Finally the UK Parliament accepted that the only way out of it's recent malaise was to agree to hold a general election. Now we are just a few days from the date which was set, 12th December 2019.
The choice before the people is the usual one of Conservatives against the rest, the rest being a mish-mash of left wing parties masquerading as Labour, Liberal, Green and Nationalist; the only slight change from recent history is the presence of the Brexit Party, a successor to UKIP which itself was a modern invention. However, on this occasion there is also the little matter of the UK's relationship with the European Union to consider, something that is rather muddying the water.
The Conservatives are standing on a manifesto that includes a guarantee of bringing about Brexit by the end of January. The Liberal un-Democrats propose ignoring the outcome of the 2016 referendum while Labour's policy is one of not being quite sure what to do. Quite frankly there is only one option available to any voter who believes in democracy and that is to vote for the Conservatives and against both Liberal and Labour candidates; in some seats there is the option of voting for a Brexit Party candidate as such a vote may give the Conservatives a greater chance of success, but that is somewhat problematic.
From both sides, some dyed in the wool supporters have suggested supporting their political opponents. From the left, the likes of the independent minded Kate Hoey, an MP who has been hugely respected by all for many years, has said that she can no longer support her own party due to the extreme left leanings of its current leadership. On the right, the likes of the centrist Tories, Ken Clarke, Dominic Grieve and David Gauke have variously indicated their support for any party which will prevent Brexit. While there can be no doubt that the Labour Party has, indeed, made a dramatic swing to the left under Jeremy Corbyn, the accusations that the Conservatives have made an equally dramatic move to the right under Boris Johnson simply do not hold any water. The truth is that while Kate Hoey and other Labour moderates have been abandoned by the Marxists in their party, Ken Clarke, Michael Heseltine and others have simply been exposed as the rather wishy-washy liberal centrists that they really are, with no truly right wing bones in their bodies.
The election campaigns have trundled on amidst the Brexit furore and with all sorts of lies, damned lies and statistics being bandied around. Labour has promised to spend billions, hundreds of billions, even trillions, on nationalising assorted industries, handing out vast sums to all and sundry while paying for it all by 'only' attacking the rich and companies. The Liberal un-Democrats have largely gone along with this nonsense and only the Conservatives have resisted the urge to commit to spend huge amounts of our money on rubbish, although they've still committed significant sums. The choice here is between loads of jam today or an increasing amount of jam each year in the future; the first option leads to economic disaster, as in the 1970s, while the second suggests the increasing prosperity enjoyed through the 1980s. It's a simple choice.
If elected, Jeremy Corbyn says he would renegotiate Brexit and then hold a second referendum. That this is nothing but political nonsense should be obvious. Any renegotiated deal would be a recipe for the UK staying in the EU in all but name, and the suggested referendum would be a smokescreen for offering the electorate a choice between staying in and staying in. Additionally, Corbyn would soon be supplanted by some young Turk more ready to be moulded by the real power in the Labour party, John McDonnell, a man whose Marxist leanings are far more developed and acute than are those of his current puppet.
The Liberal un-Democrats plan to ignore the 2016 referendum is probably the most undemocratic proposal ever put forward by any supposedly democratic party in living memory. The party leader, Jo Swinson, comes across as being so naïve as to be unbelievable. When grilled by Andrew Neil, her lack of knowledge was palpable; her naivety clear. She is like an earnest schoolgirl debating in the sixth form, certainly not someone who has pretentions to be Prime Minister. Her party would, in common with Corbyn's Marxists, spend billions of pounds that they don't have on services and industries that need reform rather than simple investment, as well as bribing the electorate with supposed higher wages and more 'free' services. For the avoidance of doubt, 'free' means you still don't pay but you just don't realise your pockets are being picked.
As someone who worked in the NHS for many years, I'm well aware of the pressures that it experiences but I'm also aware of the bureaucratic waste. This isn't about hospital management, it's about the targets and reporting imposed from above, it's about the appalling waste that goes unnoticed through clerical incompetence and the shocking lack of oversight of clinical services which far too frequently leads to serious consequences for patients that are denied by a culture of self-protection. Money won't solve this, reform might but, of course, Labour and the Liberal un-Democrats promise vast extra resources and so do the Conservatives, regardless of the real issues.
The offers being made to us are attractive. Higher wages, higher pensions. More 'free' childcare, 'free' dentistry, billions of pounds towards preventing the climate change that's already completely out of our control. Anyone who can remember the catastrophic days of the 1960s and 1970s when the state owned our car making, ship building steel making, telephony and railways will know that a return to state ownership is a frightening prospect. those industries were subject to strike action over and over again, until they were driven to bankruptcy. Some were saved by privatisation, others simply collapsed under the weight of union action. Labour under Corbyn and McDonnell would return us to those dark days and at enormous cost to each and every one of us.
Where do we go from here ? The 2016 referendum gave the government a clear mandate to take our country out of the European Union; it said nothing about 'types' of Brexit, it just said that a majority wanted to leave. Any future government that believes in democratic principles must surely take this at face value and get us out at the earliest opportunity.
Other than Brexit, the choice is an economic one. Do we believe in the government owning vast swathes of industry and providing a huge range of 'free' services, paid for by hugely increased taxes and borrowing, or do we believe in less government, private enterprise, lower taxes and lower borrowing. A Corbyn government would almost certainly need the support of the Scottish Nationalists who would demand yet another referendum about their desire for Scottish independence, a demand that Corbyn would almost certainly grant whatever he might say today; the breakup of the United Kingdom could then happen and that would be far more traumatic and difficult that the UK leaving the EU, for both Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Additionally, who would actually be prepared to lend a Corbyn-led government the money they want ? It would either mean absurdly high rates of interest in order to attract vaguely sensible investors or it would be China, which would end up effectively owning our country and making all of the rules. Or perhaps the US would step in and try to keep the Chinese out with military force. Whatever the outcome, it would be bad.
No other choice is realistic. Whatever she may say, no one in their right mind sees Jo Swinson as a future Prime Minister and the rest of the parties are just also-rans. Yes, the Irish lot could end up having a say in a coalition, again, but it's unlikely. The Greens and Plaid Cymru are just socialists dressed up in different clothes but have no real hope of having much influence on anything.
Dyed in the wool remainers really should vote for the Liberal un-democrats as a vote for anyone else would be a step in the dark. Those who either favour leaving the European Union or simply believe in democracy have nowhere to go but the Conservatives, as a vote for the Brexit Party, except in a few specific seats, is likely to do more harm than good. Those who aren't sure about what to do should either stay at home or vote for the safe choice, which is, without doubt, the Conservatives. A vote for Labour risks Armageddon while a vote for the Liberal un-Democrats risks civil unrest at the very least.
The choice is clear and Thursday is the day on which to make it.
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