We have more in common than indifference

“Stop being such a fucking [email protected]

Today in London, thousands of people are joining in protest against the Conservative party’s plans for further harsh welfare cuts. The social media streams of those who voted either for or to the left of Labour are filled with outrage, shock, despair and increasingly, the use of “Tory” as a swear word.

The implications of another five years under Conservative rule are indeed hugely concerning. From a further £12bn in planned welfare cuts, scrapping of the Human Rights Act, TTIP, continued sale of NHS components to companies owned by party donors and, well just the thought of David Cameron feeling so smug and vindicated. Make no mistake that for many people, especially the most vulnerable, devastatingly tough times are ahead.

In voicing these concerns though, it seems impossible to avoid the most distracting of arguments. I challenged someone’s optimistic outlook on the nation’s future based on the Conservative win, to be immediately lectured on socialism being a “false ideology”. (I hadn’t mentioned socialism, or capitalism). When suggesting elsewhere that according to Keynesian Economics, austerity is an irresponsible choice for economic crash recovery at a time when interest rates are already almost zero, the response was that “Labour’s reckless overspending on welfare ruined our economy”.

It’s a bit like suggesting the new Blur album is actually quite good, and hearing in reply “but at least Liam Gallagher never collaborated with cartoon monkeys”.

Such defensive partisan responses, from both “sides”, seem odd when 34% of the population are evidently too indifferent to vote, and for at least the last year or so, all we’ve heard is that there’s nothing to tell the two main parties apart anyway. Which is quite true when it comes to their respective track records on corruption and waging wars abroad.

For example, the fact that former Labour Health Secretary, Alan Milburn, advocated and actioned NHS privatisation whilst directly profiting from it doesn’t seem to dry the tears of anyone who was hoping for a Labour victory at this election. The fact that corruption lies at the heart of our democracy (if you can call it that), regardless of who is and has been in power, seems barely a footnote in the emotional outrage being felt in London. Or in all the big cities really, and some of the north. Oh and Wales. Basically everywhere except most of the English countryside (which is clearly full of fucking Tories).

So why, when we are not represented by any kind of discernible left or right, are we so keen to point fingers? Is the UK really so divided?

That’s a rhetorical question so please be quiet whilst I tell you what I think.

As someone who is passionate about progressive politics I have certain fears when it comes to an election. I worry there are too many backward racists voting UKIP. I worry there are too many greedy toffs voting Tory. Those ideologies just offend me so strongly that I can’t properly process them.

But those are not the ideologies which just won this election. The UK is not, by number, full of racist idiots and greedy toffs. These are of course ideologies which offend almost everyone.

Conservative voters (who are people too, I’m told), likewise have fears. For example they might be concerned that increases in welfare spending apportions an unfair advantage to the swathes of lazy students and immigrants sucking on the system.

But of course, the UK is not, by number, full of lazy people or immigrants. Least of all, lazy immigrants.

It was interesting to observe on social media, people vocalising their frustration at being preached to about how they should vote on Thursday. The feeling being “I can make my own mind up thank you”. What’s striking here is that actually, none of us can really. The spotlight of the media is so incredibly narrow and bright that it’s near impossible to see anything outside it. Combine this with the horrendous bias of the media from both sides, it’s pretty clear that our so-called opinions on things like the deficit, economic recovery, welfare spending levels, and even environmental commitments are simply not our own, since we are not all experts in all of those subjects. We like to think we have an opinion, but as a nation we are not properly informed, we are systematically distracted.

The distractions around political choices such as the economy and welfare are indeed just that — distractions — and they divide us in ways which can be be quite destructive. If we pause to set aside these issues completely for a moment, what we find in fact is a UK, by number, full of people who are kind, hard working, generous, caring and proud.

Moreover, if we suspend our fears for a moment — lets forget the economy is even a thing — and focus on what we care about, overwhelmingly the UK, by number, must agree that corruption in politics is likely a bad thing, that no one should have to worry about the NHS not being there for them, that climate change is probably a pretty big problem and it would be better if it wasn’t, that tax dodging corporations should be accountable and that everyone should have a fair shot at being able to work and contribute to society and our culture.

Find me a Conservative voter who disagrees with that list of values, and, well I guess we’ll have to beat it out of them somehow. Fucking Tory.