A Tory government looks terrible for the disadvantaged, but all is not lost for Britain
Many were hoping to see an end to the austerity measures our country has faced for the last five years. While watching the election debates, I found myself mesmerised by the hope for the growth of progressive politics, cheering when the leaders of Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and the Scottish National Party spoke. It looked like a bright future for many in this country, especially those who have been hit hardest by the Liberal-Conservative coalition.
As a student, I will find myself nearly £20,000 in debt by the end of my education. Luckily for me, the Welsh Assembly fixed the tuition fees at £3,000 a year (not including living expenses). However, the same cannot be said for my fellow students in England. Some will find themselves in £30,000 worth of debt. Listening to the Greens and Plaid say “we will abolish tuition fees” made me believe that if Labour were forced into a coalition, students would really benefit. For the first time in the last five years, there was a ray of hope for students, for immigrants and for the poorest in this country.
Election night saw many staying up to watch as results came in. Then came the shock of the exit poll. I found myself hoping beyond hope that it was wrong. By 6am my dreams of a Britain free of austerity lay in tatters; a Conservative majority was established. To quote the film V for Vendetta: “I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense.” I felt angry and betrayed. But even more so, I felt afraid.
We know what this Conservative government will bring with it, and the price we must pay for this outcome. The zero-hour contracts that see people completely at the mercy of their employers, will continue. In such forms of employment, employers can take away an employee’s job for no sensible reason. Without a job they find themselves on benefits, to then be demonised by society.
There are already calls to bring about a referendum on the EU. The fearmongering spread through the Murdoch media could lead to our departure from the EU. Cameron and his new Justice Secretary Michael Gove, the same man who was sacked as Education minister, have already planned to remove the Human Rights Act, to replace it with a ‘British Bill of Rights’. This measure could mean we will see a restriction on basic Human Rights as incorporated in the European Convention on Human Rights. The Conservatives are extremely determined to “break the formal link between British Courts and the European Court of Human Rights” to not allow “British judges to be overruled in Europe”. This further means that any violations made in the British courts will be much harder to bring to the European courts.
This plan to attack our human rights ties closely with Theresa May’s plans to bring back the Snoopers’ Charter. This was a policy that she had previously tried to implement, but was prevented by the Liberal Democrats. Some may argue that if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to hide. As understandable as this argument may seem, however, how would you feel if I went searching through your private letters? Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights (the basis of our Human Rights Act) gives us our right to privacy. If this can be so easily removed, it begs the question: what other rights will be taken?
Theresa May wants to make the Snoopers’ Charter law as she believes it will be there to stop terrorism before it happens. She states, “The twisted narrative of Extremism cannot be ignored or wished away.” But, what comes under the “twisted narrative of extremism”? This is a very vague and rather terrifying statement; anything that is anti-government could be branded as such. It is vague statements like this that make us wonder when a Snoopers’ Charter becomes an excuse for locking up any ill-defined “radical” the government sees fit.
However, it’s not all bad news; certainly if you are a part of the wealthy top 10 per cent in this country, life is going to be great. You will get your tax cuts and you will still be able to dodge tax relatively easily. If you are a banker, you can still gamble with our money and never worry about the consequences. It is fair to say the Conservatives look after their own.
This country has voted for a party that believes the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many. We have over the past five years seen private companies enter our National Health Service, a service created by and for the people. With private companies coming closer and closer to owning our NHS, how long will it be until we lose this brilliant and essential institution? To quote Aneurin Bevan “Illness is neither an indulgence for which people have to pay, nor an offence for which they should be penalised, but a misfortune, the cost of which should be shared by the community.” We should let these words echo through the ages and pay heed.
This country may well have voted for Conservatives, arguably through an unfair voting system in which vote percentage does not fairly correspond to seats won. It is, however, not too late to change. Already thousands have taken to the streets nationwide to protest and protect the vulnerable in our communities. We lose billions thanks to tax-dodging tycoons in their glass towers, and reckless bankers who care only for their own wallets. Through the right taxes, there could be less need to cut essential services, like the fire services and the NHS. We could scrap spending billions on Trident and put that money into helping rehabilitate soldiers who have come back scarred and broken from their missions.
The Conservative government will tell you cuts to the public sector are essential. They will quote High School Musical again and say “we are all in this together”. We know that isn’t true. I highly doubt David Cameron and his friends have to use food banks to feed their children, or sink into depression like so many others who are forced into seeking benefits. The reason Mr Cameron cannot understand the needs of the average Briton is because he belongs to the 10 per cent. For his government, money is more valuable than lives.
Nonetheless, there is hope for the UK. From London to Cardiff, from Bristol to Sheffeild, people have been standing up in one voice to say no to the Tory policies put forward. In July the budget will be released with around £12 billion cut from the welfare bill. On June 20th thousands are protesting in London against these cuts. We can be the change we want to see. We can say no to austerity, we can say no to the loss of our NHS and we can say no to the loss of our human rights.
Image from: Getty Images