Despite no longer being a member of the Conservative Party and considering myself politically neutral I still read Conservative Home, but I should stress I also read Labour List as well, both challenge me and help inform my thinking.
This article by Dan Hannan is a good example. There are two aspects of it that I find quite depressing. The first is that many people are likely to vote Conservative because of a fear that Kier Starmer is more left thing than he is currently showing. Isn’t it depressing that there is a (probably valid) view that Conservative voters will mark their cross on election day for totally negative reasons; no suggestion of supporting an exciting Conservative vision of the future, of an agenda that fixes our broken system and sets Britain back on an exciting economic journey, or of a plan to lift standards of living for all whilst creating opportunity for the less privileged. Nope, just fear of the unknown, whipped up by a totally incoherent party. It is basically a pretty apt representation of how bad our politics is.
The second aspect that bothers me is the suggestion that Kier Starmer is steering away from anything controversial because he sees that as the best route to power. This is almost certainly true, and is why he has ducked political reform, despite the Labour conference voting for it to be adopted as Labour policy. But, is it really controversial? The latest Yougov poll shows that 46% are in favour of PR with just 26% supporting First Past the Post – less than the number of don’t knows (28%).
This article convinces me more than ever that the only way to make Proportional Representation a reality in the UK is by us, the voters, forcing the agenda; continuously asking questions, making our elected representatives aware that they are not getting our vote unless they actively support PR and writing to the media to make sure they constantly hear the message that we demand PR. Political renewal in the UK deserves to be part of the mainstream debate, but that is only going to be achieved through pressure from the likes of you and me.
I will be adding a section to this website shortly setting out my thoughts on how to make a difference.
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