varian, I am a lifelong Liberal (later LibDem) supporter, because I had always felt that the party's values were closest to my own. If the UK had anything like the northern European Social Democrat parties, I would have voted for them, but the LibDems were the next best thing. I come from a very Conservatve family. I even know from family history research that my grandparents and great grandparents voted Conservative.
A few years ago, my life was turned upside down. I was ill and, as a result, lost my job and career, my house and my savings. Before then life had been difficult as a single parent with no support from my children's father, but I had coped. Suddenly, I was faced with having to ask for help and I was truly shocked to find out how little there is. Forget all the benefit porn programmes and stories about benefit scroungers. I'm not stupid and I looked at every possibility. Unless I deliberately defrauded the system (which I wasn't prepared to do), there is very little support for people in my situation. Like many others, I thought there was a safety net, but there isn't. I had always been a relatively high earner, so had paid thousands into the system and found this particularly galling, especially when the media was promoting 'shirker versus striver' rhetoric.
As I recovered, I thought more about politics than I ever had done. I realised that I wasn't the only one in my situation and that in some ways I was lucky, because at least I'd had a decent education and had marketable skills.
I voted Labour in the last election for the first time ever. I live in a true blue Conservative constituency (53% voted Conservative), so I knew my vote wouldn't make any difference, but at least it was one more vote in the national total. I will definitely vote Labour again, because it's the only party which can beat the Conservatives. I don't agree with everything Labour says and I don't think Corbyn will make a good PM, although there are some others in the wings. The majority of people in the UK (even in England) didn't vote for the Conservatives, but the opposition is split between various parties.
I dispute that Corbyn is 'far left', but the norm has moved further to the right over the last 30 years. What Corbyn actually says would not have been considered far left 30 years ago. I think we have reached a tipping point (as another thread suggests). Most public service workers have had their pay frozen and conditions have become worse, people can see for themselves that state schools have bigger classes and fewer qualified teachers and that NHS waiting times have become longer. Manufacturing has been destroyed and people are having to cope with the uncertainty of zero hours contracts. Higher education saddles people with lifelong debt. The dream of owning a home has gone for all except the very rich and those who inherit. Inequality is growing. The UK's 'silver' has been sold off, in many cases to foreign bidders. Private individuals are making profits from providing health, education, social care, etc while the services provided are worse. Over the last six years tax breaks have favoured the rich...and so it goes on. Neoliberalism has imploded and we're seeing the consequences.
I think we're at the point where people are seeing that the status quo can't continue. The disputes are about which way the country should go with pressures from both ends of the political spectrum. One way or the other, I think the political scene will be quite different in ten years or so and I think the Labour Party will survive, although it needs to focus on what it stands for.
and leave the thread to go as usual.......
