British Politics

[poliphilo]

I find it a little shocking (even now, at my age, after all that's gone down) that the leader of the Labour party should be a millionnaire. And so, it seems, does he- which is why he opted to be photographed not in his best but in his second best kitchen. Of course the ruse was tumbled.

Cue hollow laughter.

How will I vote in the coming election? I don't know. Will I even vote at all? I suppose I will, out of habit and a mid-20th century respect (which I can't entirely shake) for the electoral process. I'm not going to agonize over it. We're now living in a constituency where the Tory will win no matter what.

Our politics is broken. I think it always was. And by always I do mean always. The Devils Whore- which I have been watching with pleasure and instruction over this past couple of days- deals with the galant futility of trying to build a heaven on earth. You depose a bloody tyrant called King Charles and- after God only knows how much bloodshed and destruction- you find yourself annointing a bloody tyrant called King Oliver.

Only you don't call him King, you call him Lord Protector- because you don't want to acknowledge to yourself or to the world  quite what it is you've done. Just as Ed Miliband doesn't want to acknowledge just how splendid his kitchen is.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The Devil's Whore fictionalises and greatly simplifies the English Civil War- but I think it gets the feel of it right.

I might vote Green. I probably won't make my mind up until I've got the slip in front of me,

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I don't like the right sounding populism the Greens have suddenly started preaching- way too much like UKIP. I have voted Green in the past but not, I think, this time.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I voted for The Pirate Party last time round.

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

Really? I haven't been paying close attention yet, given the rather dire condition of UK politics - I'm not one to shy away from politics, by and large, but things have become quite depressing, with any issues of significance, such as universal surveillance and workfare, resulting in nothing more confrontational between Labour, the Conservatives, and the LibDems than a big group hug.

I'll actually have a Green candidate locally, at long last, so they'll be my choice. With FPTP, it's a solid Conservative seat (the usual story: leftist town, true blue countryside)

I did notice some disclaimer about the Citizen's Wage not being part of their platform this election, which would seem rather weird to me - that's such an eminently sensible concept. (But as the non-legalisation of pot shows, "sensible" isn't a term much in vogue in Westminster. Dr Nutter rather clearly found out the meaning of the phrase "politically correct")

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Really, sadly.

All the parties seem to be playing populism.

I'm a deeply political animal and campaigner- my life experience tends to make you that.

We're Tory at present, but our previous Labour chap is standing again this time and he was genuinely good- I'll vote for him if not the party to which I once belonged heart and soul (I'm the granddaughter of colliers). Iraq and the Kelly Affair killed that belief.