A change in direction for me...?

This is an honest post. It is honesty because I am going to admit that I am leaving the Labour Party today after being a member for a few years. I am leaving to join the Green Party. I am joining the “other” alternative party. 

Why?

I do not dislike Labour. I was quite young (around eleven) when we went to war with Iraq. Throughout my teenage years it was seemingly quite normal for us to have presence in the Middle East. I formed no opinion about Tony Blair’s involvement in this. My mother and Stepfather were not particularly political and I lived in a Liberal Democrat stronghold. Cornwall was not really a place where politics was spoken about, either that or I wasn’t listening which is entirely possibly.

Despite this I have always swayed towards typically left wing ideologies. Whilst part of me admires Margaret Thatcher’s strength of character and I respect her as a leader I despise the steps she took. Yes, we were in the midst of a Winter of Discontentment, interest rates were rampant and public services were losing far too much money. England in the early 70s had a centralised system based on the Keynesian model which served us through the post-war period helping to rebuild a broken Britain. Keynesian economics centred largely around strong public sector investment, a commitment to full employment and an economy which allowed supply and demand to flourish. The National Health Service was created. The benefits system was implemented. These were desperate times but they ensured that we grew as a country.

Margaret Thatcher ensured these values were swept into the history books. She sought mass privatisation, brought the unions to their knees, reined in public spending and won in the Falklands War. In doing all of this she certainly secured her place in the history books. As a politics student I cannot name every Prime Minister there has ever been but I can name Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister who helped created the National Health Service and I can name Margaret Thatcher, the woman who brought entire towns into poverty because their work source dried up.

The issue I have with Labour is not with Labour itself. It is with New Labour, the Labour Thatcher helped form with Tony Blair. They took the party towards the righter end of the scale. They did not regulate the banks after Thatcher deregulated them. They did nothing to try and keep the housing market in check. They introduced a minimum wage, introduced Sure Start and gave Scotland and Wales greater powers to govern themselves. These were achievements but as ideological as I may be, I think they stepped away from the true Left and in doing so they did not leave anywhere for the Lefties to go but with them kicking, screaming and begging for mercy.

Ideological and morally I am behind the Green Party. They are often laughed off as hippie tree huggers who have no great policies other than to save the planet. But hey, the planet is our home. It is worth saving and no other party seems bothered that we are running ever closer to the point where oil will be depleted and climate change will be changing the way we live our lives. Potentially for the worst.

Austerity does not work Mr Cameron, Mr Clegg and Mr Osbourne. I know you have teams of economists and sociologists writing your policies. I understand that little ol’ me in Sheffield with a head full of nice ideas will be viewed as no more than a keyboard warrior. Despite this, you’re wrong. 

The issue with your policies is that a lot of the population, certainly the Northern counties, are looking for someone else to vote for. Your policies benefit no one but you and your friends. If free-market capitalism is your bread and butter then why you don’t put out contracts for investment in actual renewable energy? An alternative to oil? An affordable electric car? 

We could invest in people with real money and not zero hour contracts or unpaid internships. But actually deliver real jobs with real training if required. We should kick start manufacturing in our poorest cities. We should stop Right to Buy to keep and preserve council housing because affordable housing is needed. 

When I was a teenager I was involved in a community outreach programme which was an absolute life saver. Those “chavs” we label so ruthlessly could be told they are a valued member of society. When I thought the world had forgotten me there were a group of youth workers in Cornwall who showed me that I mattered. I will never be able to thank those three women enough for what they did for me.

So instead of investing in austerity and universal credit, why don’t we invest in the population eh peeps? This is why folks, I am putting my support behind the Green Party. I can believe in them.