- Reduction in child poverty. No child should go hungry or be deprived of opportunities because of poverty.
- Protected income for the disabled. No one chooses to get sick, and no one should have to choose between abject poverty and suicide.
- Protected income of pensioners. No one should be forced into poverty because they've gotten old.
- Protection of the NHS. We all get sick, and most of us can't afford American style health care.
- Economic growth, which improves the lives of all people.
- Removing student debt, both past and future.
- Education. Children should receive the best education possible to ensure they are capable of acquiring good jobs and in order to reduce the skills shortage.
- Security. Both policing and the military should be appropriately funded in order to protect the British populace and bring criminals to justice.
- Europe. Ideally I'd like to remain, but in the absence of that option I want the best arrangement with Europe. My grandfather was Polish-Ukrainian. I don't want a divide drawn between the United Kingdom and Europe.
- United Kingdom. My great-grandfather was Scottish, and several other lines eventually ended up in Scotland. Two lots of great-great-grandparents were Irish. I am a product of free movement and do not want to see borders put in place, especially as I am closer to Edinburgh than London, and am more at home in Edinburgh than London.
- Equality. Gender/gender identity, racial, religious, and LGBTQ+ discrimination (or any discrimination) needs to end.
So, based on my values, what do the Conservatives have to offer me and the nation?
As the Conservatives have an uncosted manifesto which has already suffered several u-turns, it's hard to say. For this reason, my analysis of them is based on past record as much as pledges.
As the Conservatives have an uncosted manifesto which has already suffered several u-turns, it's hard to say. For this reason, my analysis of them is based on past record as much as pledges.
- Hard Brexit/Brexit at all costs. This benefits no one. Being willing to walk away without a deal will impact upon the economy and on British living standards, as well as breeding ill-feeling between neighbouring nations.
We Need Them 44% More
- Brexit. Theresa May couldn't debate with other party leaders and screens who gets to ask questions at events. She is among the last people strong enough to negotiate Brexit, especially alongside secretary 'bumbling Boris'.
- Tax cuts to corporations/high income individuals. This does not cause trickle down. It causes the already wealthy to get wealthier as they hoard wealth. See Lord Sugar, who is now a billionaire. We have one of the lowest levels of Corporation Tax in the G20 and all it's doing is taking wealth out of the economy.
The Wealth Divide
- High national debt. This causes the economy to slow as there is lower investment. The Conservatives have more than doubled the national debt in seven years.
- Poverty. The Conservatives have reversed the downward trend of child poverty, causing it to increase again. One in four children currently live in poverty and between 2015-16 and 2016-17 the number of families accessing food banks increased by twice the the total number there was using food banks in 2009 in post-crash Britain. The current figures for Conservative food bank use make the figures under Labour look insignificant. Child and poverty in old age are predicted to continue to rise under the Conservatives, with forecasts reversing the previous Labour government's reduction in poverty, taking figures back to pre-Blair levels.
Food Bank Use
Child Poverty
Poverty Rates and Predictions
- Poverty. In 2014-15, 15,000 people died due to fuel poverty. Under the Conservative government up to 30,000 people have died due to cuts to health/social care/benefits. 7,000 ex-military are homeless. Those figures should put into perspective the 85 innocent lives taken by terrorist attacks within the UK. The Conservatives have overseen the deaths of 45,000 innocent people due to welfare and public services failings. Almost 600 disability benefit claimants died by suicide between 2010-13, many can be attributed to the poverty and stress caused by the benefit application and appeals process. This, while the gap between wealthy and poor continues to widen. (Figures taken from Mirror and Independent articles).
Fuel Poverty
Fuel Poverty
- Poverty. Already there are reports of teacher buying food packages for hungry children, this is set to increase as the Conservative government have announced they will scrap free school meals for infants. The did promote free school breakfasts instead, but it was then revealed that they had only allotted 6.8p per child for breakfast, which wouldn't even by an ounce of cornflakes without milk.
Minimum Standard of Living
- Economy. We have one of the slowest rates of economic growth in the G7. Brexit is likely to worsen that. National debt is continuing to rise, low corporate tax is failing to pay that down, and that is continuing to limit investment. Austerity is failing.
Post-Brexit Growth
- Treasury & Business Support. The Conservatives are continuing to cut tax to the wealthy and multinational companies but they are doing little to create punitive measures which prevent big business defaulting on payments to small business. Cash flow is one of the biggest problems for small businesses. The Conservatives also scrapped Business Link and several start-up funds, making it harder to set up a business. They are also failing to close tax loop holes which allow big business to avoid paying tax. The Prime Minister's husband has interests in a company which avoids tax. Several of the Tories' millionnaire donors are under investigation/have been fined for tax avoidance.
Corporate Tax Avoidance
Tax Avoidance, Evasion and Non-Collection Compared to Benefit Fraud
- Education. Class sizes are growing, education standards are falling, teachers are leaving, real terms funding is decreasing and the Conservatives want to reintroduce a school system that encourages a class divide. Education under the conservatives is failing.
Education
Education
Education
- Tuition fees have increased, causing student to be burdened by debt. Despite claims that this will not affect ability to get mortgages etc, I've had personal experience of a bank reducing a mortgage offer by almost 25% because I had student debt.
- NHS. Many nursing positions are unfilled and doctors and nurses are leaving the NHS. Waiting times are increasing, people are being left in corridors for hours waiting to get into A&E, and ambulances are being turned away from hospitals.
Non-Emergency Waiting Times
Cancer Waiting Times
A&E waiting Times
- NHS. Some reports claim the NHS is £750bn in deficit. While Labour were in power the NHS ran at a surplus. Since the Conservative government took power, it has been pushed to the brink of collapse. On top of that, Theresa May has recently admitted she wants to implement the Naylor Report which documents how to sell off surplus NHS land and assets. The Conservatives are closing a number of hospitals which, planned or otherwise, gives them more surplus land to sell. The document suggests 2 for 1 deals, selling the land off undervalued, much like the sale of Royal Mail. This practise also strips government assets which are usually used to offset debt. It also increases the likelihood of the NHS having to rent land back, costing money which could otherwise be spent on front line staff and training.
NHS Deficit
NHS Deficit
- NHS. Mental health nurse numbers are down. Children wait on average ten years for treatment. I've been on a waiting list for more than a year since a suicide attempt. People are dying waiting for treatments and the Conservatives have already dropped their pledge to replace the staff they cut.
Mental Health
Mental Health
Youth Mental Health
Men's Mental Health
Contact With Services
Self Harm
Mental Health
- NHS. Elements of running and maintaining the NHS have already been privatised. Private companies are out for profits, meaning the government is spending more on a poorer quality service.
Privatisation
Non-NHS Spend
- Policing. We are 20,000 police officers down since the Conservatives came into power, as well as being down on armed police and border control officers. The police federation have repeatedly told the government this lessens their ability to carry out their roles, including preventing terrorism. The government has ignored such warnings and will not rule out further cuts.
Police Numbers
Police Numbers
Police Funding
- Military. The military warn that under-resourcing and low morale inhibit their ability to act. Our new aircraft carriers have been delayed, and even once we have them it will be several years before the navy aircraft capable of flying from them are completed. Our military is under-funded, under-resourced, and under-equipped. But we have nuclear missiles just in case we want to try out mutually assured destruction...
Personnel
World Figures
Budget
- Untrustworthy behaviour. A number of Tories were named in the Panama papers, and now Amber Rudd has been linked to tax haven businesses in the Bahama's as well as being the director of a bank without declaring such. Theresa May's husband has interests in a business which avoids tax, and several Conservative MPs also have interests in companies awarded NHS and social care contracts. Lies were spread during the Brexit campaign. Lies are spread daily about the opposition, including labelling Corbyn a terrorist sympathiser because he met with Sinn Fein, despite the Conservatives having having an actual IRA member as a councillor. Also, although it was claimed there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute, many Tory MP's are believed to have fraudulently failed to declare battle bus expenditure.
Amber Rudd Among Those Accused of Election Fraud
Amber Rudd, For the Few
Prime Minister of Tax Dodgers
Dodgy Dave the Hypocrite
For the Few
How To Dodge Tax
Tory Funds
Dodgy Dave's Dodgy Dad
The Truth About Austerity
The Wealth Gap
The Wealth Gap
The Party Agenda
- Incompetence with figures. The manifesto is uncosted, the Chancellor was £20m out when discussing the costs of HS2. Gove got figures wrong. Another Tory MP couldn't remember how high the national debt was.
- LGBT. Hate crime is still a major problem.
- Other hate crime and discrimination. Come on people, it's 2017. Stop it.
I was intending to review Labour as well, but I am going to make that a seperate post as this one took so much work and is quite heavy going. What I will say is, while I don't agree with all of Labour's policies, I believe the majority will benefit the country. With the Conservatives I can't find anything positive.
#StrongAndStableMyArse
Carmine Raven
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