I reached the age of majority, i.e. voting age at 18. At 40, I have been eligible and registered to vote for 22 years. I no longer live in the UK nor am I registered to vote there but my family and friends still live there and are impacted upon the results of referenda and general elections.
I lived in different constituencies when living in the UK, which all had their voting preferences. I have always voted for the candidate who best represented my views and not necessarily for a particular party. I have in more recent years, watched the leaders debates and although not voting on December 12th am following with interest what is happening.
I can never remember a time where long standing MP’s have had the party whip removed. Well known party members and former government and cabinet ministers being expelled from their party. Not to mention MP’s openly saying that they will not be voting for their own parties. There has never been a winter general election in my lifetime. It really feels like we are in a parallel universe.
Gone are the days of there being a clear and credible opposition. The Conservatives have always been more right wing. The Labour party were always on the left of the political spectrum. The Liberal Democrats closer to the middle ground. More recently, all of the parties seemed to be more in the middle ground. All of the focus has been on Brexit and less on other matters.
With the austerity of the Conservative government, the divide between rich and poor has become a gaping, vast chasm. They are definitely far more right wing than in recent times. I don’t see that as being a good thing. Austerity was supposed to be to reduce the UK’s national debt. That has increased to a frightening mind boggling sum. All austerity has done has slashed public services bringing the NHS, police forces and firefighters to their knees.
Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party have also lost party members and voters. The lack of action and clarity of action in relation to anti-semitism present in the Labour party has been very damaging. Jeremy Corbyn is much more typical of the traditional socialist Labour party. Very different to Labour under Tony Blair. The party seem very undecided/ indecisive not to mention inconsistent on their views about Brexit.
Jo Swinson and the Liberal Democrats have always been caught and negatively effected by the first past the post voting system. They get the votes but very few MP’s. I think that they are still battling back after their coalition with the Conservative party, with many voters still feeling that they “sold out” to David Cameron.
Even Brexit has seen agreement between former Prime Ministers from different parties. I’d never have thought that Sir John Major (former Conservative Prime Minister) and Tony Blair (former Labour Prime Minister) would have been on the same page!
One thing that has really struck me is about the lack of empathy and compassion that is present in the Conservative party. It has taken Boris Johnson 5 days to convene and chair a COBRA meeting to discuss support for those people in Yorkshire whose lives have been turned upside down because of the awful flooding. It was telling that he wasn’t welcomed warmly when he visited those effected and couldn’t relate to or empathise with the residents. It reminds me of the cringeworthy visit Theresa May made to Grenfell Tower after the devastating fire. She was completely out of her comfort zone, looked completely out of place and quite frankly, it looked like she was made to go because she was the Prime Minister.
What is worrying is that the Conservatives may get into government again…in this political parallel universe that we seem to be in, anything is possible.
