Some year’s ago, Mrs May reminded the Conservatives that some people thought them the nasty party, this election she’s reminded us that they are the hapless party. They have been opposed by a Labour Party who’s policies are under-costed (IFS reckon they will add £75bn to Governmental spending( and under provisioned, (IFS reckon that at best Labour’s tax changes will bring in £50bn).
The Labour party have not even talked about stopping the Tory’s planned cuts in benefits – the impact of which would run into further tens of billions of pounds.
Instead of debating the management of our economy in and out of Europe, the Conservatives have allowed the election to have been fought as a popularity contest between May and Corbyn – which Corbyn has won hands down. They have taken on one serious issue and have u-turned on it . For the rest, the Conservatives have simply trotted out slogans which the general public have dismissed with the scorn they deserve.
Whoever has been advising Mrs May on how to run this campaign has done a terrible job and should hang their heads in shame. May herself should never be so exposed as she has been. She has allowed herself to be hung out to dry, she can do so much better, as witnessed by her performances in parliament.
A reluctant conservative
I am voting conservative reluctantly. My natural inclination is to vote Liberal or Labour but I am voting for an agenda that the country has already agreed , the Brexit agenda.
As virtually no policy was announced in the manifesto – other than the aborted policy on social care (which I agreed with), I am not voting conservative on policy grounds. I am simply unable to come to terms with Labour policy and unable to think what a Liberal vote would mean – at a time when the country has voted to leave Europe.
I suspect that the Conservatives will win – because the Labour party will not be able to get its voters out (the kids who didn’t vote remain). I suspect that the Conservatives will win because they own the voters and Labour own the votes of those who stay at home.
If Labour can mobilise its votes then they can win. The poll’s margin for error is considerable, the polls only measure voting intentions – not the intentions to vote. Good intentions are not enough if you never make it to the booth.
But if the Labour party wins this election, it is because it has mobilised a class of people who have been de-energised from politics for some time and they will deserve our support for doing so. There are decent people in that party – including pension people like Rayner and Cunningham who I will support.
If Labour wins I will support them, but what if neither party wins. What if there is no majority. Heavens! I can see no alternative but another bloody election.
We need another election like a hole in the head.
Cameron will be remembered as the bungling idiot who led us unnecessarily out of Europe, May may be remembered as the lady who u-turned getting out of a cul-de-sac.
Either way, the Conservatives since 2015 have been hapless. They have proved themselves a party that cannot govern themselves or others.
They have imposed politics on our lives three times in two years. With politics has come horror.
We need to get on with our lives- we do not need another election and we need to led out of Europe.
Can we do without a Conservative Government? Sadly I think not,
For all this- I will be at the Conservative party in October, listening and wondering how Conservatism works for me, for pensions and for my country.
Whether they are a party in or out of Government by then I do not know. I can only conclude that they are the better of two evils.
Essential reading
Quietroom’ s analysis of the election manifestos; not an analysis of the policy, but of how ideas are conveyed https://quietroom.co.uk/general/manifesto-gets-vote/