Tuesday 2 July 2024

Choices?

I used to hate that saying of "the least worst option", but it's popping into my head a lot this time.
The corrupt Tories must go whatever, even if it means swapping it for a slightly less corrupt lot.

Labour - unrecognisable from the party I've supported for most of my life.
Beholden to big business and foreign governments, with just a passing thought to the working class and unions who set them up.
Tories - Can't think of any decent Tory politicians anymore, all on the gravy train.
Lib Dems - Seem pleasant enough, but shouldn't be let near power again after selling out in 2010.
SNP - Seem to have some of the best politicians, but I don't live in Scotland
Reform - One policy, blame everyone else. While making Farage richer.
Greens - A few decent people, but will never get mass support.
Others - Some decent candidates but most people don't look past the main parties.

No doubt whoever wins will have only have a small percentage of the British public behind them.
Historical data suggest people have less interest in voting than ever.
In 1950 nearly 29 Million voted out of a population of 50 5illion (57%)
In 2019 it was up to 32 Million but from a population of 67 Million (47%)

Considering PM's like Attlee, Churchill, Eden, Macmillan, Wilson, Heath, Thatcher, Major all got 13-14 Million votes from a smaller population, I guess a lot of people just don't really care anymore?




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anyway have some memes 😀
 




 































 
 
 



Tuesday 4 June 2024

Election 2024

I should be excited but have never felt so apathetic about an election in my adult life?

From an early age I realised the Tories were not on my side, and nothing I have seen in the last fifty years has changed my mind.
From the Seventies when the Conservatives seemed to be filled with pompous toffs, who were the type I'd learned to despise from an early age. Then came the Thatcher years when they became the nasty party.
Major seemed a decent person but was surrounded by Thatcher's goons.
During the Blair years they had a collection of dislikeable leaders who were never going to challenge, then they went for the bright young thing as Labour had done with Blair and we got Cameron.
After Lib/Dem leader Clegg sold his soul to prop up the Tories they were back in power.
Despite winning again in 2015 Cameron was weak and couldn't stand up to the increasing amount of right wing loons in his party, so we got the Brexit vote to appease those who worried that the Farage train would cost them votes.
Cameron did a bunk straight after to try to convince people it wasn't his fault.
A couple of years of the bland May until Bojo the clown threw his hat into the ring.
The bumbling oaf seemed to appeal to people who prefer image over substance and fiction over fact.
Since 2019 we've seen a merry-go-round of incompetent (out of their depth) characters put in high ranking positions which has totally screwed the country while lining their own pockets.
Finally after the Bojo, Truss and Sunak disasters the country appears to have realised they need a change.

I've always voted Labour in the past, but the current party just seem to have adopted a Tory light collection of policies, all those great policies from 2017/19 which gave me hope have gone now, it's just anything that will appeal to disillusioned Tories and hope previous Labour voters will stay with them.

The Tories must be consigned to the bin of history, and I really want them to suffer a historic defeat.
But I'm not seeing much from current Labour that gives me too much hope for the future.
Starmer makes lots of promises and then breaks them all, Reeves sounds more like Thatcher every time she opens her mouth with the cash from big business shaping her policies.
Tory boy Streeting in charge of health is very worrying; already receiving large donations from private health care it doesn't look that good for the NHS.
Top jobs for those that undermined Corbyn at the last election, which gave us this current situation.

With the 'First past the post' system I don't expect it to be a complete whitewash, as there are many areas that would vote Tory whatever they did and would never vote Labour after a lifetime of brainwashing.
I'm guessing the "none of the above" "couldn't be bothered" section of the electorate will be the largest percentage again, as it has been in the last six elections.
At least one third of registered voters don't bother, I think it will be higher this time.

Blair's 1997 victory had the largest percentage of registered voters with just 30.8% so nearly 70% of eligible people did not vote for him, since then it's been even worse.
So when people mention a Democratic election or the will of the people it always makes me laugh (or cry).
Unless we get proportional representation it will never be Democratic.
 

 

General Election 2024


 

General Election 2024