Well done, Gordon ! Brown has seemingly decided that plans for the Manchester supercasino are to be shelved - forever. Instead, he says the Govt will look at alternative ways of regeneration. I'm very glad to hear this as the very notion of gambling as a way forward for socially disadvantaged communities was, frankly, totally out of line with Labour values. No doubt he will get lots of ire heaped on his head for this but in my view he's made absolutely the right decision. Manchester MPs who backed the plan ( with the best of intentions) should now turn their minds to more positive ways of boosting urban areas. Let's hope Brown does the same.
UPDATE: It has been suggested there ios something "ironic" and "right-wing" about not backing the supercasino idea. In my view, it represented much that was reprehensible and amoral about Blairism. "Investing" in the futures of working people by lining up with fat cats, crooks, and those who prey on the hardships of the financially vulnerable was never a move to be applauded. When was the last time you met a socially responsible casino owner? Presumably one of the reasons why left-wingers like John McDonnell opposed this idea in the first place. Yes, it would have brought jobs to the area. Now let's find some real ones, not sops which do lip service to the idea of regeneration but which really line the pockets of the money men.
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
GORDON'S GAMBLE
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6 comments:
Yes, credit where credit's due - this is the right decision & one I totally wasn't expecting. Well done Gordon!
Gordon Brown must find an alternative for this area, what will give the same jobs, economic regeneration and every other positive aspect that the a super casino would have brought forward. I think that a Super Casino would be better then nothing myself, but nowhere near ideal.
Do you not find it ironic grimmerupnorth that on this issue, you are in firm alliance with the right-wing media on this one?
The Labour party is not supposed to be socially conservative. In fact labour values are supposed to be tolerant and liberal. So why on earth is Brown moralising us and lecturing us in a similar way to Iain Duncan Smith yesterday?
This is not a positive development by any means and nothing will regenerate that area anywhere near as well as the super-casino.
Really?
(Genuine question BTW, I'm a soft southerner and not that familiar with Manchester - is there REALLY no other way of regenerating such an area?)
Robert, there are areas where Labour can be considered liberal, but this is generally with regard to ensuring that people are treated fairly and equally. This is not to be confused with the liberal belief that the state should stay out of peoples lives.
Ultimately, we are socialists and believe in a strong state that should act in a way to improve the lives of it's citizens. In order to do this the government does sometimes have to enforce certain moral values.
Let's not forget that when the Labour Party was formed there was a sizeable tendency who believed alcohol should be banned as it suppressed worker's consciousness. So I'm not sure where this "Labour is supposed to be liberal" stuff comes from.
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