Unusual silence!

Well - all I can say is that I've been holding a watching brief since the last General election. Watching the man who won the seat I wanted, watching our MP's who have Ministerial positions. Feeling excited, wary, upset, cautious and ambitious - in equal measure. My immediate reaction to coming second was "Never again" - but, heck, I miss the cut and thrust of politics and I'm arrogant enough to think I have experience to offer - so I'm up for it again!!!

Monday, 9 November 2009

A new lease of life

The start of a working week and, for as long as I can remember, I'm pain-free!! The sticks have been abandoned and the clips came out this morning so - I'm "up and at 'em" again. Before I move back to the business of campaigning, I will take time to reflect on my luck. I have good health and strength - not to say determination. I am surviving my recent "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" and managing to retain a sense of humour which will always carry me through. I have good support from family and close friends and - crucially - I know how to ask for the help I need.I worry for people who don't, people who can't and for people who feel they shouldn't even try.
As my readers will know - part of my work is with International students in London. Many of these brave young people arrive at the college I'm involved with, straight from the airport, loaded with suitcases and with a boundless enthusiasm and optimism which brings tears to my eyes. When you talk to them about their lives at home you can understand why they want to train here and why so many of them intend to take our old skills and traditions back home when they finish their studies.
We are often too keen as a nation to put ourselves down and we should stop it! Britain IS Great and deserves celebration. We are a key player on the world stage and punch above our weight in Europe. Our current difficulties - political and monetary - are huge but nothing we haven't dealt with before. We just need a change in approach. During the Thatcher years, serious damage was done to British society. Our old patterns of care and support for each other in our communities was sneered at by "Loadsamoney" characters and we haven't really recovered. Tony Blair did nothing to turn around the decline in society - a whole generation of adults have grown up with a "devil take the hindmost" attitude with the obvious fallout on the most vulnerable of our people.
David Cameron's attempts to "spin" the image of his party are so superficial as to be laughable. Scratch the surface of the "Caring Sharing Conservatives" and what do you find? A party which preserves the priviledges of the wealthy, pays lip-service to equal opportunities but pillories only the female protagonist in an affair, encourages the bonus culture in banks and will repeal the Act which bans hunting with dogs.
"Plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose!" I believe Dave - you can fool some of the people some of the time but some of us have had enough and will let you know! Even the diehards of your own party can't be bothered to pretend that your carefully manufactured image resembles reality.
It's Time for a Change in politics my friends - don't let the Tories assumed right to inherit go unchallenged - I don't intend to roll over and nor should you!!

No comments:

Post a Comment

A family photo

A family photo
Sun shining!

Who am I and what's this all about?

Hi - I am a Liberal Democrat, was a Liberal - will always be in this party, warts and all. Lots of us have staggered since the General Election as some compromises are hard to take but, in the end, my beliefs are exactly those of my Party and therefore --- I'm here for the duration (mine that is!!)