He who pays the piper calls the tune. It's an old saying and one that is pretty on the button. There has been much talk about party manifestos or lack of them. So we thought we'd give our readers a potted guide to who pays the piper and what tune they will call.
The Conservatives.
Who pays the bills?
They are largely funded by mega rich billionaires.
What is the agenda of the funders?
Lower tax bills for themselves and a favourable environment to conduct business in.
What can we expect to see if they win?
More privatisation, tax cuts which primarily favour the mega rich, a hard Brexit, more outsourcing and privatisation and cuts to services for those who rely on enefits (ie the elderly, the ill and the children of those least well off in our society).
The Labour Party
Who are the funders?
They are largely funded by the Trades Unions.
What is the agenda of the funders?
Repeal of Conservative Trades Union Laws and an improved environment for Unions to function and protect the rights and priveliges of their members.
What can we expect to see if they win?
Repeal of Trades Union legislation, Nationalisation of key industries, cuts or abolition of student loans, higher taxation, improved benefits payments for the poorest members of society.
The Lib Dems
Who are the fuinders?
The Membership of the party
What is their agenda?
This is harder to ascertain, as they are a more diverse bunch, but expect a move towards more consensual decision making, reform of drug laws and protection of the middle classes, who are largely where the membership reside. The biggest policy will be a move to slow down a hard Brexit or reverse it, depending onw ho they end up in power with. The Lib Dems do not expect to become the party of government, so despite protestations otherwise, they want to be members of a coalition.
What can we expect to see if they win?
As I said above, they do not realistically expect to be in power. So to the Lib Dems, winning is to become junior coalition partners. They would slow/stop/reverse the Brexit process and seek to curb the extreme left/right edges of their senior Labour/Conservative partners.
Why are we having an election now?
Since the end of the coalition in 2015, we've seen the Conservatives descend from a stable and solid government, to a chaotic mess, which has been forced to call a snap general election, as they realise they'd lost the mandate to govern. Following the Brexit vote, Theresa May was installed as Prime Minister and her new cabinet sought to start changing policy in a manner that was out of step with the 2015 manifesto. The biggest change was her Chancellor seeking to abandon the Tories commitments not to raise taxes. It is no coincidence that having realised his plans were impossible without a change to the manifesto. As Labour are percieved to be in chaos, Theresa May decided that it was a fairly risk free strategy to regain the Tories authority to govern.
So who should you vote for?
Well that really depends on what direction you believe the country should be heading in. If like me, you have children, ask yourself which party has laid a vision that will mean your children will live in a fair, equal and free society. Voting is a right, but it is also a privelige. Make sure you use it wisely.
2 comments:
Do you know when will be election 2017 hustings for Hendon candidates, Chipping Barnet candidates & Finchley & Golders Green candidates Roger? Just wondering.
I think it will attract voters like myself including undecided voters who can make up their minds.
We are in election campaign season & Labour have launched their manifesto today.
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