Owen's Blog

Of my grandpa, who died last night.
May he be at peace.

John Jones, Died peacefully 25/04/2005

As Britain is starting to get into the grips of election fever it becomes my duty to write a politically themed post.
So despite my best intentions I am already becoming fazed by the media friendly spin that all the main parties in this country are spelling out as their policy for the upcoming election. Everywhere I read it’s all about spin and sound bites, no real substance in any one of the main parties manifesto’s has come forward. I am, by choice, quite pragmatic in my choice as to who gets my X by their name; however this becomes increasingly difficult as I have to delve through the party political websites to discover the real facts behind any one party’s outlook on Britain. Because lets be fair, the policies they promote are their short term fixes that are there to add shine to the party and appeal to the “floating vote”. But what we are really voting on is a direction, an ethos to drive the country for the next 4 years, I don’t want to end up putting my mark next to a party which has wildly unaligned views.

And this is where I have a problems with such media spin on the parties policies, with a nation so short term in their views that parties can appeal to them by promising some short term fixes. Rather I want to be able to vote on ideology, sure I would like to have less tax and more take home pay, but if I find that the entire world is then destroyed because money has been cut from important areas (such as environmental protection, or world aid) then I can go to hell in a hand basket!

That is why I want an appeal launched, an appeal to make the parties more ideological, to make themselves actually stand for something apart from an overwhelming desire for power. The parties will say/do anything to court the middle vote, and this is what disgusts me.

I still don’t know which way I will vote but at the moment I’m looking at a protest of a spoiled ballet.

Let’s start realising that politics is long term, and not 4-8 years of short fixes.