Floater With a Vote to be Gained

Categories: election-2010

Date: 07 April 2010 10:03:04

Ok, so there are some things I know:

On 6th May I will vote.

I will not vote Tory because (i) I live in a Lib Dem / Labour marginal and (ii) whilst I believe Cameron is by far the best orator I know the New Right thinking and practice that are involved in his "Modern Conservatism".

So I am left with the following choice of Lib Dems or Labour if I want my vote to actually mean anything, or a minority party if I want to help somebody possibly not loose their deposit. Ideologically the latter is my preferred option as I am a disillusioned socialist who has been let down by the lurch to the right of the two other parties.

Chris Humes sidestepping / ignoring of a question relating to student fees and replacing it with an answer relating to income tax on the BBC special news programme summed up why I am no longer a Lib Dem. Similarly, the language of "New Labour" is equally difficult to swallow, as have been their introduction of policies that even Thatcher regarded as a step too far.

So where does it leave me? Well, my decision will be made by measuring each of the parties and local candidates against the following:

1) What is thier view on fair taxation? Do they believe that this means that those of us who earn more should contribute more through our taxes and national insurance than those on lower incomes?Is a fair income based taxation system with higher taxes preferable to higher VAT which hits the poorest? How will they ensure this happens but at the same time not put a block onto the benefits of entrepurneural activity?

2) What is thier attitude towards education funding and providing courses for those who want to better themselves? Particularly, are they going to fund properly adult courses such as Access courses and give Further Education colleges a proper slice of the cake? Are they also going to listen to teachers and professionals about what makes a good teacher? Are they going to put resources into former poly's? How are they going to cut drop out rates? Are they committed to apprenticeships rather than pushing young people onto the wrong courses for them and the country?

3) What are they going to do to stop the flow of  middle class kids, whose parents can afford it or are more likely to use the Catholic or CofE churches, out of schools which are struggling because only the least able or poorest are left in them?

4) How are they going to ensure that charities and voluntary agencies continue to get the funding required to do the valuable work they do and grow this work in the face of cuts in public spending, realising that the majority of funding actually comes directly or indirectly from local and national government bodies?

5) Are they committed to cutting spending on weaponary which has the power to destroy, and stop engaging in neo-colonialism in order to be able to help cut the deficit and have money available for efficient, well monitored public spending? Where we are already committed will they ensure that our troops have the correct gear to maximise their safety? Also will they ensure that those politicians responsible for war crimes in the name of the UK are bought to account?

6) What will they do to ensure the growth of green energies and jobs within this sector?

7) What will they do to ensure minority ethnic groups are supported, and their contribution to the country and economy recognised rather than scapegoated?

8) How will they deal with the growing housing crisis? Are they prepared to invest in more social housing and housing association properties? Do they recognise that doing this will lead to an increase in jobs and a growth in the economy aswell as helping solve our growing housing crisis?

9) How do they propose dealing with the problems an increasingly aging population will bring? Linked to this what is their answer to the problem we will see emerging where people will be faced with the situation of paying back student loans, providing for their pensions and trying to provide for both their children and their aged parents who have been victims of the collapse of pension schemes, etc?

10) How will they support the most vulnerable in our society rather than scapegoating them? How will they ensure that they are given the right opportunities to grow as people and find their way back into appropriate work rather than being victimised into taking the wrong opportunities?

To sum it up I want to find out who to vote for based on a Christian, (I believe),  set of ideas about a national community based upon the concepts of  people working together, with a communal set of rights and responsibilities, making a responsible use of their individual rights and responsibilities.

Ok, so I've e-mailed questions 1 - 10 through to both the offices of both the main candidates locally, Roberta Blackman-Woods  (Labour) and Carol Woods (Lib Dem) just have to wait and see what, if any, response I get back. Oh and cause I don't know how media rules on fairness in elections relate to blogs better mention that the BBC tells me the only other candidate in the City of Durham constituency at the moment is a Tory by the name of Nick Varley.