I have a love hate relationship with politics. I am
broadly socialist, yet a strong individualist, with a very strong belief in a
social democracy which offers care and social benefits to all citizens on the
basis of need. So I am saddened by the results of last week's general
election and the particular model of capitalism it espouses, one in which greed
and austerity are like the hands of a very mean monster. In my daily
life, I do not dislike Conservatives on an individual level. Political
beliefs and opinions are only part of what makes a person who they are, and I
have met cold and blinkered socialists, and some kind, gentle conservatives but I cannot support austerity politics
and the outsourcing of public services and I am concerned for what the future
holds in terms of the welfare of the people, especially those in England and
Wales.
As I write this, I struggle to come to terms with the fact that while
England has gone blue, Scotland has embraced the SNP. The Scots seem to be
merging strong nationalistic pride with a social democratic model and a
progressive agenda; so what is wrong with that? Nothing on the face of
it, yet my gut is starting to give me really strong niggles. The niggles
link to Cameron's desire that English MP's should vote on English things, at a
time when the Scots have ousted Scottish Labour for an SNP platform that offers
the promise of the best of both worlds: National Pride and progressive social
polices. My fear is that this could be catastrophe for the English and
the Welsh. England and Wales could end up with elitist policies and more
privatisation of vital services, whilst the Scots continue to have free
university tuition fees and other benefits. Nicola Sturgeon is already looking
to set her own taxes to fund the promises she has made. Once parliament is
formed and the voting starts, will the SNP give a damn about the poor and
disadvantaged of England and Wales? I cannot help but feel that the social
welfare of the people of these two countries was partly tied up with
Scottish Labour.
I was never
convinced Labour would get a majority but the failure of the polls was
surprising. Reading on-line yesterday, I found a link to this article.
It suggests
significant numbers of conservative voters tend to be coy about sharing
their voting preferences and how this may have impacted on the polls. In
a
typically English way, there are lots of people who quietly and
privately vote
for what they believe is the best option and keep that entirely to
themselves
or those they trust.
Will England forever be conservative?
Article from the Catholic Herald
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