Killing Foxes for fun in fancy dress. Is this what tradition means?

Image by: Dave Cramp

Whenever there's an English war the toffs get the working class to do their fighting. While they, miles from the front line, dream of an England where they are free to hunt and kill little foxes.

Conservatism is all about the unthinking preservation of tradition whether it be right, or wrong...

This article was first published in March 2015

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General Election 2017 | Corbyn phobia & Conservatism

Thanks to Tom Scott for creating this image

There's been a lot of talk on Social Media speculating why the Mainstream Press won't back Corbyn. There's was even speculation among the political class whether the left-leaning Guardian think it's possible that a Corbyn led Labour Party can win a General Election, so what's going on?

While no one should underestimate the Mainstream Press's  ability to steer public opinion away from anything remotely radical, I think there's something else going on within people that explains the aversion to an alternative voice. A psychological something so powerful that many feel unable to turn away from the perceived safety of Conservative Party paternalism. 

For large numbers of voters, the Conservative Party seems to act as a kind of universal comfort blanket used to protect those too afraid to allow themselves to think about the malign forces operating behind closed doors organising their lives.  Put simply, it appears to me that too many people are hopelessly happy to leave political affairs to others. It's as if, justice, equality and fairness is non of our business and instead the inately deferential English seek solace in the Daddy-Knows-Best paternalism that Theresa May and the Conservative Party do so well. 

The difficult circumstances people find themselves following the austerity policies of the Conservative Party, rather than causing them to rise up and challenge the system, actually seems to make people cling on even tighter. To the cap-wringing and hopelessly deferential, middle income Tory voter, maybe struggling to run a new business, automatically accepts the decisions "their" Party makes without properly considering the alternative point of view. The way I see it, and despite Jeremy Corbyn closing in on May in the polls, the difficulty the Labour Party still faces, is that any idea, or individual articulating opinions in opposition to the status quo, triggers a knee-jerk reaction that, not only stifles the ideas, it kills rational argument stone dead. 

Whether it's Jeremy Corbyn choosing not to sing God Save the Queen, or more serious issues, like contracting out National Health Services to private business, hiking University Tuition Fees, or Thersa May's Social Care Plan, alternative opinions trigger a kind of phobia that's remains hard for the Labour Party to extinguish. 

If the Labour Party are to be elected in June, it's leadership and their grass-roots supporters need to stick to the arguments, and  I am sure that, day-by-day, the phobic reaction and the aversion to real change in Britain will soften. Only then will the value of Jeremy Corbyn's policies for Britain be acknowledged and more generally accepted by the public, if not the Conservative controlled press. 

More on: Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party

A version of this article was first published in September 2015.

Theresa May on Food Banks

Theresa May told the BBC's AndrewMarr: "There are complex reasons why people use food banks".

I saw this interview on Sunday and thought - what's Government for? Surely a paternalistic Conservative Party should view a million people using Food Banks as unacceptable? After all, isn't it the Prime Minister's job to tackle the complicated stuff.

The logic of Theresa May's argument is that the increase in the use of food banks is either unimportant to her Conservative Government, or is too complex for it to resolve.

Why I voted for Jeremy Corbyn in 2015

Corby-phobia and the Daddy-Knows-Best Tories

There's been a lot of chit-chat on Social Media lately speculating why the Mainstream Press won't back Corbyn. There's even speculation among the political classes whether the left-leaning Guardian think it's possible that a Corbyn led Labour Party can win a General Election, so what's going on?  

While no one should underestimate the Mainstream Press's  ability to steer public opinion away from anything remotely anti-establishment, I think there's something else going on within people that explains the aversion to an alternative voice. A psychological something so powerful that many feel unable to turn away from the percieved safety of Conservative Party paternalism. 

For large numbers of voters, the Conservative Party seems to act as a kind of universal comfort blanket used to protect those too timid to allow themselves to think about the malign forces, operating behind closed doors, that organise their lives.  Put simply, it appears to me that too many people are hopelessly happy to leave political affairs to others. It's as if, justice, equality and fairness are non of their business and instead they seek solace in the Daddy-Knows-Best paternalism that David Cameron and the Conservative Party do so well. 

The difficult circumstances people find themselves following the austerity policies of the Conservative Party, rather than causing them to rise up and challenge the system, actually seems to make people cling on even tighter. To the cap-wringing and hopelessly deferential, middle income Tory voter, maybe struggling to run a new business, automatically accepts the decisions "their" Party makes without properly considering the alternative point of view. The way I see it, the difficulty the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn faces, is that any idea, or individual articulating opinions in opposition to the status quo, triggers a knee-jerk reaction that, not only stiffles the ideas, it kills rational argument stone dead. Whether it's Jeremy Corbyn choosing not to sing God Save the Queen, or more serious issues, like contracting out National Health Services to private business, alternative opinions trigger a kind of phobia that's going to be very difficult for the Labour Party to extinguish. 

If the Labour Party are to be elected in 2020, it's leadership and their grass-roots supporters need to stick to the arguments, renounce New Labour, forget all about Blair and the Millibands, and I am sure that, day-by-day, the phobic reaction and the aversion to real change in Britain will soften. Only then, in my view, will the value of the policies of Jeremy Corbyn be acknowledged and more generally accepted by the public, if not the Conservative controlled press. 

More on: Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party

What's your question to the Prime Minister?

Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, is embarking on a new style of politics that actively seeks to do something that politicians really ought to have be doing all along - represent the people.

I remember picking up my first politics text book in the 80s and it informing me that politics is about two things: government and representation. The trouble is that, when I listen to David Cameron he sounds too much like an old fashioned English aristocrat, a man who believes we should trust him to do what's best for us and, frankly, let him get on with it.

This is the way Conservatives do government, it's a political movement that attracts people that prefer politicians to do their thinking for them and are more than happy to defer to the views and obey those, that appear so "naturally" born to rule.

Well, I disagree, David Cameron doesn't know best for me and after failing to win the votes of more than 25% of the people in 2010, has no right, in my view, to impose "what's best" for the vast swathe of individuals, over 75% of which didn't vote Conservative at all.

Jeremy Corbyn is trying to put this failure of our political system, our democracy's failure to adequately represent the people, right. With clever use of technology and social media, Jeremy Corbyn is reaching out to everyone and asking them for their opinions. Put simply, the newly-elected Labour leader believes that he will be in a better position to represent the people in Parliament if he knows what they think. Jeremy Corbyn asks: What do you want to ask David Cameron?  Jeremy will then use your question to inform what he asks the Prime Minister in public and live on TV every Wednesday. If you miss the live BBC broadcast at 12.00 - 12:30pm on Wednesday 16th September I'll upload it here for you:

So, what do I think Jeremy Corbyn should ask the Prime Minister in Parliament tomorrow? Perhaps the trickiest issue of all for the Labour Party and the country at the moment, is whether we should renew the Trident bomb. The cost  to the taxpayer of this nuclear upgrade is 100bn?  To help us decide whether this is good use of public money I have suggested this question for the Prime Minister:

What do you want to ask David Cameron?

If you want to find out more about Prime Minister's Questions you can find out more here: What is Prime Minster's Questions about:

Source: www.parliament.uk

Go to Prime Minister's Questions now

Why the "Born to Rule" English political class hated Thatcher?

Video current unavailable, but: I think it's because Margaret Thatcher opened the door to those audacious enough to challenge the UK's established elites

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Killing Foxes in fancy dress. Is this what tradition means?

Image by: Dave Cramp

Whenever there's an English war the toffs get the working class to do their fighting. While they, miles from the front line, dream of an England where they are free to hunt and kill little foxes.

Conservatism is all about the unthinking preservation of tradition whether it be right, or wrong...

More Politics