Am I going to become a Tory?

[almostwitty]

David Davies' recent decision to resign as an MP to force a by-election and debate on the erosion of UK civil liberties (you can now be arrested for 42 days without charge, there are CCTV cameras for every 14 people, the biggest DNA database in the world in percentage terms) has attracted a lot of scorn from media and politicians, but it does seem to have had the side effect of suddenly making the Tories look almost electable. Which is one hell of a neat trick, but a bit of a reflection of a growing trend where people now seem ready to come out of the Tory closet.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, when Margaret Thatcher and then Tony Blair were in charge, nobody in my circle of friends would even countenance the idea of voting Tory. Thatcher's ghost still loomed large, and Blair seemed to be doing a damn good job.

Then suddenly came the Iraq war, withdrawal of student grants, ID cards, the rise of management consultants everywhere, and now Labour are starting to look bloody authoritarian - which, when coupled with civil servants' transparent disdain for actually securing peopele's personal data - is not a good combo.

Hell, during the recent London mayoral elections, some friends of mine were openly declaring their support for the Tories and Boris. And that would never have happened in the 1980s and 1990s (notwithstanding the fact that there weren't any mayoral elections then...)

So in about three years, Labour have gone from being seemingly invincible to throwing away the next general election. and thus letting the Tories back in. Who, to be fair, would probably have also said yes to a 42-day detention, a war with Iraq etc.

Oh dear.

Comments

[almostwitty]

I personally wish people would stop protesting shouting screaming about rising oil prices (its $15 per gallon in the uk btw!) and instead concentrate on finding more sustainable ways to get around. Walk. Use a bike. The era of cheap oil has led to wars environmental devastation. Get used to it and plan around it.

[choirgrrl.livejournal.com]

I agree about finding better methods of travel that don't require gas. I also think, on that note, that more cities/etc. need to help put some of these options in place. In my city, summer is the most grueling time of year, as temperatures reach about 110F+ daily. 130F is not uncommon- but very unbearable. To walk/ride a bike is almost impossible in the heat, and many people in our area have died from heat exhaustion while trying to do so. (Not to mention the hot sidewalks and paved streets can easily pop bicycle tires.)
I'm sure it's the same in areas where it is very cold.
It's time for those in charge- considering that is what they were elected to do, to take the lead and build up better options for people in this time of crisis.

[almostwitty]

Of course in the same way that after hurricane Katrina, some people argued that New Orleans should be rebuilt somewhere else, it can be argued that continuing to base major centres of populations in areas where the temperature hits 130F is perhaps not a good idea ;)

[choirgrrl.livejournal.com]

Lol... ain't that the truth! (And yet, I'm still here!)