Anyway. So its not a big deal for you but the scene is thus.

We have 3 parties but only 2 that realistically that can win Conservative and Labor. Both are now centre right parties with pretty much the same policies just fine tuned. The choice for the voter is which brand do you prefer. Do you think New labor have done a good job, or if they haven’t have they done a better job than the Conservatives would? Can we forget the desolation the conservative government left in this country after 14 years even though we don’t trust Tony Blair? If we don’t like Tony Blair do we vote liberals and risk the Conservatives winning as a result?

Generally there has been more investment in things like the national health service than there ever was under a Conservative government. Labor have spent time getting things the stage they were at before the Conservatives cut everything back. We have a strong economy and the Chancellor who is expected to take over the Labor leadership and primeministership should they win, is well respected and liked. People are voting for him as much as Blair. In fact for the first time we have seen something of an American style double ticket here. Tony Blair’s credibility is low without the support of Gordon Brown.

The main issues of the campaign have been Immigration and the war. The Conservatives are proposing a cap on the amount of people coming to our small island. They are accused of being racist etc etc by most people and by labor especially who say immigration needs to be controlled but that economic migrants should be let in.

The War of course is a big issue, or rather can we trust Tony Blair. He has been called a liar by the Conservatives, a word never used here. It breaks protocol in politics to be so insulting. The case for war has been examined and found wanting. The judgment of our attorney general and his legal basis for taking us to war was first leaked then eventually released by the government. It seems he had doubts that the war was legal. Then decided that it was but only just and if you span it that way so really we needed a second UN resolution. Tony Blair is accused of knowing this and not giving all the facts to people and the government.

Ultimately, its all a bit hypocritical from the Conservatives because they supported the war all along and have said all along they would have done the same. They didn’t scrutinize what was happening. That has to be criminal when you are the opposition party. That makes them as bad if not worse as the government on this issue.

Anyway, Blair didn’t lie as such but had given his word to back America and had that slant on everything, that and he had a naive faith that what he was doing was right and proper. Personally, I would respect him more if he lied. Most people lie. The worst leader is surely the one who allows himself to be deceived, doesn’t make a decision based on objectivity. Thats not a guy that I want to be leading the country. I want a man who knows what he is doing, not a man who got carried away by emotion and duped by an American right wing agenda.

So Blair isn’t trust worthy and he didn’t represent the voices of 60-70% of the country when he took us to war. He ignored mass protests and took the decision himself. Turns out we were right all along and he had nothing and now we are mired in a war with no exit strategy. Good job. Someone who ignores democracy should receive a bloody nose from it in an election.

Feeling this, do we vote liberals or do we vote conservative?

Not enough time has passed for us to forget how badly the Conservatives managed our country before to vote for them now. The signs are that they will cut labors majority to something more manageable and wont implode after the defeat as they have done in previous years. This means that they will at least provide some form of opposition which is so important in a democracy. I don’t like them or their leader, who is creepy, but I do want them to receive enough encouragement to turn up to parliament for 4 years and fight the government on issues that need to be questioned.

The Liberal Democrats are the only ones with different policies. But then they can afford to be creative because they wont ever get into power. They are in favor of increasing the top rate of income tax on on money over £150000 and using that to fund more investment in services. They want to scrap the local council tax and replace it with a form of income tax that goes to the council instead of the government and which funds services locally. Importantly, they are the only party that has opposed the war from the start and didn’t vote for it. They want to involve the UN. they want it to be a UN mandate and have our soldiers under the blue helmets. They also want a UN force of muslim forces from countries like Turkey and Malaysia. Fairly sensible it seems.

In conclusion, I want to protest against Blair and the war but feel Labor are doing okay on other issues. If it looks like labor will lose I will vote for them. Since it doesn’t I feel safe voting liberal. So there you go. Election special over.