Would a more centrist Labour be polling higher now?

The best word to describe their progress is sluggish.

Put it this way, if Gordon Brown won in 2010, we wouldn't be in a worse position than we are now.

Portugal have successfully spent their way out of a recession. Why can't we do the same?

The best word to describe their progress is sluggish.

Put it this way, if Gordon Brown won in 2010, we wouldn't be in a worse position than we are now.

Portugal have successfully spent their way out of a recession. Why can't we do the same?

Perhaps but Labour may not have gone even as far as the Tories. McDonnel for example considers job done already.

When we vote for governments we vote for priorities. I at least want some degree of effort on cutting tax and spend, on means testing, generating competition.

The current lot are not stellar but I prefer their priorities.

There is such a thing as a deficit fetish. Running a surplus for the sake of it is not always preferable if it means you aren't making the investments that your economy needs.

There is such a thing as a deficit fetish. Running a surplus for the sake of it is not always preferable if it means you aren't making the investments that your economy needs.

That assumes that we can't source capital expenditure from elsewhere.

Here’s the thing how much extra growth would we have seen and how much extra debt as that’s the real question. One must be balanced with the other

If Brown won in 2010 or was replaced by David Miliband, we would still have seen cuts but at a slower rate which wouldn't have damaged growth as much.

Which we can't. Taxes should generally be higher on the highest earners and corporations.

Of course we can. We are wasting money on foreign aid, giving freebies to rich pensioners, performing adult transgender surgeries ECT.. There are still cuts to be made.

Hear me out!

Since the 2017 election, the two parties have been pretty much level pegging in the polls. The majority showing Labour with a small lead, but some recently showing the Tories either level or with a small lead themselves. Labour haven't pulled clear, which they may have been expecting to.

I've seen a lot of commentators in the press such as Osborne and even centre-left folk claiming that if Labour had a more centre-left leader, that they would be way out ahead. Then again, I don't know if a more centrist leader would be as popular with younger voters.

We seem to be in a similar position to 2005, an unpopular government with an equally unpopular opposition.

Thoughts?

Are we wasting money on foreign aid? How do you know that it's not making a real positive impact that benefits us in the long term?

All people deserve a pension, rich or poor. The concept of universality is vital.

It could still be argued that Jeremy Corbyn is a public reaction to David Cameron and George Osborne with their ideological commitment to austerity. Perhaps if we had a more centrist and more generous Conservative government between 2010 and 2015 then we would have a more centrist Labour Party today and Jeremy Corbyn would be an obscure backbencher looking to retire quietly at the next general election.

The problem now is that the 2017 general election has cemented Jeremy Corbyn into place. It's possible that had Theresa May not called that election then, regardless of (unknown) public support for Jeremy Corbyn, his opponents in Labour could use the weapon that he was a good choice in 2015 but is now a relic of the David Cameron and George Osborne era mounting an ideological opposition to politicians which are no longer in power. The political battleground has changed since the referendum and Labour needs a new leader who is a serious challenger to Theresa May. Jeremy Corbyn could then be dismissed as a man with a messianic cult following who is not a serious politician.

Corbyn is too much of a pacifist, and people don't want this kind of weakness right now, due to all the threats out there