The Tories have decided they best not get too political in this
election. Let's just leave it at "Feel let down? Give us a try!" Mr Howard
frowns and says "Ooooo, that Mr Blair. Let's wipe the smile off his face!" and
deep down I know, you know and he knows that he has not got a hope in hell's
chance of getting back in.
Some of the left leaning papers in the mainstream have been
trying to raise the possibility of a Tory win, I think in order to ensure that
voters don't start slipping away into more radical territory. There is
absolutely no justification for believing that the Tories may win the election
although its fairly clear that Labour will lose some of its massive majority.
When the Tories fought the 2001 General Election they did so on a
basis of xenophobia and Euroscepticism. Although these trends are still there,
and formally these Tories are more bigoted than those four years ago really they
are playing on the idea of vague disgruntlement. Because a large number of Tory
MPs are businessmen and all their mates are quite happy its difficult for them
to see what the real problems with this government are - and why would they?
Blair is simply pursuing Thatcherism in a more confident and forthright manner
than Major (the last Tory PM, remember him) was able to.
Having said that the Tories make me sick. Blah! The Tory hopeful
for Dorset South (and very marginal Labour seat) quite rightly went on a
demonstration to defend a Malawi family threatened with deportation, the
Kachepa's. Then for his publicity he doctored the photos turning them into a
statement for restricting immigration controls. I was genuinely enraged by this
man - he does one decent thing in his entire life and he has to turn it into a
message of parochial xenophobia. Typical Tories. Even Widdecombe was annoyed.
Yes, even Widdecombe.
Whereas any New Labour MP would never have gone on the demo in
the first place of course.
At this election the enemy is neo-liberalism rather than a
mythical Tory bogey man. They wont get in and frankly if they did what would
they do different? Be less smug perhaps? The Guardian may want to frighten you
into voting for Labour AGAIN but the really frightening thought is a world
without an alternative to these people, and the only wasted vote will be one for
something in which you do not believe.
