The UK has gone mad.
I am a natural Conservative; at least I was born one and brought up as one. As far as I am aware - I am still a natural conservative, but I differ hugely from today's Conservative Party.
I would not wish to be aligned with them in their current form. I dislike their language, their lack of empathy, their divisiveness and their arrogance. They are hard-Right, unforgiving and emotionally, unintelligent.
I was always mildly aware that there were some hard-right members in their ranks somewhere but mostly ignored them. They were part of the colour and diversity that goes to prove that a miscellany assortment of opinion goes to strengthen the whole. Much as carbon will turn iron into steel. But carbon on its own is not steel - it is just carbon, as we all end up.
I am ashamed of what is now the Conservative Party. While I was never a signed-up member, I described my self as a mild conservative with perhaps a splash of pink and a thick stripe of green and possibly a bit of purple for good measure. Not orange though because I think orange should be left for oranges and possibly the odd setting sun.
The point is that diverse opinions are healthy. They have a role to play. But when the minority kidnaps the majority and holds it to ransom, we are all left in an unsafe place. That is what has happened to the Conservative Party - and interestingly, the United States Republican Party also. But unfortunately, the Labour party as well.
While we might, whichever side we are on, like the idea of the opposition being in utter disarray, as it turns out, it is terrible for democracy. To keep any government straight and focused requires strong opposition. We now have our two main parties sitting on the extreme margins and representing a minority view. This creates an unstable and dangerous situation; to that end, I hope neither side are endowed with long term power; that neither party sweep to victory with a working majority.
However painful the thought of more indecisiveness and turmoil in our politics, it is better than an extream right tory government. A Labour victory; doesn't even bear thinking what havoc they could inflict on us all.
My fervent hope is that we will end up with a hung parliament and we will find our way to another Referendum. And if we do vote to leave, we can act quickly on the result and keep a sensible trading relationship with Europe, which will include free movement of citizens.
Businesses in the UK will struggle financially without a strong pool of motivated and trained labour. It has already started. If companies struggle, that will have an unstoppable negative effect on the exchequer, and we will all suffer as a result.
It may be a vain hope, but that is all I can cling to right now; hope. I have always been a proponent of "first-past-the-post", it seems more democratic; you can vote for a person, not a party. I now find myself, in these circumstances lamenting the fact that we don't have proportional representation in this country.
I wish I could do something about it - like a nieve child in a nightmare shouting at their best friend as they walk off a cliff - "no-no-no, please don't, I can help you, not all is lost, it is not too late. Stop, please stop." If I could, I would have my friend, the UK, sectioned under the mental health act - for their own protection you understand. The very idea of Brexit to me is a form of self-harming.
We may live in a crazy world - but the UK has gone Bonkers, quite mad.
Rick - Suffolk - UK - 10th December 2019
rick@notesfromengland
Comentarios