He (and Labour as a whole) is doing very well, but no better than I expected to be honest, as I expected them to do very well.
People will say "well they've had nothing major to deal with", which is fair enough, but that was also kind of the point of getting them in power. They don't create many problems for themselves, and they've made lots of positive moves with little media backlash, this is good.
Everything he and they are saying has been calm, practical and well thought out I think, and it's showing in the approval polls. It's not just starter though, this is a reflection on the whole of Labour, it's not just about one person.
I can understand some will have an issue with the two child benefit cap, but can see points for this from all sides, and they need to find a balance somehow, maybe the two child limit is balance? How many go on to have a third kid when they already have two on benefits?
People will say "Why are people having three or more kids when they can't afford one or two kids?", and I find it fairly difficult to disagree with this as a basic principle. Times are desperate, people shouldn't be committing to things they cannot afford until they're/ we're in a better position. Where is the extra money coming from to pay out more benefits?
Of course it's not the kids fault they're being pushed into effective poverty either though, of course not, but I don't believe the parents should come out better off due to it. The money has to 100% go to the kids, but I've no idea whether this actually happens or not.
For me, I think we should fund lifting the two child benefit cap, and fund it by removing the triple lock on pensions, but also by means testing the pension, give the poor more, and the richer less or nil. The money has to come from the richest generation, to fund the poorest I think. The result of this would likely mean I never get a state pension myself (I don't think I will anyway, regardless of this), and I won't feel any benefit or removing the two child benefit cap as I don't have or want kids, but I'm not bothered, people will likely need it a lot more than me.
Removing the triple lock or means testing the pension will lose Labour loads of older votes though, but if they're going to do that, now is the time, they don't want to be doing it near an election etc. It looks like they've decided not to do this though, but maybe they will look at that next term if they get in.
The UK needs kids though, and really needs to encourage people having them, the birth rate is through the floor. So even as an economical decision it really makes sense lifting the cap for the long term, but it will take a long time to play/ pay out. Can people look 20-30 years ahead though? It would be a good investment, and the pensioners need these kids to be working and paying tax, to fund their pensions. Nobody has paid into a public pension pot all their life which they take money out of, that's not how it works, it's not like a private pension. The current pensioners are funded by the current workers, if we have less workers there's less going into the pot. When pensioners were working they were funding the pensions of those older than them etc.
All they know is deflection, and they won't acknowledge their failures.
