Captain U-turn

by Rab Bruce’s Spider

 

Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot

BlueSky: @RabBrucesSpider.Bsky.Social

 

 

What a shambles in the House of Commons. Keir Starmer has essentially pulled the PIP section of his latest attack on disabled people, although he managed to get his Bill passed despite it including provisions to remove the Health Benefits part of Universal Credit, a feature which will still cause a great deal of harm to many people but which even the Labour rebels seemed to think was acceptable. I know my voice will make no difference, but I want to put on record that I do not think this is acceptable at all.

 

As for the PIP changes, they have not been cancelled; they have merely been deferred, although I have a feeling they might be quietly dropped in a few months’ time.

 

Yet again we see Captain U-Turn realising at the last minute just how dreadful his social policies are. Keir Starmer is often accused of being a Tory at heart, and it must be said that if he was leader of the Tory Party he could probably have got these cruel and heartless measures through without a problem. Some Labour MPs do seem to have a bit of backbone, although it was noticeable that the vast majority of the Scottish Labour MPs supported the Bill.

 

I and many others warned before the General Election that we could not trust Labour, but I must say that Keir Starmer is making an even bigger mess than I thought. Cruelty and attacks on the poor, unemployed and disabled were all predictable, but this UK Government has gone about things in a ham-fisted way and has been so out of touch with public opinion that they just look incompetent.

 

And yet, despite all the U-turns he has made, Keir Starmer remains resolute in his opposition to reversing Brexit or criticism of Israel. It seems he does have some red lines. Or should that be blue lines given his propensity for targeting the poorest in society rather than the richest?

 

There must now be considerable doubt as to whether Keir Starmer can remain as Prime Minister. He’s demonstrated his lack of ability time and time again. But then, what is the alternative? Any remotely left-wing contender will be slaughtered by the UK media just as Jeremy Corbyn was, so all Labour will be able to do is produce someone else who might look and sound better in the media but who will have the same cruel policies. And all this is doing is paving the way for Nigel Farage to become PM.

 

Scotland needs to escape this madness.

  

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