Election Fever

[poliphilo]

I'm angry with Labour over the Iraq War, but the Conservatives voted for it too.

As for the economy, Labour may have cosied up to the bankers, but the Conservatives are the bankers- if you see what I mean.

Cameron is a rich boy who has never questioned his privilege. If he had questioned his privilege he wouldn't be a Tory. He will govern in the interests of his class because his class is all he knows. 

There's not all that much you can say in favour of Gordon Brown, but at least he never belonged to the Bullingdon Club.

And he's a survivor. I looked at him and his ministers, drawn up in battle order in front of No 10 for their photo-call- and I found myself admiring them for simply being there.  Mandelson has been counted out twice- but there he still is. That's got to be worth something.

Actually, I chose my team a long, long time ago. My parents were Tories so I wasn't.

Sorry, but this is tribal.

New Labour are bastards, but they're my bastards. I'm backing my bastards to trample your bastards into the mud.

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Yes. Thank you once again for crystallising my thoughts on politics for me.

(Though in my case, my parents were Labour so I was too.)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's simple, really. There's no way I could ever vote Tory.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine circumstances in which I would vote Tory - for all the reasons you list (except the parents!).

But are there really only two possibilities, either / or? The Big Two want us to think so, obviously...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's possible, this time, that the Lib Dems could hold the balance of power- but I've heard that one before....

[jfs.livejournal.com]

I was amused by the observation in (I think) the Times at the weekend that one of the big problems that the Tories have is that it's really, really difficult for them to throw any dirt at Gordon Brown.

We already know he's dour. We've already heard the allegations of bad temper and bullying. We know that he's sometimes incomprehensible, and tight fisted.

How do they attack him when our general answer to anything they throw is "Yes. And?"

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I find myself- to my surprise- beginning to warm to Brown.

Maybe it's because he's the under-dog.

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

Agreed, agreed, agreed. I'm trampling right there with you.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The Tories haven't changed- which is one reason why they're keeping everyone but Cameron, Hague and Osborne in the shadows. The other reason is they're bereft of talent.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

For me, Labour died in the 1990s along with Clause 4 and John Smith. As a non-Marxist leftist, that's why I ended up doing a Brian Sedgemore and joining the LibDems.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've voted Lib Dem in the past- on occasions.

I belonged to the Greens- briefly- until I found out they were useless.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

I feel pretty much the same way about the Socialist Party here. They're MY bastards and I'll do all I can to trample the other bastards (the "Popular Party" conservatives) into the mud.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Non passeran!

[brttvns.livejournal.com]

Labour don't make it easy, but I'm with you all the way. I wouldn't vote Tory for all the whiskey in Ireland.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

A year or two back I was saying I'd never vote Labour again- but old habits die hard.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

I don't really vote Liberal (Democrat) -- just Anti-Conservative. I do it for the same reasons as you do. Over here, too, the conservatives are the bankers, and the big business types, and the insurance companies, and the oilmen, etc. It is sad that those who get the most campaign funds often carry the election - because most of the campaign funds come from these big money interests. Therfore, we have "the best government money can buy". Sad!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I was born into a post-war Britain that was seriously trying to implement a socialist agenda. Everything was taken into public ownership- the railways, mining, steel- and, of course, the health service. Over the past 60 years that wonderful experiment has been unpicked- and only the health service remains. My ideal government- the one I'm hoping for whenever I vote Labour- would renationalise everything and restore the glories of the Attlee years.

[silverhawkdruid.livejournal.com]

Better the devil you know is what I say. *g*
Also, how interesting about your parents. My dad was also a Tory, and I have never once voted for them. I would vote liberal, if I didn't loathe our local lib MP. So Labour or Monster Raving Loonie if we have one here. To me there's not much difference these days. ;-)
Did you ever see the episode of One Foot in the Grave where Margaret was filmed on her doorstep talking to a local candidate in a Bee costume? So funny!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I never watched One Foot in the Grave- a mistake, obviously. I love Renwick's other big show- Jonathan Creek.

I'm not entirely sure why I turned against my parents' politics. There was no sudden Road to Damascus conversion- or if there was I've forgotten it. I suppose it was initially part of the whole teenage rebellion thing.