Thank you to Barcharters Anonymous for spotting this one.
When the Tories unveiled their quick sketch green tree logo last year, I did think it was an extraordinary logo for a party with a membership with an average age of 99.
After a year, a retreat has been sounded. The Clause Four moment with grammar schools resulted in the complete volte face of Cameron in sacking David Willetts from his education spokesperson job. Now Cameron's pathetic attempt to brand the Tories with the motto "Vote Blue get Green" has also resulted in ignominous defeat.
The green tree is now a blue tree.
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I like to get what it says on the tin. Now, if by voting yellow I could only get yellow, and not green or red...
ReplyDeleteI do applaud you for trying, Anonymous - well done! First of all with Cameron in charge it is still impossible to work out what the Conservative party stands for. Secondly, the colours of the Liberal Democrats are gold or orange. Not yellow - that was the old Liberal Party. Thirdly, please tell me a single policy of the LibDems which is socialist/red.
ReplyDeleteDear Paul, I'd like to emphasize that I'm not a Tory supporter. Actually I'm an independent feeling some sympathy towards the Lib Dems. Perhaps that's also why most of my criticism is aimed towards them. No point to try to achieve a change in those parties, which you consider hopeless anyway, is there?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I appreciate parties being consistent, no matter whether I agree with them or not. Then I at least now what I'm getting when I'm voting. Conservatives haven't been very consistent lately, but that's not a big problem for me, because I'm not currently considering to vote them. However, if your title, "vote blue get blue" is true, I'm happy for them and their voters.
The problem with Lib Dems is, that I can't point out a single policy which is socialist/red, but I can't point out many, that are liberal either. What is more obvious to me is how individual Lib Dem politicians behave. Some of them seem to be rather red (Hancock, Harris, Russell to name only a few), and there are others who seem to be somewhat conservative for instance when they are voting about issues related to homosexuals (Breed, Younger-Ross and Pugh, for example).
Have a nice rest of the summer! :-)
I see your dilemma Anonymous. In fact, the gist of my intention with the title was to confirm what many of us have always suspected and that is that the "Vote Blue get green" motto of Cameron was a sham.
ReplyDeleteCan't point to any of our policies which are liberal? Let me help. Look at the buttons on the right at the top and you might get a clue. Some which spring to mind are: Fair votes, opposing the Iraq war, opposing ID cards, Opposing draconian anti-terror laws, proposal to build a million affordable houses, reducing income tax by 4 pence in the pound, reducing tax for large numbers of less prosperous people, switching investment into public transport, removing 5 million people from relative poverty by 2020, targetting resources to improve education for up to 1.5 million vulnerable children, strengthening local government, strengthening international law and the role of the United Nations, various proposals to reduce world poverty ...let me know if you want a longer list or go to www.libdems.org.uk
I don't think I have ever heard Evan Harris, Bob Russell or Mike Hancock calling for re-nationalisation of industry or any other similar policies which characterise socialism.
According to "They work for you", Richard Younger-Ross has "voted strongly for gay equal rights":
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/richard_younger-ross/teignbridge
Paul, these day, when already a large proportion of the society is nationalise, one doesn't have to call for re-nationalisation of industry in order to be a socialist, it is enough to dogmatically oppose moves to liberalise and re-privatisation of those industries, which have been nationalised or taken to a strict government control earlier, NHS and school spring to my mind.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I have confused Richard Younger-Ross with somebody else, like Steve Webb. Hovewer, according to these voting records provided by Stonewall , Younger-Ross isn't quite 100% gay-friendly, either. But there seem to be several Lib Dem MPs who have even poorer record.
Oh well, perhaps I'm asking too much, there is no perfection in any party. At least 16 Lib Dem MPs in the last parliament (Malcolm Bruce, Sue Doughty, Sandra Gidley, Nick Harvey, Archy Kirkwood, Norman Lamb. David Laws, Alan Reid, David Rendel, Bob Russell, Adrian Sanders, Robert Smith, Jenny Tonge, Paul Tyler, Roger Williams and Phil Willis) seem to be 100% for equal rights for homosexuals. Maybe there are even more, that record doesn't include the newer MPs.
"A political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole." That's socialism defined by the Oxford dictionary.
ReplyDeleteSo please give me some examples of where Hancock, Harris or Russell have advocated such a theory.
If we go with your definition, "it is enough to dogmatically oppose moves to liberalise and re-privatisation of those industries, which have been nationalised or taken to a strict government control earlier, NHS and school spring to my mind."
...then you could include virtually every British MP in your definition, because I don't see a vast swathe of MPs advocating the re-privatisation of the NHS or schools.
I also think your definition is so watered down that the likes of Robert Owen or Karl Marx or Keir Hardie wouldn't recognise it.
According to They work for you, Steve Webb has voted in favour of gay rights in six votes and against for just one.
R Y-R has voted for gay rights in six votes and been absent for 4.
Presumably They work you go on a set past period.