Speaker’s Corner: Really and truly into general election mode

We are now really and truly into general election mode, and the election fever is beginning to heat up.
Howard KochHoward Koch
Howard Koch

It is a time for the libcon to reflect on its promises and failures, and the Labour party its past mistakes.

I read an interesting piece on Russia Today (non bias news reporting) over Christmas, the essence of which was that not everyone is as interested in the election as the politicians may think.

Having spent many a happy time at street events my experience tends to bear this out. This is a great shame and really is a damning indictment of the political system and the political elite. There has been a big disconnect from those in power (especially at minister and cabinet level) with those of us ordinary voters.

This is a great shame because it is only the will of the people that can change things, it is only through democratic elections that injustices can be righted.

Reading the other contributors to Speaker’s Corner you would think that all in the garden is rosy. You can make up your own minds as to whether or not their descriptions are accurate or not.

The elections in May are probably the most important ones we have had for a generation, not only nationally but locally. We are a bit behind our European friends in that they have had coalition governments for some time now, Italy having six parties!

You would have to be a brave political commentator to even begin to predict the results of our general election. So why is there growing political discontent and a rise of parties which are challenging the territory of what was just two or three parties?

It is simple, the liblabcon has let vast numbers of people down. When the electorate is not listened to, they will act. In a peaceful democratic society like ours it means forming new parties and standing for election. I suppose you were wondering when the UKIP pitch would start!

UKIP is growing locally and nationally. Why? We are appealing to voters from all main parties and those who have not voted or gave up voting because ‘they are all the same’. Also because we actually get things done. The sheer panic amount the establishment that we cause means that when I put one sentence in a letter in the local paper , the next week the leader of the council has to have half a page and explain their position (the Pavilion).

The elections in May are not only about local issues (although these can and are effected by national ones) but big national ones like; immigration, building on green belt land, the NHS, our national defence and security, education, HS2 and of course our membership of the EU.

In all my Speakers Corners I have never really mentioned the EU so I feel that now it deserves a bit of a mention. The Tories promised a referendum in 2010, no one believed them so they had to form a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats (a party diametrically opposed to them). We are promised a referendum in 2017 after Mr Cameron ‘renegotiates’ our terms, and its hard to find any one who believes him second time around.

The Labour Party will not declare its position and the Lib Dems want full social, economic and monetary union with the EU. Only UKIP can offer what the overwhelming majority of people want – an in /out referendum on the EU.