Kate's Blog

Follow me if you will as I try to navigate through the ups and downs of my world.

I'm writing this blog to help me make sense of all that has happened - from my diagnosis with non-Hodgkins lymphoma while pregnant with my third child in May 2008
, through to my reflections on chaotic family life as I try to pick up the pieces of my life again.


The kids are so small, and I'm working hard to keep us all safe and to stay in remission.

Stay with me - it won't be all doom and gloom I promise!



Friday 16 April 2010

Election Fever

So, we're coming up for election here in in the UK. Last night was the first of the American-style televised debates between the three leaders of the main parties. Frankly I found that it made frustrating and depressing viewing.

It was clear to me that Gordon Brown was the most statesmanlike, most convincing, most confident and articulate and by far the least oily of the three. However the pundits and polls did not agree with me. But, I kind of don't think they would whatever had been said. I'm not sure that Gordon Brown can do anything anyhow to change the set perception - he's got the hardest job, trying to persuade people to vote for him again, well of course it's human nature to criticise, moan and complain especially here in Britain and such fun too. Our health service and education system are generally infinitely better now than they were when the Conservatives left Downing Street - and most importantly Labour have a moral and social conscience sadly absent from the "I'm all right Jack" philosophy of the Tories.

Change is always tempting. But remember those dreadful dreadful Thatcher years when all that was good in our country was destroyed? It'll happen again if we let ourselves be duped by the empty, smarmy rhetoric of the Tories. Never was Shakespeare's phrase, 'smiling damned villain' more apt when one thinks of David Cameron. Things could be SO much worse and people should be very, very careful what they wish for.

As for Nick Clegg - he was ok. Reasonably reasonable, measured with little to lose and everything to gain. But he didn't come over as a prime minister and he scored easy points for being personable in a manufactured kind of way.

Here's my election poster then, stuck in the window of my blog: VOTE LABOUR! You'll regret David Cameron, I predict, and when you do it'll be far, far too late.

3 comments:

Rebecca S. said...

Well said, Kate! All I remember about the Thatcher years is the Billy Bragg songs against her, and lots of general strikes on the international news. I hope your country does the right thing and votes in favour of health services and education. We have a smarmy 'has a smooth answer for everything' premier of our province and I'm really hoping people will get sick and tired of his hollow rhetoric one of these days.

Vince said...

I was living in London for the latter years of Mrs T, and even there the fixation on property was sickening. It was such a pity that new labour followed that idiotic policy.
I'm not with you on the Debate, Clegg won it right enough, but it wont matter for Gordon did not lose it. And there with his not losing goes the Conservative hopes. For the next while, I bet that the Con's will become increasingly more strident.

Tracey said...

I find the whole free health care, free education thing that the Brits have fascinating. In America you have to pay. (Education up to 18 is free.) I suppose in Britain you must pay as well, through taxes. But then, does the government do the running of the health care and the education?

I want to live in a country that has free health care and education for everyone. It only seems morally obvious. But my government isn't really efficient at such things.

I am conflicted to the point of being almost numb. I have a post on it just sitting in my draft box. It might be time to dust it off.