Where do I start? Among the shameless and hypocritical (not to mention illegal) lockdown parties attended by Boris Johnson (along with other members of the Conservative Party), we find a government that believes the rule of law does not apply to its ranks, and we have a government mired in corruption, profiteering, and incompetence. Partygate is bad, and reason enough for Johnson to resign, but it’s not enough for him alone to go. He is surrounded by like-minded cronies – the insufferable and ignorant Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak (who is cutting benefits whilst failing to tax millionaires – his wife is a billionaire), to name but two – and he is part of a snobbish, elitist culture heralding from Eton.
Alongside Partygate we have other, even more serious problems. Any individual one of these should be enough to see the Tories crushed in the upcoming local elections. Brexit (an idea fronted by Johnson) was a bad idea from the start, but this government has executed it badly. Rising costs, weakened supply chains and huge queues of traffic are what we expected from Brexit, and they’re exactly what we got. Is it any wonder that we are facing a 54% increase in our energy bills (whilst in Europe governments have capped increases at 5%?). Are we truly surprised at empty shelves in our supermarkets? Somehow energy companies are recording huge profits, but the Tories aren’t going to tax those windfalls – instead the burden falls upon people who are already facing a hike in National Insurance.
The NI hike is effectively a tax increase, something the Tories pledged not to do at the last General Election. As I have said before, it will raise £12 billion a year. A 5% wealth tax would raise £50 billion a year. That’s four times as much money, without placing further hardships on the working class. Why is this not an option and why are we not shouting louder about this?! As a country we should be outraged at this gross profiteering from politicians on behalf of billionaires. Instead we’re sleep-walking through the crippling of the country.
We should be outraged that the government is failing to stop companies pouring sewage into our rivers. Since when was this ever a good thing?
The covid pandemic highlighted how this government can waste huge sums of money (billions were spent on Track and Trace, where did it go? It lined the pockets of private businesses), and also how an eagerness to protect the economy meant saving lives took a backseat. Thousands of people died when they did not need to, due to the desire of the Tories to reopen shops and pubs.
On top of all of this, they want to erode our rights.
The Tories need to be taught a lesson at the local elections. Tactical voting is needed. This might mean some of us end up voting for a party we wouldn’t normally vote for. I appreciate this is not ideal, but the Tories need to go. They need to see their majority wiped out due to their chronic cruelty and incompetence.
Let’s kick them to the kerb!
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Oh my … it sounds as if Boris has taken lessons from our former guy! I watched a video clip of come MPs saying that he should have been long gone, that he is a liar and unfit for the office of Prime Minister. I’m afraid I agree … but is he, like Trump, too egotistical and self-centered to do the right thing and step down? And if he goes … who do you see as the most likely to replace him? Your thoughts on Starmer?
Johnson definitely has an ego, and it may even be bigger than Trump’s – Johnson also has the advantage of being able to cover himself in a thin veneer of civility, and the bumbling persona he’s created to disguise his cruelty and arrogance.
As for Starmer… He’s not suggesting any policies that are markedly different from the Tories. Oh, for sure there are some differences, but ideas that would benefit everyone (like nationalising energy services or the railways) are not apparently on the radar. That said, he’s definitely the lesser of two evils, and to get the Tories and Johnson out, I’d vote for him.
Is there anybody besides Starmer on the radar that you see as having potential to actually be a good leader? Just curious … that’s our problem here … there aren’t any bright, shining stars waiting in the wings.
Therein lies the problem – there are many ‘establishment’ politicians and whilst some are better than others, I can’t pinpoint someone who I believe will truly make a difference. However, there are some Labour backbenchers who I feel have potential to be different from the mould.
I used to keep more on top of UK politics, but for the past 5 years or so, there has been so much going on here that it fills my head and my time and there’s little left of me to keep up with other nations. The global populist movement seems to find the worst of the worst …