I visit Iain Dale and Guido perhaps every other day, but never fail to miss The Spectator, beloved of Old Tories. Anyone who has done likewise cannot have failed to see a common thread emerging, and that is that nobody is getting excited about a Tory win, should there be one. Worse, for the Conservatives and Dave in particular, is that with almost one voice, people are asking, quite rightly, "What am I being asked to vote for?" Nobody knows. All we do know is that by voting Tory we can get rid of Labour. Is that it? Has 13 years of Government-heavy, centre politics taught us nothing? We need radical solutions to massive problems and right now, David Cameron is not fielding any. Worse than that, he is avoiding any discussion of the two most pressing issues of our time - Europe and Immigration. He can go on about the economy as much as he likes, it is hardly a controversial hot potato, especially since there is not a fag paper thickness of difference in policies.
The choice in England and Wales is Labour or Not Labour. In Scotland, we have the choice of voting SNP. They do have alternative policies which, by English standards, are radical, such as getting rid of PFI and Nuclear Arms. It does not matter if you agree with them or not. At least it is a real alternative.
There is a danger of sleepwalking into another decade of stagnation. It could mean three decades of stagnation in the end, and by that I mean moral, economic and social stagnation. At a time when the world is turning faster than ever, standing still for that length of time means the death of a once great nation.
What has been happening has been a systemic undermining of what is considered to be a "British" way of life. The examples are many, but take the Law. The law is no longer the servant and protector of the people, it is a tyrant. Our freedom as individuals has been paired to the bone. That is not something which can be addressed in one Parliament. It will take years to change all the Quangos, abolish the Government funded, spurious single interest pressure groups and to bring in a generation of people who think differently. Just look at the pace of change in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement. Twelve years on and they are still bickering and still, there is institutional sectarianism.
Another example is Multiculturalism, the failed social experiment which we now learn was foisted upon us by stealth, for political reasons. It will take nothing short of the kind of policies promulgated by the BNP to reverse the damage done to British values and British culture. In a country where Christians are arrested for offending Muslims, you know it has gone too far.
So, none of this is going to be addressed by David Cameron. We have an indicator of the Conservative future with the latest crop of wafty liberal centre politics types who are currently becoming Prospective Parliamentary Candidates. Granted, many are high calibre candidates with good reason to go for a seat in Parliament, but frankly, as a group, they are deliberately at one end of the Tory spectrum.
Do I have a solution? I doubt there is one that would satisfy you, but I am at heart a Libertarian - I just want to be left alone.
11 comments:
If there is hope it is with the likes of ths man:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Rory_Stewart
There's also the global warming myth that all the parties believe in.
The SNP are keen on the same policies as the other parties aswell- EU, mass immigration, agw scam , cover ups etc so aren't an option anymore.
No one in the media seems to have highlighted the real reason Corus closed down their Teeside steelworks.
They will get £1.2Bn in carbon aid for building 2 similar works in India. The UK will be given £200m in carbon credits for 'not polluting at Teeside' but this will be overwhelmed by the milions in benefits etc.
We have the same here in Wales - the nationalist party has essentially Old Labour economic policies, so if you want to vote Nationalist you have to support big-state benefits-culture policies as well. As an Englishman, I would vote for Plaid if it were not for their economics.
I agree with your general sentiments. My vote at the election will be primarily to get Labour out and preferably humiliated. I'd like to think it would be in favour of a sensible Conservative administration, but so far I have seen very little to enthuse me on that score. I've always thought that Cameron was sensibly keeping his powder dry, but now I wonder if he's keeping quiet because there's nothing in the locker.
I also want my government to be as little as possible and to be left alone to live my life how I wish. The Tories represent a tiny fraction of a bigger chance that this may happen (amongst parties that actually stand a chance of being elected), so they'll probably get my vote. But it's not a very enthusiastic one.
You're right, people are saying, "Anything but Labour," but haven't yet made up their minds which 'anything' it will be. They all need to get their act together, and fast.
Oh, hope you don't mind, but it's 'pared to the bone', unless you mean a couple.
And while we're on the subject ... not on this blog, but seemingly everywhere else is the misuse of 'reined' and 'reigned', as in
"The government's powers need to be reigned in", or
"During Margaret Thatcher's rein."
A rein is to control a horse. A reign is what Kings 'n' Queens do.
Sorry to interrupt, but these things matter.
Rory Stewart is interesting. That is a compliment.
NCTD, I am sorry about Corus, because it is real people who are affected, but I am afraid Britain is firmly into a post-industrial age.
Richard, the big question...powder dry or actually, no powder? Thanks for pointing out my error of spelling. Git. At least I shall not change it. Did you know that poor spelling is a gay thing, and I am thinking of becoming gay so your criticism is homophobic.
Oh and thanks Mrs Rigsby for pointing out the other error.
Another gay basher.
And I was sick as a dog on Thursday night, and I lost my voice, and my chest hurts and I have a note and everything.
Sorry, about the above. I am currently self medicating on Beck's and a smooth 16 year old - Dailuaine - if you must know.
Ged, it wasn't your error. I checked. I wasn't getting at you. And yes, I am a git.
Be proud of your spelling. Go on marches about it. Decapitate those who criticise spelling!
Actually, as an ex-English teacher, I always notice spellos and grammatical errors. I hardly ever mention it, as it the ultimate in interwebby bad manners, but I had seen so many rein/reign mistakes this week that I just had to let rip. None of them were in your blog.
I think.
Richard, as a person living with Pedantry, (Dr Weasel) I am used to it. I am horrified by poor spelling, since during my school days I was always top of the class. (Those were the days when spelling was considered to be an asset.)
In my early days on the internet, I once made fun of someone whose spelling was terrible (a courtesy to your readers to make the effort, and all that). I was messaged privately by someone of high standing on the forum who told me that the person concerned was dyslexic and found writing anything very hard, and that he thought I might wish to withdraw what I had said. I was horrified at my own clumsy arrogance, and have never criticised anyone's spelling on the web ever since. My comment above was meant to be general.
I still think that good spelling (where there is no excuse, as on a shop sign) is important, but I am much more tolerant of individual foibles. None of us is perfect, least of all me.
"Another gay basher." - One definition of 'bash' means 'an attempt', but I don't think that's the one you mean, although I'd happily join you in a small glass of Dailuaine.
Mrs R, you are welcome.
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