Labour and monopoly capitalism

The Labour leadership's inept performance continues, I'm afraid. Michael Heseltine got it right in yesterday's Question Time when he said that, were it not for Ukip, the Conservatives would be well ahead in the polls and heading for an easy victory. Anyone in Labour who thinks they are doing well - and Caroline Flint in the same show thought they were - is living in cloud cuckoo land. Labour secured 29% in 2010 and are now running at 33% in the polls. Hardly a ringing endorsement. The problem, I believe, is that Labour is trying to attack the Conservatives at its strong points, instead of its weak ones. One of its weak ones is the Tory association with unacceptable behaviour by monopoly capitalism. The litany of current concerns about market failure and exploitation by big business is quite startling: -The behaviour of banks of course. Market rigging, secret accounts, deceiving retail customers, poor service etc. etc. -Financial institutions that charge hidden and inflated costs for pensions, annuities and investment products -The energy companies overpricing and also deceiving customers through complex tariffs. -The railways with poor and deteriorating quality of service. -The secondary ticket market that rips us all off with overpriced tickets and admin charges -Tax avoidance and evasion. - Price comparison sites that deceive us - Petrol companies that fail to pass on wholesale price reductions in full to customers -Payday loan sharks The public now finds itself having to fight a constant war against such practices, and it is a war that cannot be won without government help. The list goes on. The deregulatory policies of the Conservatives support these iniquities, with the connivance of the Liberal Democrats - but Labour's attack is lame. I constant, unrelenting attack on such market exploitation would yield better results for Labour than trying to compete on economic management. Time also that the Conservatives stood up to be counted on these issues. Then the fruits of their successful economic management might be more evenly spread.