tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169740113013066976.post6642328695961585418..comments2024-02-10T12:12:06.028+00:00Comments on The Real Blog: Is there any reason for Labour's continued existence?David Boylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11410159311875228620noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169740113013066976.post-27246267377193229752013-08-11T22:50:00.967+01:002013-08-11T22:50:00.967+01:00I totally agree with you David. I can't see th...I totally agree with you David. I can't see the point of Labour either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169740113013066976.post-81662488189162625892013-08-11T20:27:23.012+01:002013-08-11T20:27:23.012+01:00Dear Left Lib, I must admit that as I posted that ...Dear Left Lib, I must admit that as I posted that last blog I did think to myself: I haven;t really explained that bit about satisfying needs very well.<br /><br />I am absolutely NOT saying that governments should not satisfy needs. That isn't the point I'm making. I'm saying that when that becomes the core, the central task for government, then there are side-effects which tend to be counter-productive.<br /><br />Satisfying needs begins to take over, and crowd out projects like preventing needs. Satisfying needs becomes an end in itself, and demonstrating needs becomes the only way you can access support. It also tends to be disempowering, because one-way transactions are disempowering.<br /><br />That is what I mean about the poverty of the traditional Labour ambition. That doesn't mean that needs must not be satisfied - quite the reverse - just that there are more important tasks for governments to do David Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11410159311875228620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4169740113013066976.post-90633991021642789072013-08-11T16:16:10.017+01:002013-08-11T16:16:10.017+01:00I find it curious that you use this phrase "s...I find it curious that you use this phrase "satisfying needs". If you are unemployed you claim benefits as you need the money to survive. The Coalition is cutting benefits so that claimants are receiving less money than they need to live on. So if the alternative to satisfying needs is not satisfying needs, is this a policy you are happy with? I think people need to survive without resorting to shoplifting or begging. The preamble of the Lib Dem constitution says we are against poverty, but this government is increasing it. Those in low paid work are not doing much better either. The problem is that no party seems to want to put this right. I do not know what your views are on this. Mahatma Ghandi famously once said there is enough for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed. i think the electorate are having greater difficulty understanding the point of the Liberal Democrats at the momentLeft Libhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06363370783879139149noreply@blogger.com