Why I'm Voting Labour

The past five years have been an eventful few years. Politically I believe the last five years can be summed up with two words, competition and fear. I am convinced this is how the Conservative government have ruled and it cuts to heart of their vision for the country. This plays to the main reason I am voting Labour in just over two weeks and it is a stark choice in how the country should be built. Giving those at the bottom of society and working people a foundation, making the country work for them or making money for the top of society which we hope will trickle down to help the rest of us.

Competition

This government has introduced the bedroom tax, top down reorganisation of the NHS, a new curriculum in to schools, extreme cuts to most areas of government and of course a reduced top level of tax. What has all of this done to our country? It has promoted a sense of competition between colleagues, classes and professions. We were told of mythical benefit scroungers across the country while those at the top enjoyed a tax cut. The classes were pitted against each other.

In education a new curriculum was introduced which had a distinct lack of assessment, leaving schools and councils to figure that part out themselves or in essence encouraging competition between schools and councils. There was also a slow introduction of competitive pay for teachers, paying your best teachers more, once again competition was introduced between colleagues for the best pay based on grades and results. Incidentally results that have been basically left for schools to work out for themselves.

Finally we come to the NHS. A top down organisation was introduced which laid the foundations for competition, to allow services to be provided by other (for profit) companies, in the process breaking a promise made in the 2010 election. We already have outside companies running some NHS services and GP practices, competing with each other, competing with our lives in order to make money. Profit before patients.

Fear

As you can see competition has been steadily introduced to every part of life. This in turn brings fear, fear of losing your job through extreme cuts, fear of being paid less due to a bad set of results or fear that your money is being given to the undeserving. Immigration was another chance for the Conservatives and in particular UKIP to use fear to their advantage, I don't think I need to explain how.

We can see the fear tactic in play during the current election campaign. Conservatives praying on fear, claiming the chaos of anyone but them in government, claiming SNP demands could leave England in danger. The fear that a Labour government was responsible for a GLOBAL economic crash, forgetting the influence and irresponsibility of two major global banks. It is important we see through these fear strategies and aren't ruled by the tactics of a Putin-light. The video below illustrates these fear tactics in play..... 

Why Labour?

So this brings me to why I'm voting Labour. Repealing the health and social care act that brought in one element of competition, repealing the bedroom tax which set the course for class struggle and reducing the extreme regime of cuts. I listen to Ed Miliband and believe in the vision he has for the country, that works from the bottom up and reduces the gap from bottom to top, an economy built on growing expendable income of the majority, larger contributions from the elite to help rebuild a proper safety net with the NHS, increased minimum wage and less extreme welfare cuts.

I come back to my initial thought, my vote depends on how I believe this country should be run. We are a democracy that pays taxes to spend on public services and a safety net for the unluckiest of society. Those who earn more, contribute more simply because they can afford it and recognise their responsibility to society. This has not been happening for the past 5 years and it would not happen under a Conservative government, instead of spending on public services money has been cut, instead of the elite giving more they have built a cash reserve and don't intend to lose it.

I'm voting Labour because I believe Ed Miliband can produce this sort of country. A man who has already stood up to Rupert Murdoch, the energy companies and the USA over Syria, can level the playing field. I believe the mansion tax, increase in top rate of tax and bankers levies will produce extra funds better distributed by a Labour government. Call it socialist if you like but this is what I feel this country needs to not only clear the debt but become a fairer, more equal society.

I leave you with an, I believe, quite accurate video of what this government thinks.....