For this blog, I’m going to write from the heart instead of researching things on the internet. Let’s see what happens.
As someone who has always, without exception, voted for the Labour Party in every election I could, starting in 1979, the idea that I should consider voting for another party is an anathema. Even when the awful Jeremy Corbyn was leader and when Tony Benn and Militant were wrecking the party in the 1980s, my cross still went next to the Labour candidate, even when it was Benn himself. But, I keep being told, Labour in itself cannot win another general election so electoral pacts must be made with other parties to remove the Conservatives from office. I can see a certain logic about that, but who would be part of that electoral pact?
Certainly, the Liberal Democrats who in 2010 took jobs in David Cameron’s austerity heavy Conservative government in exchange for a few pieces of silver by way of knighthood, damehoods and other gongs. Sir Nick Clegg, Sir Vince Cable, Sir Danny Alexander, Sir Steve Webb and of course Sir Edward Davey, the current Lib Dem leader among them. And they’re unapologetic about their time in government, bringing in enormous university tuition fees after promising to scrap them, cuts to public services including the police and NHS, destroying Sure Start which changed the lives of millions, driving hundreds of thousands of people into poverty – the list goes on, possibly forever. Clegg, who was given the meaningless title of deputy prime minister, turned out to be a wrong ‘un, losing his seat in 2015 and selling his soul for a lucrative career at Facebook. If Davey can’t say sorry, then sorry from me but I’m not voting for his lot.
Then, there’s the Greens. Last year, when petrol and diesel cost considerably less than it does today, the Greens called for an immediate 25p per litre increase in both. Today, thanks to rising fuel prices we’d now be paying upwards of £1.75 a litre. The Greens want to force motorists out of our cars onto unreliable and expensive public transport or to cycle everywhere, something that is not an option for many people. It’s very dangerous too. My experience of the Greens – and here I generalise – is of middle class hipsters lecturing the rest of us on how we must live our lives. Having been on the end of Twitter pile-ons from local Greens, they don’t seem to be the nicest of people.
And finally, the Nationalists, by which I don’t means the likes of Ukip but the Scottish and Welsh nationalists. The former, especially their leader Nicola Sturgeon, are masters of spin and have managed to create an image of great success for Scotland when on the ground things are very different. Doing a deal with the Scottish Nationalists, the SNP, at what cost? A referendum on independence every few years until they finally get what they want? There is an argument that goes if Scotland vote to separate from the rest of the UK, we will never again have a Labour government, which is not quite the end game I favour. I’m actually in favour of letting Sturgeon have her latest referendum because I think it could go along way to weakening the SNP if she lost it and remove its one main purpose in life. If she won, so be it, but give her enough rope.
I’m willing to be convinced but at what cost? What would be the Lib Dem price for entering into an electoral deal? Still higher tuition fees? And the Greens? Would they demand 50p on a litre of fuel?
From my point of view, I have a big of a conundrum going on. I do support Proportional Representation (PR), which is often one big compromise after another. So maybe I haven’t properly thought this through?
Either way, I am suspicious of Labour doing deals with the Lib Dems, the Greens and the Nationalists because of their miserable track records. In fact, I actively dislike all three groups.
Maybe I will be convinced that compromise with other parties is better than permanent rule by the liars, shysters and charlatans of the Tory party? Christ, it’s not easy, is it?
