Difference in ideology between JLP and PNP?

I was a teenager during that tumultuous 1980 election campaign period and I was scarred for life.
So no, I have never voted as I associated elections with murders. But I now find myself being very interested in Jamaica Politics.

I went searching on both the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party's websites to see if I could find out what each party's ideology is. JLP had a section on Our History, which gave a historical account of the party since 1962. But I didn't see a clear message of what they stand for.

For the PNP, would a top notch web designer and branding expert please offer your service to redo their whole site! It is piss pot poor!

As a teen back in the 1976 - 1980 period, my impression was that PNP was for the poor. They wanted to re-distribute the wealth from the rich to the poor. The message that reached to the people (the "small man") was that it was their time. I read an account of a lady whose parents owned a business. They lived in somewhere like Havendale or Meadowbrook (middle class areas) and one day when they were home, some burglars came in and said it was their time now. So some Jamaicans felt they were entitled to take things from those who had. That family migrated, and so did many others....Michael Manely famously said "there are 5 flights a day" to Miami

During the PNP years, foreign exchange was restricted (Hello Trinidad!). No "foreign" food on the supermarket shelves.

When the JLP won in 1980, my impression was that they were a free market type party. That is, if you were so smart and lucky to make money, then let the chips fall where they may. We could now get foreign cornflakes and other foreign food, like in 'merica! We had gone to New York in the summer of 1980, so imagine our delight of no more empty shelves!

So in my mind, PNP was socialist and represented the downtrodden and less fortunate, while the JLP was capitalist and for the rich. But then the name "Labour" in their name would suggest otherwise.

So, can someone with a good understanding of these parties, tell me what is the difference in ideology between the two?

In reply to Yamfoot

It’s times like this that I miss the late, great Ewart Walters…Jah rest his soul..

Sista Yammie - it’s way more complicated than your summation above..

Unfortunately time does not permit a responsible answer to your question..which by the way I know is an honest attempt at enlightenment

The only thing I would say is that those burglars in Havendale or Norbrook did not represent the vast and overwhelming majority of Jamaicans who took a different message from Michael Joshua Manley…

In reply to Yamfoot

I'll try. The PNP under Norman Manley identified itself as Fabian Socialist with Michael reframing this as democratic socialism with central planning and multiple State enterprises. By the 90s, the PNP saw itself as a third way model between capitalism & socialism. So it established the free market but with the BOJ to have a managed floating currency while govt would look to steer private sector investment in specific areas of the economy eg call centres, tourism, agriculture. This path they continued right through to PSM. They also put in place social programmes to minimise the impact of the neoliberal policies they were pursuing so things like PATH, JADEP, NHF, JSIF etc and govt was also heavily involved in sports through the SDF and SDC. Even in the recent election, the PNP manifesto spoke to targeting specific sectors for growth while looking to build from the bottom up as suggested by NHT paying the deposit for homeowners, the first in the family scholarship for university & the 3.5 million threshold. So they take a more people centred approach and look to build from the bottom by recognising the close relationship between economy & society and seek to use the economy to uplift society through govt action. More of a social democratic approach.

The JLP despite Labour in its name tends to fall on an ideology of whatever works so it can gain or maintain power. It is neoliberal capitalist but if it thinks using socialist rhetoric and/or optics will bring it power-it will do so as Bruce did in 07 and Andrew keeps doing. The JLP policy wise however operates on a TOP DOWN approach with the idea that one just needs to tinker with the economy and the benefits will trickle down to society. Even their manifesto of reducing the tax rate to 15%, it means that higher income earners will benefit more while in the PNP's plan LOWER income earners would benefit more. The JLP believes govt should do the minimum providing only the most basic of services as evidenced by the health sector where diagnostic services are outsourced to private entities. The JLP thinks that you just need to set the macroeconomy right and growth will happen without any need for govt intervention. That is the basic difference-how they see the role of govt in economy & society. Heavy concept of personal responsibility & pick yourself by your own bootstraps mentality with the JLP so more neoliberal capitalist.

Do better than that, cuz I know you can. You not doing yourself justice with these kinds of biased assessments. The cornerstone of any quality analysis is to question any internal bias you may have so that you can arrive at new knowledge or new solutions.

In reply to carl0002

I said what I said. Prior to Tufton taking over the health ministry ALL the hospitals had diagnostic services. THOSE have been privatised as have morgue services. When Tuffy was Agriculture minister he made speeches. When Roger Clarke took over the GOVT introduced agroparks which contributed to growrh in agriculture and hence GDP growth since agri has a greater multiplier effect that tourism. I used to spend time reading PIOJ forecasts and STATIN reports of actual growth and followed up religiously including the IMF comeback after the JLP govt agreement fell apart. The PNP of 2012 when they finally got an IMF agreement thanks to PSM engaging the CBC, one of the things EVERYONE including private sector was clamouring for was the loss of public sector jobs ON TOP of the wage freeze. PDP did the programme WITHOUT job losses and Portia initiated JEEP to try to minimise the austerity. The PNP as govt also ACTIVELY sought investors to come into sectors and when the left we had had record FDI flow same as when they left in 2007. In FACT, in 2007 poverty was 9.9% lowest ever then and economy was at 3%. FDI FELL under the JLP from 07-11 and again from 16-now because the JLP does not see govt as a means of uplifting people. It sees the role of govt as setting a stable foundation and everything else will follow. It will also do ANYTHING including socialism if they believe it will win them the election so free education and health care in 07 even though they NEVER increased the budgetary allocations to make up the shortfalls from cost sharing. See the rural bus service now with LHD old buses requiring money to retrofit and they are unsuitable for certain rural routes. See the 1.5 in 2016 which they said could be financed WITHOUT taxes. It cost 30bn in taxes. YOU ARE NOT UNBIASED. The basic TRUTH is the JLP uses working class ppl to provide incentives and other benefits for the larger capitalist class. These are the ppl who offered IMPORT licences for potatoes and gave GCT waivers for horseracing but when the First in the Family scholarship and incentives for small & micro businesses were proposed- first question was will it be funded. The JLP will ALWAYS look out for the capitalist class who in turn will ALWAYS look out for them. They were the ones who brought Bruce back. There is a REASON there was a backlash in the 70s and many social programmes implemented. It is because in the 60s-growth in the economy did not reach the masses. It is also an entity with a colonial mindset We are with West, banning Walter Rodney, Black Power and Black Beauty. They also banned Rivers of Babylon, committed Coral Gardens massacre of Rastafarians. Conspired with the US to undermine the Manley govt. Seaga had a failed illusion of an auction system. Many of the institutions which failed in the financial sector meltdown started under Seaga and many were JLP connected including Seaga's forgotten loan.

The current JLP is also authoritarian fascist having attacked the press, the Information Minister threatened to control speech on social media, their trolls attack anyone who dares to challenge them. The police wemt to a man's house DURING COVID to have him apologise for insulting the PM. They have breached the Constitution regularly and it has taken lawyers for ppl as well as PNP lawyers to shut them down. They tried to put the Chief Justice on probation but the Judiciary revolted. They also have their own propanda media outlets-NNN & the Jamaica Observer. Several NNN left there for roles in govt/administration.You are so right- tthey are neoliberal capitalist authoritarian fascist but as we have been discovering neoliberal capitalism leads toward fascism. I am always BEMUSED by how JLP supporters cannot see the STRIKING PARALLELS between their party and leader and MAGA/Trump. There are none so blind as those who truly refuse to see. Andrew isn't any different from Trump. Remove the scales.