I'm quite a political animal at heart, I've been a leftist and trades unionist all of my adult life with varying degrees of activism over the years (I'm still the rep at work, but my days of deliberately getting arrested at Aldermaston are probably over). Sadly my own ambition to stand in this election were scuppered by not having any money; maybe next time.I've also lived in places where, frankly, parties of the left have not a hope of gaining a seat. So, thanks to our ridiculous, unfair and hopelessly outdated "first past the post" voting system, I've consistently voted negatively (or what others like to call "tactically") - i.e. vote Liberal Democrat just in an effort to keep the real enemy out. The Tories.
Whisper it for fear of terrifying the children: they might be trying frightfully hard to look as if they give a damn about under-privileged, disabled, working class or minority ethnic people. But they're still Tories. At heart they will only ever care for themselves and their own kind - the wealthier end of society and "the right sort". They'll dress it up in fanciful terms, but their instinct will always be to worsen the lot of the ordinary working person and ensure the better-off ("wealth creators" - pah!) get a bigger slice.
Now, I know quite a few habitual Conservative voters. I'm proud to consider my friends to be my friends regardless of their (oft misguided) political affiliations and we do enjoy a good rambunctious argument on occasion.I've even met some Tory politicians who are personable and can hold a conversation that doesn't sound as if they're scraping their fingernails down a blackboard every time they utter a syllable.
And then I've also been in the presence of Sheryll Murray. More often than anyone should have to. Our very own Millbrook self-aggrandiser and rightist who has managed to get herself elected to parliament. Poor old parliament. Poor old Cornwall South-East. I'll stop there and just await the opportunity to comment further. I'm certain that opportunity will come.
1 comment:
I will be observing developments with interest. I don't know why most Brits seem to be so afraid of proportional representation. It seems to work in most other countries, even in this little insignificant dot in the Pacific. Mind you, it was a shambles for the first term, but it worked itself out eventually.
Post a Comment