There’s an election coming up on Thursday in the UK, and it’s disturbing how short people’s memories are. Scare stories about SNP-Labour coalitions when I seem to remember both the Lib-Dems and Tories denied they would go into a coalition in the run-up to the last election (Pro-Tip: no-one ever agrees to a coalition before an election, to do so means you don’t know if people voted for you or the other party. ConDems know this, but are trying to stop it from ever happening by pre-empting it by spreading fear – I doubt people other than UKIP Tories would be that bothered by a Labour coalition).
Then you have Katie Hopkins level xenophobia from the likes of UKIP. If you’re voting for them, please stop reading this blog and go away…I don’t like racists.
Then you have this terrible piece of scare-mongering from the Tories, which as Russell Brand points out, none of their promises have been kept. If you are voting Tory then answer this: how can you vote for a party which in 5 years has done WORSE than the previous Labour government, and it’s still bleating ‘this is the mess we inherited!’ when actually only TWO Labour governments (the Gordon Brown one because of the recession, and one in the late 20’s because…well…Great Depression.) have left the country in a worse way than they started – unlike this government which have made things far worse. Even the Treasury admit this, that 2008 was created by banking, not the Labour government.
And like Prince Charles’ letters, the report about the NHS re-organising has been stopped until after the election…given it’s headed by Jeremy Hunt, what are they hiding? It’s obvious the Tories want to privatise the NHS further.
Why these scare tactics? Well as the poster humorously says above, they know it’s going to be neck and neck and thus want to steal the election like last time. Again short memories, remember the Tories didn’t have enough votes then and Liberals stupidly decided to get in bed with them. A decision which they will regret until 20 odd years from now, another generation which will have forgotten last time’s duplicity when they might get another shot at power. Look back and you’ll see Liberals doing this again and again until you get back to David Lloyd George a century ago.
And like with all this anti-SNP bollocks they want to scare the opposition into not forming a coalition. I hope Milliband ignores this, and just goes ahead with forming a government in the case of a hung parliament. I’m warming to Ed, I think he’s come out better in the last few weeks than the screaming Murdoch press suggests….they are scared because yes, him and the Greens (oh how they are going to be surprised I think, under the radar Greens are going to rise) and the SNP are proving to be a real threat. The usual scare tactics are not working so well after Natalie Sturgeon’s impressive TV debates, many English myself included like her. A real breath of fresh air after Salmond’s bluster…and I hope all parties take note of the rise of the Stateswoman and badly-needed unity after those debates.
Interestingly, and it will hit the headlines tomorrow, Russell Brand has come out in support of Labour apart from Scotland and in Brighton. Those screaming ‘he said don’t vote!’ obviously haven’t been listening or watched any of his videos. His objection to voting was the stultifying atmosphere in 2010, and that people think voting is like some sort of Democracy MOT – something you only do every 5 years. No it’s about eternal vigilance…but I think questioning Westminster and not buying into their bullshit is important.
I’ve struggled with this because I’m in a Labour marginal. I want to vote Green, but if that means a Tory gets in, despite my utter hatred of tactical voting, it will serve the rich of Hampstead (many of who are actually Socialist) and not me. It’s a question of who will listen to you? I think Ed might listen. Certainly Cameron and co. will just flick V’s at us with their Eton chums, he’s more interested in his career and his Bullingdon Club friend Jonathan Ford, Chief leader writer for FT has surprise surprise written Ftheir support for the Tories. Along with Boris and George, it really is the Old Boys Club.
The important thing is to get the Tories out – because the public having even half the ear of Government, is better than the current situation where the Tories are completely deaf to all but the 1% and their public school mates. But if you’re in a ‘safe’ English seat, or in Brighton (Caroline Lucas) or Bristol West I recommend voting Green…protest votes DO count, it’s not all about the winner. No vote is a wasted vote…the other parties do pay attention to that stuff.
And those in Sheffield Hallam – remember Nick Clegg didn’t give a fuck about the steel industry, a Deputy Prime Minister stood by and did nothing for Forgemasters. And of course, as someone who studied in the area, he betrayed the promise to remove tuition fees. I hope he loses his seat, the lying obsequious twit.
[image by Scarfolk]
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