Fantasy Island.

[Workingman]

Grounding promises in reality is one thing, being deliberately vague as to their cost, implementation and timing is quite another. May has chosen the vague route.

And it is not as though Labour is the only party with a magic money tree. Analysts claim that the Conservative's plans will cost as much as Labour's one way or another. It is also not that long ago that Philip Hammond claimed the Brexit vote would mean £122bn extra borrowing. That was some time before May threw the opportunistic election card, so there must have been some 'real world' basis for it.

Isn't it strange how suddenly 'up' becomes 'down', 'left' becomes 'right' and 'arse' becomes 'elbow' when an election comes along?

As for 19 years of Tory fiscal governance. Would those be the 19 years when UK industry was decimated; the years when we lost the mines, shipbuilding, steel and unemployment went over 3 million; and when we had two recessions?

Let the good times roll - again? No thanks.

[Suff]

As for 19 years of Tory fiscal governance. Would those be the 19 years when UK industry was decimated; the years when we lost the mines, shipbuilding, steel and unemployment went over 3 million; and when we had two recessions?

The seeds of that were set in the bonfire of the Empire and the powers of the Unions who believed that magic did really exist in the economy and they just had to wish hard enough.

The country that rose from the ashes of that particular bonfire is strong and vital and International. Regardless of the attempts of Blair and Brown to sell it into the gutter.

I'm well aware that May is doing a Major. But my eye is firmly fixed on the goal, namely a hard negotiating stance with the EU and a full exit. To me all the others are negotiable, we can vote in a party for social reform or any other thing we want, after we exit the EU. All this Labour BS, right now, is smokescreen. Social care? Borrowing? Spending? They are all for the next 5 years.

Exiting the EU cleanly and in good health? That will blight our country or strengthen our country for the next 50 years. We are clear the EU intends to blight us.

It is a matter of priorities and I'm not being led up the garden path with nonessentials. I hope most of the rest of the voters are of the same mind.

[Workingman]

Damn! I must get with the programme: When Labour has problems they were created by Labour; When the Tories have problems they were created by (insert favourite problem creator). Or not!

The destruction of British heavy industry was done for purely ideological reasons by Thatcher. It can be dressed up in many different ways, but that is the bottom line.

The 'bonfire' of the Empire was largely down to WWII and I am struggling to find the part played in that by Labour or the unions.

I then get to look at the country which emerged from that 'bonfire'. The one that had no choice but to restructure by whatever means possible - including borrowing and nationalisation. The one with almost full employment. The one with brand new social services, welfare state and a NHS. The one that knocked down the old slums and built millions of new homes. The one that presided over decolonisation of India, Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon and Jordan, and saw the creation of the state of Israel upon Britain's withdrawal from Palestine. A country that was strong and vital and International.

All of that was done under Atlee's Labour in six post war years. That's right, only six years.

A lot of that was trashed by Thatcher in the blink of an eye and it will be death by a thousand cuts under May. I sincerely hope that she does not get the predicted landslide as it could trigger off a civil war further down the line.

[Kaz]

Well said Frank!!!!!

[saundra]

Iv got my vote papers but I can't decide
Now the thorn in my side is care about pensioners (?)
Heating payment (? ]
Care (?)
Who cares??????

[Kaz]

D got her papers today, for her postal vote. She's raging about losing the WF payment.

[Workingman]

Who cares??????

Not Mother Theresa, Saundra.

You have a vote, please use it wisely.

[Suff]

All of that was done under Atlee's Labour in six post war years. That's right, only six years.

Yes and what was his reward? They voted him out after one term because he put up taxes on booze and fags to help pay for it.

Rather ungrateful lot those voters aren't they?? Here is a slightly different take on that. Labour never had more than one consecutive term in government before Blair. Why? Because the people saw through them every time, really they were just too honest. It took the liars like Blair to actually make people believe in Labour.

I have a different view of Labour. Labour presiding over 26% inflation, unions out of control, country out of money and nobody willing to lend them, 90% tax on over £100,000 sending our wealth and businesses abroad 33% tax on the lowly working class with a threshold so low that everyone was paying unless they were, essentially, unable to support themselves.

Prior to that three day weeks due to no power because Oil was too expensive and the Coal unions had a stranglehold on the energy market just by going on strike.

Yes I remember Labour, they had their day, six years of it and everyone is still paying the cost of them trying to "have their day" again.

But, again. You want what Labour wants, fine. Vote for it at the next election. Because voting Labour now, successfully, is like voting Blair in to deal with the EU.

That is the question today but, it is clear, voters are being distracted by the sideshow.

[Workingman]

Yes and what was his reward? They voted him out after one term because he put up taxes on booze and fags to help pay for it.

Rather ungrateful lot those voters aren't they??

Too right! What was any government supposed to do - Labour or Tory? Whole cities; Liverpool, Hull, Coventry, Glasgow, parts of London, had been reduced to rubble - leave them to rot?

Labour and proper working people put this country back on its feet and I, for one, will never forget that. For a few decades we lived in the fairest society this country, probably any country, has ever produced. I was lucky enough to be brought up in that society; I and millions of others benefited from it.

For various reasons I have never voted Labour, and probably never will, but I will not let their achievements be trashed on the altar of globalisation and capitalism without defending them.

[Kaz]

Hear hear!