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Scandinavians vs Labour

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    Scandinavians vs Labour

    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.
    Last edited by contractorinatractor; 17 May 2017, 15:15.

    #2
    Originally posted by contractorinatractor View Post
    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? ...
    I think Corbyn is as a daft as a brush, and the Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes are also daft for tolerating such high taxes.

    HTH
    Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

    Comment


      #3
      Scandinavians vs Labour

      I'm in Ireland now, it's like you pay a tax for something and then you get to pay again. I pay PRSI and USC as like NI in UK, then pay the GP 60€ to see him.

      Same thing coming to UK if Mrs May gets her way.

      I prefer to be taxed at source for these things.

      Scandinavia much better than the constant shelling out here and in UK, and the so called high tax isn't that much higher

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by OwlHoot View Post
        I think ..
        You lost all credibility by this point.
        Hard Brexit now!
        #prayfornodeal

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by OwlHoot View Post
          I think Corbyn is as a daft as a brush, and the Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes are also daft for tolerating such high taxes.

          HTH
          You've only seen him represented on your mainstream media, owned by the people who will be very much affected by his policies. Go figure.

          Daft? Amongst the highest satisfaction ratings in the world, happiness, lifestyle, disposable income relative to the cost of services, etc. UK? Doesn't rate well in these areas. It does for a few - i.e: us who earn £100k+ after tax.

          Comment


            #6
            Here's an idea.

            If you love the thought of the EU, the socialist Scandinavian political landscape, hefty taxation, and other such nonsense, instead of banging on about it here, why don't you piss off and live there?

            Sorted.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by DimPrawn View Post
              Here's an idea.

              If you love the thought of the EU, the socialist Scandinavian political landscape, hefty taxation, and other such nonsense, instead of banging on about it here, why don't you piss off and live there?

              Sorted.

              I have! Sort of, in Dublin for a bit but Sweden next.

              The nonsense is on the UK side of the table, USA 2.0 beta 1...

              Comment


                #8
                This country is rapidly moving to Scandinavian level of taxation with Third country level of public services

                And that's not acceptable.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I'm not paying punitive tax so that Labour can splash it all over the place for the benefit of the the uneducated underclasses so that they can breed in vast numbers or so that mostly low skilled immigrants can settle in vast numbers supported by burgeoning state handouts.

                  Not now, not ever.

                  HTH BIDI

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Here's another gem I noticed today (better late than never)

                    2017-05-08 Labour plan to hit millions of workers by hiking medical insurance tax

                    You'd think any Government who genuinely cared about people forced to use the NHS would welcome anything which at private expense took some pressure off it.

                    But no, not a bit. Labour are as envious of those who "go private" in health as those who do the same for their kids in education (again, relieving the pressure on state schools).
                    Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

                    Comment

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