MOTORCYCLE

Can someone explain how weve managed to end up with the most boring and
seemingly irrelevant election campaign in history?

With Michael Howard acting like a stupid schoolboy calling Tony Blair a
liar [1] and the Lib Dems marching off into the desert over Iraq I am
beginning to wonder when someone will say something that actually
matters to me as a voter.

To think weve got another week of this clap trap [2] - is anyone
finding it interesting / thought provoking?

[1] I feel like sending him an E Mail to tell him to grow up.
[2] if this is what you get when you combine American and Australian
electioneering techniques then can someone bomb America and Australia
please.
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On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 22:33:36 +0100, Paul Corfield
wrote:


The tories round here have got a nerve: assuming I might vote some
cunt named Archer, ffs.
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Paul Corfield wrote:


Thank fuck. Its not just me thinking that, then.


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Paul Corfield wrote:


Not the election as such but I received an email, today, from an old
comrade appealing to the left to vote Labour - which as you can imagine
is a real struggle given the New Labour love of business, their
complicity in perpetuating Tory policies etc. - the email was thought
provoking.

It was almost a personal manifesto for this individual and as old
labour, party member and activist in the movement it struck a real chord
with me - perhaps it sounds a little clumsy and anachronistic to some but
there is something worth fighting for and we (as politicised people) need
to re-engage others in the parliamentary political process.

The choice, for me, is pretty clear: do we turn the clock back to the
eighties or do we take back the Labour party and get on with what should
have been done in 1997.

We cant afford ourselves the luxury of apathy, gesture politics or
impossibilism - in a Labour marginal any of these actions let the Tories
back in, which would be a disaster.

This is what this old friend had to say on the matter (bear in mind the
target audience isnt IT EKS):

...

On May 5th, I will be voting for the Labour Party in the General
Election, and not for a personality.

So far the election has focussed on the personalities of the Leaders of
the Parties. The Tories have exploited a situation on Blair integrity,
and conduct as Prime Minister. In fact the negative campaigning that they
have employed, has promoted the theme that this is not a general
election, but a protest vote, against the Prime Minister. A very
successful tactic they have pinched from Australia. Even their manifesto
is a collection of protest grievances, not a wish list for the future.

It can be argued that Blair has gifted them an opportunity with his
actions on Iraq, and the subsequent mess that has been created ever
since, despite failing to heed the warnings, of millions of people who
marched in February 2003, and the vast majority of public opinion on this
matter.

It was argued that amongst many white working class males, the war was
not an issue, however amongst women it was. However if you analyse what
has taken place since, and if the opinion polls are correct on what
peoples intentions are, the womens vote, is largely still undecided, or
moving away to the Lib Dems, on issues such as the war, and the question
of trust and integrity. Whilst with males the move away from Labour is
because of other grievances, whilst some are protesting against the war.

It has become clear, and what many have thought in the Labour movement
for a long time, Blair personal bubble has burst, his personal appeal
is not the magic wand it once was for some. The major problem are, his
long resignation notice, along with peoples views over his version of the
facts on going to war. This may also be coupled with many other
grievances amongst key Labour supporters, in the heartlands, and the
union movement, were they feel they have been ignored, and taken for
granted.

Blair knows himself that his personal popularity, is an issue, hence his
unusual, repeated appearances with Brown, and other key Labour
heavyweights, very much giving the impression that he has comfort
blankets surrounding him. Whilst the Lib dems have fought a campaign, by
saying very little, and not promoting themselves strongly, and giving the
impression that they are nice cream cake, however ask people what the
taste of the cake is like, especially in areas where they have local
authority control. Its also not enough to say you were against the war,
where were they when war the broke out, the silence was deafening.

The chickens are coming home to roost for the New Labour luvvies, you
cannot fight an effective campaign, on perceived substance and policy,
when you dont have an organisation. The destruction of the party
internally, and the disaffection of party membership, has lead to a
virtual reality election campaign, nothing on the ground, but plenty on
the TV and radio. Whats the point in getting a whiff, when you cant also
touch it. Remote politics suit the Tories, because they are remote from
most people and only represent a small section of society.

The impression given from new labour is that this election is about
survival, not progression for a third term. Negative defences, dont win
you many games.

Despite all this, why I will vote labour on May 5th, is for the following
reasons, I am unfortunate to remember how I felt, when Thatcher was
elected to power in May 1979, and the destruction the Tory government
reaped upon our country. I am an active trade unionist, so I have a say
in our movement, if I want to protest I can do so through that channel of
communication. I am a member of the Labour Party, I can air my grievance
that way too. Despite, the illegal war, despite the lack of progress on
workers rights, fair employment practices, defence of manufacturing, my
reservations over privatisation of public services, and the stupid stance
of aping the Tories and the far right on immigration and asylum, I know
these are political differences that can be overcome, from good politics
replacing eventually, bad politics, and through involving people in the
democratic process, encouraging good polices, developing good
organisation, and a mass party membership.

However, what always frightens me, is the way that the Tory nasty party,
has portrayed a return to their values of the 80s and the 90s. It will be
a hammer blow to trade unionists and working people in general, with
employment again put a risk, creating a fear amongst the workforce,
reduced rights for workers, and further introductions of anti union
legislation, coupled with an unstable economy, repossessions of homes,
shy high interest rates, and a slash and burn approach to our public
services in health, education and local government.

There are those that believe working people only learn through mistakes,
well I lived through the mistakes of the 80s and the 90s, so did many
millions of others, people condemned to a life time of poverty, and
unemployment, our industries asset stripped and decimated, because in the
main, they were unionised. Our local government, reduced to nothing more
than quangos and agencies, our NHS reduced to a demoralised, third class
service. It was a grey, dull, hopeless society, with no ideals, just
brutal punishment, for not being privileged by an accident of birth or by
wealth, or by both. The last thing I want, is to see a mistake being
repeated, I dont and others dont, need to learn anymore lessons the
hard way.

Protest and grievance in this election is being organised by the Tories,
and the Lib Dems, we in the labour and trade union movement should not be
sucked into this negative stance. In our movement we have the mechanisms
and the democracy to do that through our organisations. However, I
understand those in our movement feeling frustrated. Many knowing full
well, if they do that, they may help the Tories get power by default, to
teach Blair a lesson, or giving the Lib Dems, a larger presence in
parliament by hurting the Labour vote. I assume that there will also be
many in our movement who are torn completely over these dilemmas, and are
struggling to vote at all.

I hope and I remain optimistic, that working people, trade unionists and
traditional supporters will realise very quickly, and put aside their
frustrations this time before its too late, and that their good common
sense will prevail and that they will be persuaded to vote for labour,
and, that we are voting for a chance to try and put substance with good
policies back into politics, and that politics not personality will win
through. There is a lot to do in the third term, many of us will be
voting to implement the Warwick agreement, other social improvements,
with social justice, attempting to eventually win our arguments on
redistribution of wealth, and starting a war on poverty and a return to
an ethical foreign policy. These are chances we can win, as a collective
movement, and whilst in power too.

New labour is on its way out, a victory for the Labour Party is not a
vindication for New Labour, or the war, that does not wash with anyone.
The Labour movement and the party is bigger than any one individual, we
are not very traditional when it comes to personalities, and its not in
our collective interests, to turn this election into a personality
contest or a protest, or to turn Blair personal suicide note, into a
suicide pact for the whole of our movement, and the millions of working
people and the nation in general, who need us in Power.

This is a political contest, with two choices, we have, as in any
mainstream two party state, do we have the nasty Tories, aping some of
the BNP policies, serving the rich and privilege in society, that will
govern the majority for the sake of the privilege few. With a return to
the bad old, dark days of the 80s and 90s. Or do you want a government,
where we the Labour movement have a chance of asserting our considerable
influence, taking an active part in arguing for progressive policies, on
behalf of the majority of us in society, whatever background we come.
Thats why I am voting Labour, not Personal

..


--
Simon

Paul Corfield emerged from their own little world to say


Yesterday you wanted to kill children, now genocide.

Whos next?

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Paul Corfield wrote:


I have.

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Paul Corfield wrote

No but the Reith Lectures this year rock, as usual.


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sweller wrote:


Hmm.

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