Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Six reasons not to vote Labour

Real change can only mean a vote for anyone but Labour or Tory* on May 6. Here's a quick reminder of what Gordon Brown and Tony Blair's party looks like.

1. The Nasty Party

Look at this appalling, borderline libellous leaflet circulating in Birmingham Hall Green, designed to smear their opponents as the defenders of convicted criminals and pederasts. This is straight from the book of tabloid barbarism at its worst, which the New Labour bullies have been generously perusing for 13 years.

2. The Economy
Barring this and this, the way Labour handled the economy for thirteen years has nowt to do with what most of their voters asked. Thatcher may have created the conditions for the UK economy being over reliant on the City, but thirteen years of Labour made it worse. While their rhetoric on welfare recipients got increasingly patronising, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. They had the chance to sort it out, they failed.

3. Think Tank politicians
The Tories may be packed with Etonians, but Labour is crammed with professional politicians straight from the ivory tower-world of "think tanks" and political research. Most of them have no idea what an ordinary job looks like. Think of all the time you heard New Labourite robots reciting pap like "tough times ahead" on TV or the radio, no matter what the interviewer asked. Do you really want 13 more years of that?

4. Reform
Labour had 13 years and unprecedented majorities to reform the House of Lords. They also actively and repeatedly turned their back on making the voting system fairer and less antiquated. In 2005, almost 3m votes going to none of the biggest parties were literally wasted. They translated into zero seats.

The Lib Dems were voted by 22% of the electorate but only got a measly 9% of seats. Labour grabbed 55% of the seats with just over 30% of the votes. This system is rotten at the core. Labour won't change it.

5. Civil Liberties
42-day detention laws. ID cards. Conditions in privatised detention centres. Suppression of dissent. The super draconian Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. Rendition flights. Belmarsh. Labour has a terrifying record on civil liberties.

6. Foreign policy
One word: Iraq. Not a single senior Labour politician has yet conceded that the Iraq war was wrong. Not even a little bit, a tiny admission, a contrite face. Don't forget that on May 6.

*and the BNP of course

Coming up: Six reasons NOT to vote Conservative

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