Race for Westminster: 2015

It would be entirely remiss of the Jamaican Tory not do a feature on the what’s going on in the United Kingdom in light of the general elections in the 2015 race for Westminster. This election has turned out to be a pivotal one, with several competing issues of interest that will affect the future of Great Britain for years to come. These include immigration policy, the NHS, defence spending, employment levels, regional devolution and foreign policy  etc. all have in one way or another found their way on the agenda, some  deemed more salient than others depending on which party you support. And while on the matter of parties this particular election is being contested by several parties including, the ruling coalition of the Centre Right Conservative Party and Centrist Liberal Democrats while the challengers comprise of the Centre Left Labour Party, the Right Wing United Kingdom Independence Party  and three fully leftist parties, Plaid Cmyru, the Scottish National Party and the Greens each of then jostling to see who can dominate Westminster, although it can be safe to say that it’s unlikely to happen with any of the three leftist parties since none of them will be contesting all the seats in the House of Commons.

         

One thing all the experts seem to agree on is that there will be another hung parliament just like in the 2010 elections and what makes this even worse is that the Prime Minister no longer has the power to advise the Sovereign to dissolve parliament for early elections, all thanks to a bill slipped into the last parliament by the Liberal Democrats which states that Parliament’s five year term is now a mandatory one. Being a lover of tradition and a staunch advocate for the Westminster model of democracy I cannot help but frown on the decision to have this bill passed in the Commons, in effect it would create a very untenable situation if it is that a Prime Minister suddenly lost the confidence of the house in the middle of his term but is forced to stay on due to his inability to call an early election for a fresh mandate. On the other hand one could argue that the Lib Dems were merely looking out for their own interest, what if the in the middle of the last term (2010-2015), Cameron’s Tories  had decided to get an early divorce from Clegg and his ilk and kick them to the curb?, there would have been very little legal barrier to prevent this, the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 was pretty much Clegg’s insurance policy to ensure that there was no double cross. With another hung parliament almost a guarantee it is very much a possibility that smaller parties will be looking to cash in on this investment in fact this has put both Cameron and Miliband at the short end of the stick if it is that neither of them can martial enough votes to gain unilateral control of the Commons, this no doubt would be what parties such as the SNP, UKIP and the Greens are counting on since it would them give them a chance to enter into the halls of government in Westminster.

After taking a look at the parties and their positions on varying issues, it is quite apparent that not all these political groups have the United Kingdom’s best interest at heart. Take for example the SNP, a group of political rabble-rousers that openly decry the union every chance it gets, this is the same party that time and again has called for the withdrawal of Scotland, which would utterly destroy the union but they simply just don’t care, so long as they get what they want. They along with the Greens have on several occasions called for the destruction of the Nuclear Trident missile defence mechanism which would of course leave the Island unable to defend itself against foreign aggression but again that’s not in their interest to concern themselves with maintain British Sovereignty. What is it to them if the pound loses its value on the market if it’s stability can no longer be assured by the central government in London?, what is to them if the Realm is suddenly unable to defend itself as it no longer has the men or equipment that it once had due to severe military cuts?, why exactly should they care if the United Kingdom is no longer able to meet its commitments to NATO or the United Nations Secuity council due to its weakened status? The answer is simple, they don’t care, and they never have.

 

And as if all of that is not enough the Greens have wasted no effort in making it clear where they stand on issues affecting the country. Take for example defence where they  support the SNP’s plan to destroy the Kingdom’s greatest defence mechanism, what about their stance on terrorism?, who can forget Natalie Bennett’s ghastly statement saying ISIS was simply misunderstood and even went as far to berate the government for it’s role in the fight against terrorism. This is also the same party that wants to dramatically increase the spending on benefits, widening the poverty threshold instead of creating opportunities for those who wish to make it themselves instead of using the state as a surrogate parent. One doesn't have to be a master of economics to know in order for public spending to increase then so will taxes and with no prospects for growth under a Green led government, one can make the assumption that it is the few who will be paying to sustain the many. Is the “equal society” that all the left wingers love to wail about? I hardly think so.

After taking a good look at the debates and more importantly at the polls, The Jamaican Tory is willing to go out on a limb here that say that British people have really become disillusioned with the political process and frankly who can blame them, anyone who has taken a good look at politics in Britain today can immediately see why, it’s pretty much a choice between dumb and dumber. To be fair though not all parties are like that, take for example UKIP, which at every single turn has been the standard bearer of everything that is traditional British, their policies include, a Britain that defends the sovereignty of the Crown rather than sovereignty of distant foreign bureaucrats in the EU, a strong foreign policy that emphasises Great Britain retaking it’s rightful place amongst the most powerful nations of the world and restoring it’s long ignored ties to the Commonwealth, an economic policy that would put the British economy back to work by revamping industry and increasing employment by ending mass immigration of unskilled workers from the EU simply out of political expediency. Sadly this is also the same party that has been most vilified and maligned particularly by the leftist and their collaborators in the media that has falsely painted Farage as racist and bigoted when any serious look at UKIP’s policy would  easily tell that this is certainly not the case, no wonder they were upset after he openly called out the leftist sympathizers to thier faces.

              

With ultra-leftist cannons like SNP and the Greens on the loose promising the shake the very foundations of the Westminster-Whitehall system the people of the United Kingdom have a pivotal decision  on the future of that great nation come May 7, personally speaking my own preference (though sadly I don’t have a vote) would be for the UKIP to win a overwhelming majority, but pragmatism tells that this isn't likely to happen so I’ll be willing to settle for a Tory-UKIP coalition to form the next government, anything else is unacceptable and any deal that places either the SNP or the Greens in government would be a disaster, one where it would be “Anarchy in the UK” as posited in  the 1976 popular but disrespectful hit song by the Sex Pistols . It is therefore my sincerest hope that come Election Day that the British people make a choice that is a solid investment in their future by voting for a party that puts Britain First.