Once you cut through all the fog and smoke produced by both parties, I believe there is a clear choice to be made by the voters.
Labour
Reduce the deficit more slowly.
Raise taxes
Maintain public spending.
Remain in Europe
Tory
Reduce the deficit as quickly as possible.
Reduce taxes
Reduce Public Spending significantly
Get out of Europe.
Create a Neo Liberal business culture.
So Labour appears to be moving left in line with Socialist principles and away from Blair’s Neo Liberal fudge when he tried to appear to be all things to all people in a naked pursuit of power.
The Tories are advocating a return to the right wing principles of Thatcher.
This all against a world which is more dangerous now than ever, increasing sectarian divisions becoming more apparent in our society and the need for a government of all the people and not just the few. A government that looks outward and not inwards, a government that supports the Rule of Law and good governance, a government that leads ethically and with integrity both individually and as a group.
The other parties are nothing more than a sideshow, which the voters take great delight in taunting the major parties of Labour and Tory into some response guided by nothing more than narrow societal interests such as immigration and fear of other.
They are not relevant to the major issues facing a future government.
How then to vote?
If you seek more equality, fairness and consistency in Health, Education, Local Government, Business and Foreign policy across the whole of society, then I suggest Labour will do that more significantly.
If you are happy to have less equality, fairness and consistency across those things, which are key to our entire well being, where those in the minority who have, either increase what they have or remain with what they have, then the Tories are for you.
This is clearly demonstrated today in Cameron’s speech to the Chambers of Commerce where he asked them to raise peoples wages which in the following interviews were roundly rejected by all those attending, saying leave wages to business and they expressed surprise that a Tory leader would even comment on wages to the business community.
Where the HSBC scandal rolls on and on (this one has more legs than most) and government chose to do nothing once they were told. Naturally the Tories deny they were told. Perhaps they should have asked, as everyone else knew about the industrial tax evasion by the UK rich. Government has denied a conspiracy of course, but how can we believe anything else when all those who have been involved in this criminal behavior are not prosecuted or even investigated, ostensibly it seems because they are rich, powerful and well known, vis a vis Savile, LIBOR etc.
This country is crying out for a leadership style which is open, honest, lacking in discrimination and providing good health services, education and opportunities to all our citizens irrespective of class, colour, creed or social background.
It seems to me that Labour although they get it wrong at times provide that, whereas the Tories blatantly only appeal to a minority of the electorate which the first past the post system is complicit in facilitating their grab of executive power.
We cannot afford to get it wrong, as the next 5 years are crucial to the national well being of everyone not just the chosen.