[Times column] Jeremy Clarkson: “Labour’s only game is to keep the rich in check”
Posted by FlipStig1@reddit | thegrandtour | View on Reddit | 123 comments
Jeremy Clarkson decided to put on his political hat (he’s consistently supported UK Conservative policies over the years) and did his best to analyze Labour’s political strategy from that perspective. Here’s the most coherent part from his column:
“I think I have an answer. In the days of South Yorkshire socialism, the Labourites didn’t necessarily want to bash the rich. They just wanted a decent standard of living for themselves and other hard-working families in their communities. Today, though, we have north London socialism and that’s a different animal.
“It hates all things bright and beautiful. It recognises that the underdog is always right and the overdog is always wrong.”
(Please note that these are solely Clarkson’s views, and watch out for any potential paywalls.)
Rogthgar@reddit
Meanwhile after 14 years of Tory rule: Everything is broken, everything is expensive, only ones doing all right are the ultra wealthy... and right now in opposition, all they are is the 'against party' even their own policies.
MillennialsAre40@reddit
And labour is pulling hard to the right because they some how think that's the way to deal with reform
Panda_Panda69@reddit
So what actual left parties are there in the UK now? The Greens and the SNP?
Damn and I thought my country’s politics were weird
Phoenix_Kerman@reddit
labour are still a left wing party, they're just centre left and people on reddit don't like that. the greens are anti getting anything done to help the environment or people and the snp are a joke.
FearLeadsToAnger@reddit
They're center right these days tbh. They only look center left to tories and people who haven't looked into it recently.
Anything you'd suggest they've done recently that's remotely left was an empty gesture.
TheIncredibleFail@reddit
Paying public sector workers properly. Removing the wealthy bribe of WFA. Taxing private education. All left wing policies.
FearLeadsToAnger@reddit
They’ve backed tougher immigration controls, half-arsed rail nationalisation, refused to repeal anti-strike laws, and won’t reverse austerity-era benefit cuts. The so-called left-wing stuff like taxing private schools or removing WFA for millionaires is more about optics than substance. None of it challenges the economic status quo. Nothing left about that. Anything remotely left done is out of absolute necesity, not political will.
TheIncredibleFail@reddit
And yet the decision to properly fund our public servants is a huge and expensive leftist move. Starmer is a centrist, but his party is left of centre and still pushing for social reform. You can’t just ignore the left of the party and the changes made since coming into power as it suits your view of them being right of centre.
FearLeadsToAnger@reddit
You're conflating expenditure with ideology, spending money on public services isn’t inherently leftist. It depends how and why it’s spent. A government can fund public services to maintain social stability and productivity without ever challenging wealth concentration, ownership structures, or worker power dynamics.
Labour under Starmer has maintained or promised to maintain key elements of the Conservative economic legacy, such as corporate tax rates, anti-strike legislation, and the benefits cap. These are not left-of-centre positions. They represent technocratic centrism at best, and status quo preservation at worst.
Starmer’s party may have some centre-left members, but the leadership platform has bent over backwards to reassure capital, meeting with bankers, purging left-wing MPs, and softening or reversing previous commitments to public ownership and wealth redistribution.
Calling this “left” because it spends some money is a bit like calling a centre-right European party left-wing just because they fund pre-existing healthcare. It misses the point entirely. This isn’t about vibes. It’s about material outcomes and structural intent, take your fingers out of your ears.
TheIncredibleFail@reddit
It is a core Labour value, and has always been so. Despite the Tory party leaving no money to pay for key public services, Labour has begun rebuilding the social foundations that the previous idiots destroyed. I have spoken to Lawyers, Police and Teachers and all see some light at the end of a dark tunnel. You seem to think the only leftist possibilities are in financial rebalancing. Well, fixing our broken services is helpful for all. I am quite happy that Labour are trying their best to navigate a difficult legacy with competence rather than an urge to appease. Yes, promising no tax rises was foolish - but only if you don’t believe the press wasn’t weaponised against Labour if they had decided to go more full on.
FearLeadsToAnger@reddit
Hmmm being pro-union was far more of a core labour value and where the fuck is thaf now? You’re not wrong that fixing public services matters, and yes, Labour has made some marginal improvements. But let’s not pretend this is some bold reform. Rebuilding basic functionality after a decade of degradation isn’t a vision, it’s damage control.
Calling it a "core Labour value" doesn’t change the fact that Starmer’s leadership has deliberately avoided structural change. No wealth tax, no serious nationalisation, no challenge to anti-union laws. These aren’t just fiscal decisions, they’re political choices that leave inequality and power imbalances untouched.
If Labour’s strategy is to tweak the edges while appeasing the press and capital, that’s not left. That’s triangulation. And while it may win votes, barely, let’s stop pretending it’s something more transformative than it is.
TheIncredibleFail@reddit
Transformative happens in times of moderate stability. This is not such a time. We are genuinely in a period of fixing what is broken and stabilising the rest. 2 year waits for court dates due to Tory cuts driving out half the legal workforce. It will take years to see the benefits of what Labour is doing. NHS waiting times already coming down. But still, this is a government determined to fix what it broken even if they please nobody in the short term.
I am like you, by the way, in wanting much stronger left wing moves. This is a nation that leans right, not left, and it is a start to have a centrist Labour party working for the good and not only for short term gain. If Labour get back in for a second term, I suspect we will see the left of the party emboldened and more radical changes put in place. For now, I am just glad the core basics are being prioritised. I say all this as a lifetime public servant who has seen the gutting of our systems firsthand.
FearLeadsToAnger@reddit
I used to tell myself Labour would tack left once they had the breathing room of holding office. But like I say above, that hope disappeared once Starmer started ruling out wealth taxes, nationalisation and meaningful union rights. A party that has spent five years reassuring the country it is safe will not suddenly bite the hand that funds it. If Labour wins again it will be on the promise of stability, not transformation, so the incentive will be to deliver more of the same. I will keep pushing for stronger left-wing policy, but I am done pretending this leadership is quietly building toward it, and I think it's fanciful to do otherwise.
But this is the endless issue with our governance, it's always between settling for the least shit option available and pushing for more.
shadowboy@reddit
As much as Reddit will make you believe otherwise… the left isn’t popular in the UK. Especially in the population that actually turns up to vote
booxterhooey@reddit
Sounds familiar........
shadowboy@reddit
Tbh I blame Reddit mods be overly ban hammer friendly and creating super echo chambers. You can’t have an actual discussion on here with anyone about politics
ibled_orange@reddit
That's a dumb take. The only reddit mods that are removing that kind of comment are the ones in conservative subreddits. In other subreddits it's either people not wanting to share their opinion or they get down voted for one reason or another.
Adduly@reddit
Lol. I got banned from green and pleasant for suggesting whilst we should get rid of the monarchy, from the numbers I've seen they financially benefit the country and we would have to account for the fact that no government, even one that abolished them, would realistically seize the private property that belongs in the crown trust.
shadowboy@reddit
Absolutely bullshit. You get banned from front page reddits (pics) for posting in asmongold Reddit (regardless of if you did it during his old wow days or not)
ThatAdamsGuy@reddit
Before it went into Uber Lockdown, I put on my hazmat suit and left a comment fact checking a post in /r/conservative
What swiftly followed was at least five bans from various big subs that just insta block anybody who interacts in any way.
Normal Reddit isn't too bad but as soon as you get to the larger subreddits there's definitely a problem with over moderation
shadowboy@reddit
Yeah I agree. And all that does is make 2 echo chambers… cause the left can’t fact check the right and the right can’t talk with the left
oldknave@reddit
You trying to argue that reddit isn't filled with power tripping political extremist super mods gave me a big belly laugh, thanks for that.
Dr_Poth@reddit
lol
Adduly@reddit
Not helped as our voting system. "First past the post" tends to give the Tories a head start as the country seats with fewer voters per MP have a strong Tory bias.
The labour votes are concentrated in the city where a higher proportion of their votes get wasted into fewer safe seat votes.
And until recently the right was fairly unified with UKIP then Reform only slightly splitting the right. Whereas since Blair there has been the greens, the SNP, the social democratic wing of the Lib Dems, and of course Labour splitting the left to center vote.
ARookwood@reddit
Liberal Democrats.
rwbeckman@reddit
Hmmm, sounds familiar, gives Orange vibes. Source: Am American (US).
thecrius@reddit
Hmmm, sounds familiar, gives unga bunga vibes. Source: Am Italian (IT).
symmy546@reddit
What right wing things have they done?
MillennialsAre40@reddit
The new white paper on immigration is very hard right.
symmy546@reddit
Having a border is not a right wing idea. Boris deciding to abolish the border does not mean that reinstating it means the UK is now a far right country. Please grow up
MillennialsAre40@reddit
How is requiring people to be on work visas for twice as long as it used to be, including people who are already here on that path to get ILR and actually settle "reinstate" a border. I've already been here for 6 years on student and graduate visa and now they want me to do another 9 on my work visa before I can be confidently settled and be open to working for different companies and stuff
RThrowaway1111111@reddit
Reddit take
PeterOwen00@reddit
It’s not hard right
badskinjob@reddit
Just like in the US, the reason we can't afford things and the reason things like housing is so expensive is because in 4 years we had 20 million new people to house and feed...
Can't have a welfare state AND open borders and expect things to never run out.
HaoGS@reddit
And demographic replacement
Snowbold@reddit
I think it’s amazing (in a sad way) that even with the Conservative Party messing up that much, throughout those elections, voters still said they wouldn’t pick Labor.
Almost like they were afraid Labor would make it worse, until finally they were so desperate they had to make a change.
wfsgraplw@reddit
I think it's also important to bear in mind that a lot of the "never Labour" voters will remember the Labour of the mid 70s, before Thatcher, when they were genuinely insane. And that's coming from a lefty.
A Reddit comment is not the place to cover this, but if you're at all interested in history the dudes over at the Rest is History did a four-part series called Britain in 1974 that is well worth checking out. Yes, they both lean Conservative but for the most part keep that out of it. After listening to that I finally got why my parents hate Labour.
Rogthgar@reddit
Its the unfortunate result of the UK media landscape being dominated by right-wing views, so the headlines are always going be 'Labour screws up' and some people dont get any deeper into politics than the headlines.
Snowbold@reddit
Having Jeremy Corbin confirming those fears didn’t help. They decided they needed to break from that if they would get the UK to believe they weren’t going to do worse than the Tories.
Rogthgar@reddit
I does make you think if Labour hadn't had a leader who was radioactive... the UK might have avoided having Johnson as PM.
Fornad@reddit
Clarkson’s just mad his kids will have to pay inheritance tax on his assets like normal people
The_Soldiet@reddit
Inheritance tax. What a stupid thing to have.
colintron@reddit
Inheritance is the stupid thing to have.
The_Soldiet@reddit
So much jealousy. Why don't you use that energy for something productive?
colintron@reddit
Good idea: I'll work on helping people realise that the system of wealth inheritance causes inequality and suffering.
You've mistaken empathy for jealousy, btw.
The_Soldiet@reddit
How does inheritance create suffering? What tf does it matter to you, that someone got a bunch of stuff from their dead parents, and you don't? Would it lessen your suffering if they had to sell everything?
Xesyliad@reddit
I’d be happy to have a high floor on that tax, a couple of million. Above that inheritance tax would be a great way to ensure locked up wealth is redistributed fairly.
Giggalo_Joe@reddit
You have no right to the wealth of another, regardless of how acquired: earned, inherited, married, or luck.
colintron@reddit
and neither do they.
Xesyliad@reddit
Fucking oath society does, it's called taxation.
callum_bell@reddit
There are plenty of disgustingly rich families in the UK who can trace their lineage all the way back to the Norman conquest.how can anyone justify bestowing one line of people untold riches based on the actions of some basically ancient lord almost 1000 years ago. They have not done anything to deserve that. Redistribution of wealth is a stepping stone on the path to a more utopian society .
Giggalo_Joe@reddit
This view is delusionsl and could never exist. It is in human nature to seek advantage. Even if you somehow made all persons equal, within a day it would already be unbalanced.
colintron@reddit
You're assuming everyone's as nasty as you.
11b328i@reddit
Found the duke
The_Soldiet@reddit
I'm a working man from Norway. If I want to make something of myself and earn money and assets, I'd want my kids to inherit all of it.
FearLeadsToAnger@reddit
Beyond a certain point they don't need it, and if wealth concentrates too much in any one area of a population the whole thing gets miserable for everyone, because the poor get pretty desperate.
Inheritance tax only applies over a million, which is enough to live your entire life comfortably if you live off the interest.
Giggalo_Joe@reddit
You have no idea how money actual works and how little a million really is.
AvoidingIowa@reddit
Just the interest alone would get you the average UK salary without ever touching the million.
FearLeadsToAnger@reddit
Incorrect.
11b328i@reddit
Best of luck pal
The_Soldiet@reddit
Man, the jealousy of the far left never ceases to amaze me.
Lothar_Ecklord@reddit
You shouldn’t have anything left over unless you’re a capitalist pig! And even though that money has already been taxed to death, it also must be taxed upon death because fuck you for having anything!
Tim6181@reddit
It is not you taxed on death. You’re dead. It’s the people inheriting getting taxed on the income they receive. Like any other income they receive.
Frankly I can never understand this view that somehow you should be able to receive an unearned income, (and it is, your kids have done nothing to earn it) tax free.
It’s a policy very rich people support for obvious reasons and somehow get people with fuck all to vote in support of too.
My personal stance there should be a limit of say 1.5m linked to inflation that’s tax free. The rest 100% taxed. Including trusts. Multi generational wealth is not good for society
Giggalo_Joe@reddit
But its already been taxed.
Lothar_Ecklord@reddit
Oh yeah, I forgot I’m not allowed to think differently here.
The_Soldiet@reddit
Then what the f is the point? Why would you work your ass off all your life, if the government just takes the rest? When you've got the 1.5 mill, there's no point doing anything else. Rich people aren't a disease, they're needed.
dirkle@reddit
Do you mean everything over 1.5m is taxes at a 100% tax rate? So you can only pass 1.5m on and the rest is taken by the government?
Tim6181@reddit
Yes. Your children have done nothing to earn the money. If they want more earn it themselves and stop sponging off their parents.
Or if you don’t want the government getting it. Spend it. It’s good for the economy.
But ultimately the government had a bigger hand in you earning that money than your kids did.
doyu@reddit
Make more. Your kids will be fine.
If you can't afford taxes, that's a you problem.
11b328i@reddit
Chill out bro. I’m not a communist.
Callum1708@reddit
lol inheritance tax is not far left at all.
Deadbeatdone@reddit
They should have to earn it like everyone else.
Logic-DL@reddit
You mean like how all the rich bellends earned their money?
Oh right no, they inherited mummy and daddy's fortune whom inherited that from their mummy and daddy, whom inherited that from theirs
Deadbeatdone@reddit
So the first guy had a problem with me saying his kids should get a fucking job and you have a problem with the "like everyone else" part of the statement. So let me ask you, is everyone you know a millionaire living off daddy's money?
The_Soldiet@reddit
Jealous much? Just think about yourself, instead of everyone else and life will get so much better.
Swolyguacomole@reddit
If only they actually did that. Labour is the Tory party of ten years ago with a different paint scheme
Sarcastic_Brit314@reddit
Yes all their super right wing policies like renationalising the railways, abolishing the cap on child support, building more infrastructure, making it easier to get sustainable heating, closing tax loopholes for the rich, working with the EU.
It's all right up there next to Bojo on the political compass.
ExpectedBehaviour@reddit
Darn.
MightyMeatPuppet@reddit
He says that like it's a bad thing
Clarkey101@reddit
Wonder what he thought of the previous 14 years of hell that’s left this country in a dreadful state? He does talk an awful lot of shit does Jeremy
CaliMassNC@reddit
That’s probably the 14 most successful years of his life as an individual. If the rest of society are comparative losers, what is it to him?
Clarkey101@reddit
Just nice to imagine that he’d have some sort of conscience or ability to consider others but apparently that’s not the case
Corsair4@reddit
Dunno why you would think that, Clarkson has essentially no ability to think beyond himself and his immediate surroundings. You can just look at his attitude towards the environment for proof of that.
cambo3g@reddit
It's so funny in an incredibly sad way how shitty he was about environmentalists for decades, exactly until he spent all of 5 minutes trying to farm and realized "hey this directly effects me now so it's a real issue." That alone should invalidate most of his political takes.
AvoidingIowa@reddit
Conservatives don’t recognize a problem unless it directly harms them.
DavidPuddy666@reddit
“South Yorkshire socialism” vs “North London socialism” sounds incredibly racially coded…
Pleb15@reddit
Anti semitic dog whistle bringing up "North London"
Ok_Lock9330@reddit
I just wish he was at all right. Labour have barely paid lip service to the idea of keeping the rich in check. They are slightly less "just give the rich everything" than the Tories... Fuck off Clarkson.
SlashRaven008@reddit
Well this isn’t true, trans people are getting destroyed by labour. Labour is further to the right than the tories these days as they’re chasing the reform vote.
thejoshimitsu@reddit
Jeremy Clarkson is genuinely an all time great TV presenter. His politics are absolute dog shit though.
Giggalo_Joe@reddit
He speaks the truth. The opposition to his views are either too uneducated, too naive, or just plain too much living in a world that has never existed and can't exist to see it.
TheMonkFeesh@reddit
So many poor people in the comments. Labour aren’t doing a good job so far.
Underscore_Blues@reddit
You need the poor just so you can feel better about yourself, apparently. Maybe be grateful they inflate your ego.
TheMonkFeesh@reddit
It’s just funny to watch unsuccessful people whine about others that have done well for themselves.
Underscore_Blues@reddit
And here you are, living your best life on a bank holiday weekend, typing on reddit just like the rest of us peasants.
TheMonkFeesh@reddit
I didn’t know Reddit was exclusively for the poor!
VLHACS@reddit
That doesn't sound like a bad idea lol. What good is it to keep the majority of the wealth in the hands of a few people? It's not like they instantly become commoners or anything either. It's just making sure the obscenely rich stays well, just incredibly rich.
TrueTech0@reddit
Like most Conservatives, he's fine with the system as long as it benefits him.
He was fine with the Conservative pillaging the farming communities, until he became a farmer.
He was fine with tax loop holes, as long as they benefit him like the inheritance tax, which is the only reason he bought a farm
Dependent-Interview2@reddit
How is he not a Trumper is a mystery...
hugh_gaitskell@reddit
He's pro eu as well he's just a die hard thatcherite which is hilarious honestly
Stormwatcher33@reddit
I WISH they were keeping the rich in check.
Several_Bluebird9404@reddit
Clarkson is full of shit. He's a reasonably entertaining TV presenter, but his opinions are worthless bollox.
Ok-disaster2022@reddit
I like how Clarkson talks about how hard farmers have it meanwhile UK farmers have been screed by Tories for the last decade and a half. Labour is a shit show for sure because it's like herding cats.
cosmoscrumb@reddit
Fair play to Jezza, his ability to spout absolute bollocks remains unmatched
Ozzimo@reddit
If you take political advice from an orangutan, you're gonna get what you asked for. Monkey Business.
megjake@reddit
Rich white boomer says rich white boomer things. Just because I love all the laughs Jeremy has given us doesn’t mean I have to care about his political beliefs.
ConstructionRare4123@reddit
I only read like 5 paragraphs but dang Jeremy is a great writer
Reg_Vardy@reddit
I've asked Reddit to stop recommending stories from this sub.
thats-chaos-theory@reddit
Why is it that whenever British politics comes up in this sub the comments section is always full of misinformed Americans?
Callum1708@reddit
They’re American, it’s not surprising that the majority of them are idiots.
sprauncey_dildoes@reddit
Well it’s a start.
Nopengnogain@reddit
Shocking coming from a rich old guy.
JoeRedditting@reddit
Old man shouts at clouds again
First_Lake_164@reddit
The rich will do whatever they have to in order to protect the status quo. Shut up you big sad gammon.
signmeupnot@reddit
The hyper boomer strikes again
PineConeTracks@reddit
Aww is somebody having to pay some tax?
Skysflies@reddit
Rich people don't really recognise the damage the conservatives do because they can afford the same quality of life regardless.
It doesn't matter if the NHS falls apart from cuts because they can afford private. It doesn't matter that buses don't run or trains are delayed because they get helicopters and private transport everywhere.
What does matter is when someone says they'll have slightly less money for those things
Redhawk911@reddit
Jeremy can you please just once just shut up. We know you love to see the world go to shit under all the right wing rules in the world just as long as you’re money, that you earned through years of tax payers bbc, is safe.
bobsvaginplsbabyjirl@reddit
Your
Tiki1927@reddit
Clarkson you idiot!
RyanCorven@reddit
Not that I think that Labour's got any intention if "keeping the rich in check", it's not like the "let the rich do whatever they want" policy of the last government was a rousing success for anybody but the rich, was it?
RocasThePenguin@reddit
I don't care about your political opinions, you daft fat pillock. You are an old 1% boomer.
codece@reddit
I hear this in Jeremy's voice, and picture him topping James May as he says it.