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Tuesday, 23 December 2014

Value for Money and the Greens

Martin Francis has reacted with dismay to the various spending cuts mooted in Brent's latest budget consultation.  However improbable it might seem, it appears that he did not realise that some such list was inevitable given the sheer scale (£50 million plus) of the spending cuts imposed by the current Con/Lib Dem government.

I am never quite sure how far he just can't get his head round things or how far it is part of his party's long avowed strategy to damage the Labour Party.  Certainly, in practice he always seems to be attacking the Labour Party and/or Brent Council rather than the Tories.  It also seems to result in  a series of attacks on any kind of change, including positive changes like Brent Civic Centre that improve services whilst saving money.  Indeed I am not sure that Martin actually recognises that you can improve outcomes whilst spending less at all.  I think he effectively thinks that more public spending is always good regardless of value.

It is also possible that this is all a cunning plan, based on a modern version of revolutionary defeatism.  This would suggest the destruction of the Labour Party as a prelude to a Leftie utopia, although I think it more likely to result in permanent Tory rule.  Either way, those in the Labour Party who think they can do a deal with people whose aim and/or instinct is simply to attack the Labour Party are on a hiding to nothing.  

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agree with you totally - I cannot understand why the Greens, and Mr Francis' website spend so much time attacking Labour when the real threat is from the Tories.
Talk about the left eating itself - such energy as he expends, and indeed encourages, should certainly go on getting rid of the Tories, can't quite work out what his game is - can't just be political naivety . Labour is not above criticism and constructive criticism is welcome but the venom etc directed at Labour is astonishing when it would make sense to have an alliance of progressive parties working together to get rid of the Conservatives who are far more destructive. He certainly has turned me off the Greens which is a shame because potentially they could be leaders of the progressive left - does not always need councillors or MP's - they could lead with decent attitudes and policies and be a reminder of what left politics should be about.

Anonymous said...

Your reluctance to publish comments you disagree with might be why the readership and impact of this blog is far below that of Wembley Matters

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