The electorate are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the main parties.
Both Britain’s big political parties are under heavy pressure ahead of next week’s elections across England, Wales and Scotland, a Guardian/ICM poll published in tomorrow’s Guardian shows.
Hardly headline news, even though it is, er, headline news. Should we be surprised by this? Ten years into a government it should be reasonable to expect the main opposition party to be sufficiently rejuvenated to provide a credible alternative government in waiting. What have we got today? Plenty of hot air and precious little detail. Far too much of the same spin, lies and big state “solutions” that feed the current regime’s descent into authoritarian control freakery.
David Cameron criticised this behaviour yesterday with his speech on civic responsibility. He rightly identified the gradual erosion of personal responsibility in favour of the state doing everything for us and the subsequent infantilisation of the populace.
He told the BBC Labour’s “knee-jerk” reaction to any problem was to bring in new laws which often discouraged people from taking action themselves.
Less state intervention will be part of his “manifesto” for a better society.
Yes, quite. So where is it? Where are the policies that will reduce the state’s intervention in our lives? Where is the manifesto commitment to repeal the illiberal laws brought in by the current incumbents? Where is the policy commitment that will ensure that the state machine is dramatically reduced, that our rule of law is reinstated and that unelected EU bureaucrats do not enact criminal law in Britain?
So far all I see is spin and yet more spin. Some substance would be nice. That said, going back to the Groan’s poll:
A majority of voters, 54%, say the next general election should bring a change of government.
I agree. Despite Cameron’s Conservatives being little more than NuLabour Lite, this is still a preferable alternative to a reelected Labour government. Governments get used to power. They need a sharp reminder that it is ours to take away, and take it away, we should. It takes time for a new administration to get its collective feet under the desk. A brief honeymoon period during which we, the beleaguered electorate can enjoy a fleeting breather before the whole corruption cycle starts again.