Thursday 6 May 2010

Election Day- Conservative Rant

I haven't really wanted to blog about British politics, because the whole outlook at the moment is so depressing. But I saw this and I really had to post it.

I couldn't agree more. David Cameron has no more experience than Nick Clegg, so those who discount the Lib Dems as an untested party don't have a leg to stand on. I am (just) old enough to remember the Thatcher years and how she ripped the heart out of the South Wales valleys. I remember Major and the problems on going.

The country is bad now, but when the Conservatives were last in power and promised to create jobs they cut 3,000,000. They've already promised public sector cut backs. That and Cameron has decided (in his ever so informed opinion) that working class families are damaging to children and that schools should open for ten hour days Monday to Sat to prevent them spending time with their families.

As a child from a working class family I find that offensive. My family worked hard to encourage me to achieve in a range of areas, and I got the grades to go to Oxbridge if I'd wanted to. I didn't want to. There's more to life than being a member of an old boy's club.

As a teacher I find it worrying. I often work a seventy hour week as it is, when you take parents' evenings, extracurricular activities, marking and planning into account. Class sizes are so large that I work most of my weekends trying to give the children the individual attention they need. I had burn out at Christmas and now have to force myself to stop marking and do other things. It doesn't mean I can ever switch off. If they are cutting public sector spending, how are they going to manage these new systems when British teachers are all ready on the brink of burn out?

I also have a personal problem with David Cameron. It isn't even about him being an out of touch, private school brat whose lifestyle and upbringing couldn't be further from that of the majority of people he wants to represent. Though that is obviously a factor. What's gotten to me is the televised debated. Loads of people seem really impressed at his charisma (remember that you were as impressed with Tony Blair, and look where that got us) but he has really annoyed me. Not once did he answer a direct question, but would side step it and produce a load of clever sounding sound bites which didn't actually answer the question.

This raises two issues for me. Is he genuinely incapable of comprehending what he is being asked? Shouldn't this be an important clue that he is not capable of understanding the needs of the people? If not, is he really arrogant enough to think that we are all stupid enough not to notice that he's doing it. Another good reason not to trust him.

Yes things need to change, but the dictionary definition of a Conservative is: resistant to change; a person who is reluctant to accept changes and new ideas.

6 comments:

  1. What kind of economic policies do the Liberal Democrats stand for?

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  2. Establishhing a levy where the banks who were propped up the government to prevent them collapsing repay the money they borrowed when they are in a position to do so. Restoring a link between earnings and pensions. They were also in favour of capping banking bonuses until the economy has recovered which would seem to make sense.

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  3. Britain is really in a pickle (so to speak :)). Nobody really won. And that makes me worried that whoever forms a government will do the politically expedient thing instead of pursuing policies that will actually help.

    Regarding that point, I've done a little more reading on Cameron and he's not really much of a Conservative. If he's the guy, he'll probably be a disaster (because he doesn't have any convictions.) The situation right now calls for grown-ups who will do the hard thing. I'm not sure there are any.

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  4. You're very right. The whole situation is depressing. Best case scenario for me would be an alliance between Labour and The Lib Dems- though the fact that the left of centre are willing to negotiate with the right already has me losing faith in their convictions. Picklesworth for PM I say!

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  5. You wouldn't like me as PM! I'd be too much like Maggie Thatcher. :)

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  6. Can't believe you said that name on my blog... shocking!

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