Tuesday 5 May 2015

Support the Coalition

Supporting the Coalition is fine. If you're planning to vote Tory, Lib-Dem, UKIP or not vote on Thursday, you're supporting the Coalition. That's fine - as long as you do it because you really hate the welfare state. If you support the coalition because you really hate the idea of helping the poor and vulnerable then, fair enough, I can't argue with you. If it's because you really hate all state intervention and welfare, the NHS and benefits - every victory of post-war democratic socialism -  then fine - you've chosen your party quite prudently.

But please don't support the Coalition because you think they are better with the economy. That is just a lie. They have borrowed more in 5 years than Labour borrowed in 13. They are leaving us with 0.3% quarterly growth when they inherited 1% quarterly growth - yet claim to have caused recovery. Their cuts actually cut off recovery and caused negative growth in quarters of 2012. They are terrible with the economy, because it's not their primary concern. Their aim is to roll back the state - to cut back everything until the world is just a market.

I don't mind if we all all democratically decide that the NHS is a bad idea. I don't mind if I get outvoted, and the collective will of the British people declares that we no longer want things like hospitals, schools, welfare, councils, a police force, an army, a fire service, and roads. If we declare, en masse, that we reject the very principles of taxation, society and politics.

But I'm worried that's not really what people think. I'm worried people actually don't support the Coalition because of who the Coalition are; they support what they think the Coalition is. They support the coalition because of misinformation. They do it because they are lied to. They support the Coalition because they want to support the best managers of the economy - when these are not in reality the saviours people think they are.

So support the coalition - but only if it's because that's what really want. Please don't support the coalition because you've been misled. Don't support them for a made-up reason. To support them because of one of the lies is supporting them because Murdoch and Harmsworth and Lebedev told you to.