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State of the Party – Your last chance to vote this month

April 9, 2012 6:22 pm

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There’s now less than 24 hours left to vote in our latest “State of the Party” survey – the number one monthly barometer of how Labour people feel about their party. Voting closes at noon tomorrow (Tuesday).

Make your voice heard, and vote on how your party is performing.

This month we particularly want to know:

Why do you think Labour lost in Bradford West?

and

How did you rate Labour’s response to the budget?

How’s Ed doing? And who do you rate in the shadow cabinet?

It’s your party, don’t miss the chance to have your say.

Lizzy Dripping

I am new to the Labour Party only joining in January 2012 – it was the shocking actions of the Tory party that gradually built up a reaction in me so much so that I thought the only way to get them out was to join a political party that has won before. To tell you the truth, I only joined because I see Labour as the lesser of two evils – sorry to offend anybody but I hope people understand. I am not completely pleased with Labour’s past policies in Govt e.g. letting privatisation creep into the NHS although much less so than what this terrible Govt have now done with the Health bill that is now an act. I would really like Labour to defend public services more strongly and the Welfare State. That is what the traditional Labour voter is looking for That is what I hear from Labour voters in my local constituency and my local branch – they are dissillusioned but hate Tories so much that they know they have to be with Labour and remember the days when it was more of a choice between the two than it is now. Labour is more caring Capitalism it has to be said which is good but please can we have a commitment to state controlled, publically delivered publically provided services as a safety net – the private sector can get on with things themselves. More strong support for public sector workers like me and for our unions would be good please. Don’t always criminalise the unions and if we need to take industrial action, then support us!!
- Dave Postles
  
  Welcome Lizzy and welcome comments too. Please stay and share more of your thoughts.
- Frankmadin
  
  i was on strike for one year 84/85 and not for a wage rise what did the ladour party do for the miners only shut our pits all the MPs are all the same its me me money money and joe bloggs still gets nothing good luck you will need it. x-coal miner
  - Dave Postles
    
    You were sacrificed by the bean counters. We haven’t had energy security for decades as a result. We still depend on large coal-powered plants (Drax; Radcliffe on Soar). The Coalition has decided to invest 1bn in CCS. Budge/UK Coal has not been an outstanding success, it seems. We are now using slag for the coal-fired power stations. The coal-mining areas have been left in devastation (not least Ashington). Worst of all, the people have been consigned to the scrapheap. We should be ashamed.
- Brumanuensis
  
  Lizzy, a lot of us have mixed feelings on the 1997 – 2010 administration. Don’t feel embarrassed not to be 100% happy about our previous record in government; I’m not and I’d consider myself to be a fairly loyal and ‘modernising centre-left’ sort of Party member. We’re glad to have you aboard.
- Brumanuensis
  
  Lizzy, a lot of us have mixed feelings on the 1997 – 2010 administration. Don’t feel embarrassed not to be 100% happy about our previous record in government; I’m not and I’d consider myself to be a fairly loyal and ‘modernising centre-left’ sort of Party member. We’re glad to have you aboard.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Barker/1546990341 Paul Barker

Perhaps you could ask the comrades how they feel about the last labour governments use of kidnapping & torture, as revealed on the BBc ? I hope that some will feel a little shame.
- Brumanuensis
  
  I feel ashamed, Paul. I have done for some time. I’m glad Ed has signalled that we’re moving away from that dark era in our history, when the rule of law was treated as an optional extra instead of a inviolable principle. Unfortunately the current government aren’t proving much better, with their latest proposals on secret process. This is actually one of the few things I agree more or less whole-heartedly with the Liberals on.
leslie48

If our party continues to remain quiet on the ongoing massacre of families in Syria by Assad’s army – with again more children this weekend – if we are indifferent and cannot say anything on this – we are not fit to be in power. I will not rejoin.
- Frankmadin
  
  do you really think it will make any differance if you do not rejoin the party and thats what it is for all the governents MPs just a party with them eating all the cake for them selves no faith in none of them
  - leslie48
    
    I do not fully agree – people join parties like Labour because they want to see social democratic societies which are socially just, meritocratic, re-distributive, consensus- building , progressive and encouraging economic growth. However my point is not that ; its Labour’s international isolationism which is recent and was never part of the Labour Party I knew when I grew up. It was Labour which would be heard whenever their were atrocities, massacres such as we have each day in Syria; there was never silence from our great Labour leaders in the past.
    - treborc
      
      It would have been very very easy for Harold Wilson to have said OK we will enter into Vietnam with the Americans, he did not, so n0t all of labour are looking for money fame, unlike of course Blair who spent time in American setting up his retirement fund.
Franwhi

I want the Labour Party to really think about the Scottish self-determination issue and stop opposing for opposition’s sake. I want this party to really take this issue by the horns and do something in terms of policy that offers the Scottish electorate a real choice and matches the democratic aspirations of those they represent. I want them to be more radical, more courageous and more responsive than the SNP – to stop siding with the Tories and Lib dems who have meagre mandates in Scotland and rediscover their own distinctive voice for and on behalf of the Scottish people.

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