Categories: uncategorized
Date: 23 June 2010 10:43:43
In all yesterdays blithering about the emergancy budget there was one person alone who impressed me, Bob Russell, the MP for Colchester. Now Bob is an old skool proper constituency MP, the sort with a dodgy haircut, a lack of charisma but a good heart and the willingness to work hard on behalf of other people. Yesterday he went on tv and said he will be asking the party leadership serious questions about the VAT rise because 50 days ago he got elected through fighting against this. Listening to him made me realise why for so many years I had supported the Lib Dems, because people like Bob represented people like me!
Yesterday though I also reflected on Danny Alexander, looking like a 6th former on work experience, (even though he is my age), and why I am glad I voted Labour in the election. Hard decisions were being made but the Lib Dems alongside the Tories on the front bench are indistingishable from each other. I have nothing against well groomed, well spoken, well educated men using their talents but I believe it is the less well groomed, often slightly older MP's who have come up through the ranks as hard workers in touch with their constituents not as "career politicians" groomed from uni who are more in touch with our country and the people within it.
This was an ideological budget, (I'm not using the term in an insulting way rather a factual one). This budget largely reflected the beliefs and ideology of the New Right (as characterised by Charles Murray, Melanie Phillips and Civitas).
I was going to go into a rant about several smaller aspects of the budget, like forcing single parents to now take a job when their children reach 5 rather than 11. A good idea in theory, but in practice I am doubtful the appropriate jobs will be available and I think the effects could cost the country more in the long term. However, I'm not going to rant on about why.....if I start I probably won't stop and will then just get depressed that there is not a mainstream party reflecting my beliefs any longer. What we need is a few more Bob Russells in politics.