Labour Policies Debate

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again. Labour first surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s. Since then, the party has had several spells in government, at first in minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931, then as a junior partner in the wartime coalition from 1940-1945 and ultimately forming majority governments under Clement Attlee in 1945-1951 and under Harold Wilson in 1964-1970. Labour was in government again in 1974-1979, first under Wilson and then James Callaghan, though with a precarious and declining majority.

According to the Labour Party website the Labour Party have achieved the following in their time in power:

Why Labour?

As people live longer and healthcare improves, demand for social care is set to rise over the coming decades. Labour will respond to these demographic changes, taking the right long-term decisions to secure a fair balance of funding between the taxpayer and the individual, and a person-centred service for everyone with long-term needs and their carers. Creating a new care system is a top Labour government priority. We want to give people more control over services and enhance their dignity and quality of life. To do this we are giving more personal budgets to the people who use care services, putting them in control of their own care.

According to the Labour Party website the Labour Party have achieved the following in their time in power:

Why Labour?

Labour understands that good healthcare isn’t just about helping people when they get ill – it’s about helping people to stay healthy in the first place. That’s why we launched the Change4Life campaign, encouraging children and families to stay healthy by eating better and exercising more. We are providing people with advice and support to make healthy choices, from early pregnancy through to old age, and making the environment healthier for everyone with smokefree legislation. And we are investing in prevention and early detection, with more vaccinations, expanded screening programmes and more screening in GPs’ surgeries.

According to the Labour Party website the Labour Party have achieved the following in their time in power:

Why Labour?

Labour believes everyone should have access to a decent home, at an affordable price, in the area where they want to live. We have made real progress since 1997 in tackling Britain’s housing challenges, turning around a £19 billion maintenance backlog in Britain’s social housing stock which the Tories left behind. There are over a million more home owners; and we have delivered major improvements in social housing conditions, and taken action to cut homelessness by two thirds.

According to the Labour Party website the Labour Party have achieved the following in their time in power:

Why Labour?

Labour is working to secure a fair future for Britain. We stand resolutely for the hard working majority of the British people. In this global economic downturn our approach is not only helping people now but also planning for recovery.

Labour is taking decisive action at a local, national and global level to help people through these tough times. We are providing real help now by supporting families and investing in jobs, public services and in key sectors of the economy.

According to the Labour Party website the Labour Party have achieved the following in their time in power:

Why Labour?

Labour believes that sport, the arts and culture play an integral part in enhancing the quality of life for everyone, and uplifting community well-being, as well as making a significant contribution to Britain’s economy.

We believe in making sport and culture accessible and affordable for all. In 2002, just 25 per cent of schoolchildren undertook two hours of physical activity a week, but this has now been raised to 90 per cent thanks to the support provided by Labour in Government and the work of parents, teachers, coaches and volunteers. Meanwhile, since 1997, Britain’s cultural institutions have seen a renaissance, with unprecedented investment combined with the introduction of free admission to museums and galleries.

According to the UK Labour Party website the Labour Party will try to achieve the following if they retain power at the 2010 general election:

Labour’s Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, has welcomed the new or refurbished schools opening this month.

September (2009) will see 400 new or refurbished schools opening their doors for a new term – including the new City Academy in Hackney which the Prime Minister opened this morning.

These schools make up part of the almost 4000 schools built, rebuilt or refurbished by Labour since 1997 – the biggest sustained period of school building for decades.

According to the UK Labour Party website the Labour Party will try to achieve the following if they retain power at the 2010 general election:

Thousands of children will gain business skills under new plans to extend football enterprise initiatives to Premier League clubs across the country.

Labour’s Business Secretary, John Hutton MP, announced the extension on the day that Aston Villa and Manchester City confirmed they will both take part in the community programmes, delivering education to local 13 and 14-year-olds.

The scheme will be modelled on successful enterprise academies currently run at Middlesbrough FC and Blackburn Rovers – both of which have helped local children improve their entrepreneurial skills and increase their awareness of business planning and finance.