choose the personality and faults of the parents they are born to.
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