A little bit of politics

So, here is my acquired wisdom after approximately thirty-five years of taking an interest in politics. In the west, at least, it largely boils down to the small state - the "right wing" - versus the large state - the "left wing". To be even more reductionist, the right likes low taxation and the left taxes what it needs to run the society that it serves. 

Simplistically then, it's the left that wholeheartedly backs state schools and the NHS, whereas the right wing pays reluctant lip service to both. However, on the right, you will find 'one nation' Tories who believe in looking after those who can't look after themselves. (They just complicate matters a bit.)

Personally, I see the arguments on both sides and, indeed, some of my best and brightest friends are of the 'small state' persuasion. However, I favour the big state: we all pay our tax and that should work towards a fair and socially mobile society, where everyone has an equal right to education and health care. If you earn more, you can afford to contribute more.

The current government, of course, is not really right wing, not in the way that most conservative thinkers would describe their political philosophy. It's a government that, if anything, is working hard to reinstate a feudal society. It is the polar opposite of progressive. So, even if you were a passionate believer in the small state, why would you re-elect a government that has supported its friends - the bankers - who caused a global recession, and then expected the oft-mentioned 'hard-working people' to foot the bill, while the bankers got back down to their primary business of earning themselves large bonuses? I honestly can't think of a single reason.

Of course, the left is plagued by its reputation for being 'weak', financially irresponsible, and for causing what George Osborne loves to refer to as "Labour's great recession". All of those 'facts' are demonstrably untrue; Osborne is a far worse chancellor than either Brown or Darling, both of whom took good care of the economy, and neither of whom can be held accountable for a global recession caused by the investment banks. Indeed, abroad Brown's swift response to the situation is rightly seen as preventing a global meltdown. (And not weak at all.)

The answer, of course, is our press. Effectively unregulated, and owned by megalomaniac psychopaths like Rupert Murdoch, it works hard to keep the Tories in power, not because it supports the economic argument of the small state but because it wants a government that screws its population rather than serving it. In return for supporting the feudal thinking Tory government, Murdoch and his ilk get away with whatever they want. What hope do we have of reasoned discourse and debate when one of the brightest and best of his political generation is lambasted for how he eats a bacon sandwich?

You're probably thinking having read the above, that I'll be voting Labour on Thursday. Actually, I won't, for two reasons. Firstly, in the constituency where I live, the choice is down to the Tories or the LibDems. And I would vote for pretty much anyone to keep the Tories out. The second reason is that my local MP, Tim Farron, is one of the smartest, most decent and left-wing people that I've ever met, not to mention an incredible constituency MP.

For the last few weeks, I've had a placard supporting him up in my garden. Last night someone tore it down. I can't for the life of me imagine who would have done this - "the cheeky buggers" as the Minx called them - but somehow it seems to say a lot to me about our current non-proportional electoral system and the companies that deliver our news: some voices just aren't allowed to be heard.