Election Ferver
Given the load of twaddle on the TV at the moment about the election, I figured I should vent here. I should say before I start that I'm a long time Liberal Democrat, but I've been listening to all the major parties, as I always do, before finally making up my mind about my voting.
Let's start with Labour. They're asking us to trust them on the economy and trust them to run the country. Hmmm.
On Tony Blair himself, I actually believe that he believes that what he's doing and what he's done is the right thing. I really do. I don't agree that what he did, especially over Iraq, was the right thing, but I do believe that he believes that. And I have respect for him for that. Do I want him to be PM again? I'm not really sure about that. If Bush hadn't been reelected, I probably wouldn't have worried either way. But the idea of 4 more years of lapdog Blair makes me sick.
Re Messer Brown, however... I don't trust him further than I can throw him. His loyalty is in doubt, especially as during all the Brown v. Blair hype in the media he hasn't really ever stuck up for his lord and master. At least not convincingly. Blair on the other hand has always stuck up for Brown. Whether they'd mean it or not is another matter, but they could have at least shut the fecking media up about the 'are they, aren't they?' shit and we might have found out about more interesting things.
On their policies, it's more of the same. Okay, that means relative stability - and for those too young to remember the Thatcher govt, believe me, this is a *very* stable time - which isn't a bad thing. But where is the radicalism of the old Labour? Where are the new ideas? I don't really see any.
Re the Tories. Well, the LJ would probably go into meltdown if I said what I really think about them. You youngsters out there, don't be swayed by Howard. The man is a vicious, right-wing bastard. Under the last Tory govt, me and mine went through hell. My dad lost his job of nearly 40 years at the steel works, along with thousands of others. And what did the Tories do for the area? Sweet FA. Only now is S Wales starting to recover from the nightmare of the Thatcher years. It's been over 20 years since the nightmare started and only *now* are people starting to really regenerate the country.
I feel dreadfully sorry for the MG Rover workers - believe me, I *know* what they and their families are going through. The announcement just made is that a £150m support package has been pledged by the govt. I'm *glad*. Wish we'd seen something like that when about 6 times the amount of jobs were lost overnight.
Despite what they say, the Tories will make life hell for immigrants - legal or otherwise. Don't let them fool you into thinking they're 'reformed'. Maybe a hundred years of obscurity might work. It's worked for the Liberals.
And as for their tax-cut, increase spending plan. HUH? Puh-lease. No one in their right mind believes that. The Tories *cannot* be trusted with our money. I know that for a fact having lost a house because of them. I was pregnant, a mother of a small kid, my hub was having to work 70 miles away and *I* was working and we still lost it. I will *never* forgive them for making my kids effectively homeless.
As for the Lib Dems, it's about time people *listened* to them. I don't agree with all the policies, but I can guarantee you, if, by some miracle, they got into government, we'd have one of the best, most progressive, forward thinking and original governments we've ever had. Why? For a number of reasons.
One, and the main one, at least from this sceptic's point of view, is simple. They don't expect to be in power. Nobody becomes a Lib Dem thinking they're going to be in government. Therefore, they join the party because they believe in their policies. In my opinion, anyone who wishes to have power is by definition, not qualified to have it. Charlie Kennedy might dream of being PM, but he's not in politics because he really believes he's going to achieve it. So his, and his colleagues', driving force is to try to make as many differences as they can while in opposition. Should, by some stretch of the imagination, they win the election, you just *know* they're going to try their damnedest to do a good job for the people of this country. Even the most sceptical would have to see that. You could use the reasoning that they'd make sure that the first term would be a good one to ensure a chance at a second term, but hey, up to 5 years of honest govt would make a change, right?
Their policies are fair. The rich pay more - a little more, not a whole load, at least compared to what they had to pay under Thatcher - and the poor pay less. They're going to try to make the country greener. I'm all in favour of that. And they will do their best to equalise society. They backed the govt in introducing the civil partnership scheme and have, while in opposition, been brave enough to push as hard as they can for equality for all, even though in some people's eyes, it's a policy that makes them unpopular. They've *never* shied away from the difficult policies, even if it costs them time and again in votes. If for no other reason they deserve respect, they really deserve it for that. I guess that I'm asking that people listen to them and give them a chance.
Of course, there are other parties. UKIP and 'Veritas' - two parties that I wouldn't give standing room in an empty bar to. Right-wing, anti-Europe, anti-everyone... Little Englanders whose supporters are as narrow minded as they are. That's as much of a mention as they're going to get from me.
In the Celtic countries, there are the nationalist parties. Nationalist used to be a dirty word, but hopefully people will at least now understand that you can be a nationalist without being a xenophobe. The SNP and Plaid Cymru are pro-European. They're okay about people migrating to their countries, mainly because so many natives have emigrated, but hey, a welcome is a welcome, right? The only party I've ever voted for that wasn't Liberal was Plaid when I lived at home and I'm proud to do so. They're a socialist party, but without the dire connotations that used to carry.
N Ireland is a law unto itself and I would dream of trying to understand it. But before voting there, I would look into your heart and not at what your parents have always voted. Whichever way you vote there, please vote for peace. The party isn't relevant, the message is.
Let's start with Labour. They're asking us to trust them on the economy and trust them to run the country. Hmmm.
On Tony Blair himself, I actually believe that he believes that what he's doing and what he's done is the right thing. I really do. I don't agree that what he did, especially over Iraq, was the right thing, but I do believe that he believes that. And I have respect for him for that. Do I want him to be PM again? I'm not really sure about that. If Bush hadn't been reelected, I probably wouldn't have worried either way. But the idea of 4 more years of lapdog Blair makes me sick.
Re Messer Brown, however... I don't trust him further than I can throw him. His loyalty is in doubt, especially as during all the Brown v. Blair hype in the media he hasn't really ever stuck up for his lord and master. At least not convincingly. Blair on the other hand has always stuck up for Brown. Whether they'd mean it or not is another matter, but they could have at least shut the fecking media up about the 'are they, aren't they?' shit and we might have found out about more interesting things.
On their policies, it's more of the same. Okay, that means relative stability - and for those too young to remember the Thatcher govt, believe me, this is a *very* stable time - which isn't a bad thing. But where is the radicalism of the old Labour? Where are the new ideas? I don't really see any.
Re the Tories. Well, the LJ would probably go into meltdown if I said what I really think about them. You youngsters out there, don't be swayed by Howard. The man is a vicious, right-wing bastard. Under the last Tory govt, me and mine went through hell. My dad lost his job of nearly 40 years at the steel works, along with thousands of others. And what did the Tories do for the area? Sweet FA. Only now is S Wales starting to recover from the nightmare of the Thatcher years. It's been over 20 years since the nightmare started and only *now* are people starting to really regenerate the country.
I feel dreadfully sorry for the MG Rover workers - believe me, I *know* what they and their families are going through. The announcement just made is that a £150m support package has been pledged by the govt. I'm *glad*. Wish we'd seen something like that when about 6 times the amount of jobs were lost overnight.
Despite what they say, the Tories will make life hell for immigrants - legal or otherwise. Don't let them fool you into thinking they're 'reformed'. Maybe a hundred years of obscurity might work. It's worked for the Liberals.
And as for their tax-cut, increase spending plan. HUH? Puh-lease. No one in their right mind believes that. The Tories *cannot* be trusted with our money. I know that for a fact having lost a house because of them. I was pregnant, a mother of a small kid, my hub was having to work 70 miles away and *I* was working and we still lost it. I will *never* forgive them for making my kids effectively homeless.
As for the Lib Dems, it's about time people *listened* to them. I don't agree with all the policies, but I can guarantee you, if, by some miracle, they got into government, we'd have one of the best, most progressive, forward thinking and original governments we've ever had. Why? For a number of reasons.
One, and the main one, at least from this sceptic's point of view, is simple. They don't expect to be in power. Nobody becomes a Lib Dem thinking they're going to be in government. Therefore, they join the party because they believe in their policies. In my opinion, anyone who wishes to have power is by definition, not qualified to have it. Charlie Kennedy might dream of being PM, but he's not in politics because he really believes he's going to achieve it. So his, and his colleagues', driving force is to try to make as many differences as they can while in opposition. Should, by some stretch of the imagination, they win the election, you just *know* they're going to try their damnedest to do a good job for the people of this country. Even the most sceptical would have to see that. You could use the reasoning that they'd make sure that the first term would be a good one to ensure a chance at a second term, but hey, up to 5 years of honest govt would make a change, right?
Their policies are fair. The rich pay more - a little more, not a whole load, at least compared to what they had to pay under Thatcher - and the poor pay less. They're going to try to make the country greener. I'm all in favour of that. And they will do their best to equalise society. They backed the govt in introducing the civil partnership scheme and have, while in opposition, been brave enough to push as hard as they can for equality for all, even though in some people's eyes, it's a policy that makes them unpopular. They've *never* shied away from the difficult policies, even if it costs them time and again in votes. If for no other reason they deserve respect, they really deserve it for that. I guess that I'm asking that people listen to them and give them a chance.
Of course, there are other parties. UKIP and 'Veritas' - two parties that I wouldn't give standing room in an empty bar to. Right-wing, anti-Europe, anti-everyone... Little Englanders whose supporters are as narrow minded as they are. That's as much of a mention as they're going to get from me.
In the Celtic countries, there are the nationalist parties. Nationalist used to be a dirty word, but hopefully people will at least now understand that you can be a nationalist without being a xenophobe. The SNP and Plaid Cymru are pro-European. They're okay about people migrating to their countries, mainly because so many natives have emigrated, but hey, a welcome is a welcome, right? The only party I've ever voted for that wasn't Liberal was Plaid when I lived at home and I'm proud to do so. They're a socialist party, but without the dire connotations that used to carry.
N Ireland is a law unto itself and I would dream of trying to understand it. But before voting there, I would look into your heart and not at what your parents have always voted. Whichever way you vote there, please vote for peace. The party isn't relevant, the message is.