Great article, however:
1. His economic policies aren’t policies, their ideals, goals, something to aim for. No different to any other candidate in any other election. However the idea of creating more homes, and making employers pay people a living wage are ideals I’d like a leader to aim for. The fact that other countries aren’t doing it doesn’t mean anything, nobody else prosecuted the bankers after the crash of 2008 but it worked out really well for the people of Iceland (except their bankers).
2. Clamping down on tax evasion is not a fantasy, it’s a necessity. The idea that big businesses will just up and leave is the real fantasy, there’s too much money to be made, heck if Coca Cola can see a market in some of the poorest countries in the world it sure as hell won’t walk away from the UK just because our tax system toughens up just as it hasn’t walked away from Norway.
3. Corbyn doesn’t have to persuade Tory voters to vote Labour, he just has to appeal to the huge numbers of people who feel disenfranchised by the current political system and are sick of all politicians just spouting whatever their press adviser tells them the public want to hear.
4. I’m pretty sure that lots of people showing up at rallies means that he is popular and if it doesn’t then the polls seem to suggest he is.
5. Surely it’s better to try and fight for a fairer society than to just be a slightly watered down version of the opposition? Give the people a real choice. Stick to policy rather than personality. Show the electorate the facts and your goals and let them make the decision that they believe is right.
6. If there’s no coal then the mines can’t re-open simple as that. But to re-industrialise parts of the country that have such high unemployment is a great goal and there are plenty of ways this could be done without re-opening the mines.
7. Why do we need to be in NATO anyway? I understand the reason for having an army for national defence but in my lifetime it seems that, with the exception of the Falklands, all we use our army for is (potentially illegal) invasions. Is it so stupid to think that if we didn’t go around stealing other countries natural resources we might not need such a big army to defend us against their angry citizens?
8. Absolute rubbish, I’ve only voted in the last two elections and even then in the vain hope of avoiding a Tory government (bit of a waste given where I live but anyway). The reason I and so many like me haven’t voted before is because we’re sick to death of politicians that are only interested in slagging each other off and discrediting the opposition rather than addressing the issues. In fact this is one of the things I liked most about the Lib Dems, if another party had a policy that they thought was good they supported it rather than berate it simply because it wasn’t their idea. Throughout this campaign Corbyn has been the only candidate to rise above the usual tit for tat PR/soundbite crap and address the issues and for that alone I’d vote for him, even if I didn’t agree with anything he said.
9. Yet more rubbish, any candidate can win they just have to appeal to enough of the electorate.
10. What about Iceland, they acted in a more socialist way than ANY other country in the world, they turned their economy around quicker than any other and the electorate is happier than ever with their government.
11. Sure during the Blair/Brown years Labour did some great work but they failed to make the minimum wage a living wage which left the electorate dependant on working tax credits and other benefits. They continued the part privatisation of the NHS (leaving disabled people at the hands of private contractors who’s interest is profit rather than rehabilitation), they failed to regulate the financial markets. They sold off our gold reserves when they linked our currency to the stock market. They took the country to a war that lasted over a decade, the basis of which has been proven to be unfounded and has created further fighting and a massive terror threat to this country not to mention far too many dead and injured service men and women who now can’t get the treatment they deserve because of the failing (privatised) disability services and the rise of facism within our communities.
12. Show me a female candidate that is interested in addressing the issues and want’s to tell me why I should vote for her and how she is going to make this country a better place to live rather than one that’s just interested in telling me why I shouldn’t vote for her opposition and maybe I’ll vote for her. The sex of the candidate should not be a deciding factor, their ideology, goals and policies should.
13. I am financially secure, in fact if you look at it I’ve probably got more to lose if Labour come to power than I have with the Tories but it’s not about what’s best for me, it’s about what is best for the country. It is morally wrong that I can pay less tax than people who earn half what I do but I can’t pay tax I don’t owe and if someone says I should pay more in order to have a working health service, roads that don’t break my car, public spaces that are free from crime, a real police force rather than PCSO’s that can’t really do very much and schools that have enough teachers to actually educate our children and allow them to leave education without a lifetime of debt then I’m all for it
