GENERAL ELECTION BLUES

So we have before us the thrilling prospect of five weeks of campaigning for a General Election. Just what we wanted (I don’t think.) Look at the choices before us.

There’s the minor parties. Brexit never seem to do much in electoral terms but appear to be able to influence the result since if they post candidates they split the Tory vote, giving Labour an advantage. Voting for them is buying a pig in a poke. We don’t know who they are.

There’s the Greens, do-goody and no doubt with merit, but never particularly appealing.

There’s the National Parties for Scotland and Wales whom even I am beginning to find tiresome in that they can’t seem to rise above their one issue.

There’s the DUP, who were never going to agree to anything and it was naïve of Theresa May to waste time on them. I sometimes wonder if we offered Ulster to Eire as a present, whether they would accept it or decline on the grounds of it being too much bother. (Obviously, I jest).

Then we come to the Liberals with their presumptuous, garrulous leader. I don’t think they’re entitled to call themselves Liberal Democrats as the Wee Gnaff in charge of them declares they’re going to fight to remain with everything they’ve got. On what authority, I wonder?

Tthe Labour Party seems haunted by accusations of anti-semitism it appears unable to shake off, and though I think Jeremy Corbyn is a much more formidable opponent than he at first appears, some of their policies would raise your eyebrows at the very least. I would never endorse the sending of any child to boarding school, but people should have the right to educate their children (and spend their money) how they choose and the State should not asset strip such institutions for its own purposes. Smacks of Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries.

Finally we come to the Tories themselves who are the cause of all our present woes. David Cameron did not think enough before he acted and his offering of a referendum on the issue of our EU membership has been catastrophic for British politics – and he did this solely to (as he supposed it would) call off the rabid dogs of anti European feeling that existed within his own party and had been the bane of every conservative Prime Minister of recent times.

None of them have been able to set aside party interests and act for the nation. It’s a mess in every possible respect and there’s no health in any of them.

I toyed with the idea of not voting. I don’t approve of the actions of any of them. But then I though that was feeble. They haven’t behaved well but we, the people, should continue to vote ethically and with conscience. (It is of course possible to do this and vote for different parties. We have to be respectful and tolerant of one another’s view.)

In the referendum I voted to remain. We all know now that the country voted to leave. If we were offered another referendum, I would again vote to remain. But we haven’t been offered another referendum, and therefore the first one still stands. As someone who believes in democracy, I believe we should support the referendum. I’m therefore going to vote for the party which in my view is most likely to be able to effect our leaving the EU (preferably with a deal and on reasonable terms with our neighbours.) So I’m going to reverse the habits of a lifetime and vote Tory. My ancestors will disown me.

The result is unpredictable but I would guess Boris will increase his majority but not significantly and parliament will still be hung.