9/07/2009

Why I am not a Tory



The fact that young people now cannot remember the Tories in power must be a blessing for them, but for people my age who remember the Tories and were brought up in the Thatcher years have a long held and almost allergic reaction to the Conservative Party which probably acount for the fact that the Tories, although doing well in the polls, are not at the New Labour levels of 1995-97.

I know people who loathe this government but cannot bring themselves to vote Tory because they remember many of the things in this Youtube video.

11 comments:

Julian said...

So, we have a choice of not voting Conservative because of things they did a generation ago before many voters were even born, or not voting Labour because of things they have done in the last twelve years. Probably the last Liberal government did things that were deeply unpopular. They must have been pretty bad or why was it the last Liberal government?

If a party's record when last in government was a valid reason for not voting for them ever again, we'd never vote for anyone.

All governments seem to fail spectacularly at some point, and we kick them out and give the other lot another chance.

Mark Thompson said...

That's a good and well produced video although I do think harking back over 100 years is a bit silly. I think all the stuff still within many people's living memory is fair game though. I remember John Major invoking the "Winter of Discontent" in abouut 1995 or 1996 (i.e. from 16 or 17 years before) so they cannot really complain about this tactic. I still think taking them on about their current policies though is the best way forward. However they have brought this sort of riposte on themselves with their foray into historical revisionism.

The makers of the video also forgot one of the last Tory government's most egregious actions which was to push through the botched privatisation of the railways in my view as an act of spite because they knew they were going to be out of power soon. The structure of the way they did it has left rail travel in this country in a mess for over a decade.

I guess others would also have their own pet hate Tory policy of old to highlight though.

Purple Man said...

I agree, the Tories have a dark past that many will never forget (or forgive).

Anonymous said...

I had no idea they were that bad, where they really that bad, wow. OK so that only leaves UKIP or Lib Dems. hmmmm

James Higham said...

I know why you're not a Tory, Nich - because you're a Libdem - someone has to be. :)

Anonymous said...

"I am not a LibDem because of the actions of Asquith and Lloyd-George's last Liberal government"

God honests truth that is what somebody once said to me on the doorstep. The lady is a Conservative voter and, although in her senior years, I am pretty sure she couldn't remember either Prime Minister in power ... or could she???

Nich Starling said...

The point is regarding taking events from many decades ago is simply that this video was done in the same style as a Tory one which claimed credit for events from decades ago as bein ago as reason to vote Tory now.

None of the above said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4BCUWopQQ4

A great song!

Anonymous said...

So a youtube broadcast is the reason that your are not a tory?, I bet Conservatives around the country must be worried that they failed to gain your support.

None of the above said...

The reasons are many but they won't change your life, so don't worry. I'm surprised that you make the immediate association between liking a song and holding a political opinion. I also like Perfect Day but I don't spend my days lying around in the park on heroin. Anymore.

By the way, your grammar is atrocious. Language is how we make sense of the world. You're fucked.

Dan said...

I pretty much disagree on every score. Firstly, those who have never lived with a Tory government would also be very young - hardly a large enough voting demographic (in terms of those who actually vote) to explain the huge swing the Tories we've seen recently.

Similarly, in the same way many young people have never lived through a Tory government, the vast majority of the Tories who WERE around and actually orchestrating things in their last government have long since left the political scene for retirement homes and cemeteries.

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