Tony Blair and the Labour party are back for a third term despite heavy losses and a low majority.
It seems that two main issues drew votes away from Labour, the Iraq war and immigration policies.
Iraq is going to be a bone of contention for many years to come but those who voted against Blair based on just this issue need thier heads examining. This is especially true if they voted Conservative because the Tories would have gone to war as well.
It does appear that the Government were not entirely truthful about Iraq but, when have politicians ever given the entire truth? I'm not sure it is really fair to expect it because many, many people's views are swayed easily by their gut reactions to single issues or small clusters of similar issues. This effect is exacerbated by the media, seeking to create the next moral panic, whipping up concern and selling shedloads of diatribe loaded nonense, filled with personal commentary and only the facts pertinent to a one-sided arguement.
The whole truth about the NHS would expose lots of individudal cases of mis-diagnosis and treatment that the Daily Mail would pounce whilst ignoring the overiding splendid contribution to many peoples lives that the organisation has made.
There are too many other issues battling for attention to cast your vote based on a single issue. Yet this is what the Tory campaign has chiefly focussed on, Iraq and immigration.
Manifestoes and policies come and go but the parties remain. I suppose, when it comes down to it, a sensible voter must look at the ethos behind each of the parties and make their choice accordingly.
Are you comfortably well off, good job, nice house. Do you care mainly about yourself? Vote Tory.
Are you comfortably well off, good job, nice house. Do you want to balance your needs against those of the less fortunate? Vote Lib-Dem.
Do you want to work towards a society where everyone has a right to a good standard of living regardless of their background and status? Vote Labour.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Quite right on Blair telling porkies. He's a politician with moving lips - of course he's lying. Which is why as much power as possible should be removed from politicians.
Not quite sure how the NHS comes into it, but the whole thing is a shambles. The system is broken and is killing people. It needs to be broken up - bring back the Friendly Societies - owned by the people, not by the politicians.
My comments on the NHS were to try and indicate how focussing on emotionally charged, single instances can detract from the bigger picture.
I agree with you that there are improvements to be made in health care although a return to the mutual societies as sole providers seems a little drastic. I'm not an expert and can only comment from personal experience but, my interactions with the NHS have been steadily improving over the past 5 years or so.
Post a Comment