The real power of the consumer Missions vs pledges in 2024

Over the past couple of months both the Tories and the Labour Party have started to set out their stalls for the next general election, which is likely to be some time in 2024. There are three key things that should be shouting out to voters about ‘Labour’s Five Missions’ versus ‘Sunak’s Five Pledges’.

First, ‘Sunak’s Pledges’ are characteristically focused on the short term between now and the next election. ‘Labour’s Missions’ unapologetically recognise that the chaotic mess the Tories have created over three electoral terms will take more than one term to fix.

Second, Labour is ambitious in its missions to become a ‘clean energy superpower’ by 2030 and secure the ‘highest sustained

Dorset Council to divest the millions their pension fund has invested in fossil fuels. Yes, pension funds must seek the best possible returns for their members, but as renewable sources of energy now make more economic sense than fossil fuels, it is obvious where the long-term smart money should go. And of course profit is not the only criteria. To quote Sir David Attenborough: ‘It is crazy that our banks and our pensions are investing in fossil fuels, when these are the very things that are jeopardising the future we are saving for’.

If you are a member of Dorset Council’s pension scheme, you can go to dtaction.co.uk to see how you can help persuade the council to change its investment strategy. Change has to come – and come soon. We consumers really do have the power to drive that change! From changing our lightbulbs to our bank accounts – whatever else we can change – we can help to create a future everyone can all enjoy.

Ken Huggins North Dorset Green Party

growth’ of any G7 country. In comparison, Sunak’s pledges lack any kind of ambition for the UK. His economic focus is narrowly configured around marginal gains in growth, maintaining rather than reducing the cost of living, and making small inroads into reducing the national debt. None of which helps ordinary people in North Dorset who are struggling on a daily basis with the cost of living, and leaves the UK on course to fall behind Poland in terms of growth per capita within the next ten years. Third, while both the Tories and Labour appear to acknowledge the need to improve the NHS, the remainder of their pledges and missions take on a distinctly different feel. While Labour’s missions to reform the justice system and raise education standards point to long-term aspirations for a fairer and more equal society, Sunak’s focus is on continuing to ‘other’ people who arrive on our shores in boats seeking a better life for themselves and their families. While it is clear that Labour will also need to get to grips with the asylum crisis that endangers people seeking a better life, bedevils seaside economies dependent on tourism, and has been proven negligent in its care of unaccompanied children, Sunak’s focus on immigration is nothing less than a cynical appeal to the right of his crumbling and ill-disciplined party that reeks of desperation.