Labour in 2012
During some conversation last night my feelings on Labour's current political actions finally crystalised. Since the election and through the budget I've had the sense that they were doing things because they had to and I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. However now that Seán Sherlock is proceeding with his completely unnecessary SI and Ruari Quinn is attacking the Internet that benefit of the doubt has evaporated. Add to that Róisín Shortall's minimum alcohol pricing and Joan Burton's extremely dubious welfare plans and I'm just about done with the party. These are things that they don't need to do, these bad decisions are entirely of their own creation.
However the big thing really has been how Sherlock and the party have reacted to the tens of thousands of outraged voices at the copyright SI. They are repeatedly showing that they quite simply don't care. They are giving the impression that they will bow to those with money before they will listen to the will of the people. They will talk about the knowledge economy, then claim that those who use the tools of that economy to protest are not worth listening to. It saddens me greatly that Labour seem to be going this direction, but if my opinion doesn't matter to a party, then they do not get my vote.
It's 2012 and the 21st Century is already passing Labour by. They have a few years before the next election, but they've an awful lot of work to do if they want to regain my trust.
However the big thing really has been how Sherlock and the party have reacted to the tens of thousands of outraged voices at the copyright SI. They are repeatedly showing that they quite simply don't care. They are giving the impression that they will bow to those with money before they will listen to the will of the people. They will talk about the knowledge economy, then claim that those who use the tools of that economy to protest are not worth listening to. It saddens me greatly that Labour seem to be going this direction, but if my opinion doesn't matter to a party, then they do not get my vote.
It's 2012 and the 21st Century is already passing Labour by. They have a few years before the next election, but they've an awful lot of work to do if they want to regain my trust.