As a member of the Labour Party, I sometimes find myself at odds with my fellow activists over the actions of a Labour Government. This is a fairly normal position for activists of all parties, but for me, it happens often when I trust my Party in Government to be smarter than I am, even when I don’t properly understand what they are doing.Regular readers may feel that this seems odd, recognising that I am someone with a modicum of intelligence, who gives a lot of thought to these things, but when I look at the individuals in the Blair and Starmer governments, in particular, I see bright people, passionately committed to the greater welfare of the British people, who dedicate their working lives to that cause, and have a host of civil service high-level graduates behind them.It is not surprising to me if there are times when I and others cannot compete.There are also differences in aims and purposes, due to a government having financial responsibilities, as well as acting for a wider range of electors, including those who would rather not pay for public services used by others, and those who would rather others paid for the services they consume.Our current government has a further imperative. Ministers have repeatedly complained about the previous Conservative government, with talk of huge holes in their fiscal planning. It seems to be certainly true that the Sunak administration made multiple unfunded promises to the electorate ahead of the election, and also cut billions of tax revenue from NI contributions in a cavalier fashion.I had two uncharitable thoughts at the time. One was that this was a move to sabotage an incoming government, and a reckless one. The other was that it was part of a long-term strategy to impoverish Britain, and hence make us unattractive to migrants. As I say, uncharitable, but I do still wonder. That those same individuals are currently involved in megaphone politics – WE BROKE IT, YOU FIX IT – is currently failing to convince me, or the electorate, of their competence or good will.Trying to improve finances, public services, the NHS, employment rights, all at the same time, is a herculean task. Keir and colleagues appear to have correctly identified key elements, such as the need to encourage economic growth and the need to cut the bill for welfare – for example, by getting claimants back to work. This is something that their Labour predecessors under Tony Blair also prioritised and on which they made considerable improvements, over a period.Two attempts, so far, on winter fuel payments and PIPs, do not appear to have been well thought out, and the changes were themselves changed. Yet this is a government of relentless purpose, shrugging off missteps and focussed on the prize of a properly functioning Britain that we can be proud of.Behind all of the febrile angst about all of this is a fundamental disagreement between Left and Right about the desired direction of the country. Should we be inspired by low welfare America or high welfare Scandinavia? Or – and rather more likely – should we be comfortable in the middle like a France or Germany?My own position is that the United States’ example is one profoundly to avoid. There is a large underclass of individuals who work multiple jobs and yet still struggle to pay for healthcare or college education. Bad certainly for the left-behind individuals, and for those others who want to have pride in their Nation. Is that really what we want for Britain? What do you say?