After 13 years in power, the Conservatives want us to believe that the UK is safe in their hands.
This article explains how, given a just a few more years, they can complete their transformation of the UK into a playground for their donors – at our expense:
- There has been a successful, but gradual, unwinding of the post-war social contract;
- Now, however, the Conservative party is entirely dominated by the extreme right, they plan to accelerate its destruction and turn the UK into a Plunderstate, run by and for the billionaire class;
- This means that the coming elections and the next General Election are critical to the survival of the UK as a civilised country.
The Conservatives are much more fragile than they would like us to believe, and if we act together, now, we can get them out. But there is no room for complacency.
They have been unwinding the post-war social contract
After WWII, the government of Clement Attlee implemented the recommendations of the Beveridge Report, which set the foundations of the post-war social contract.
And since then (and since the 1920s New Deal in the US), market fundamentalists have been working to get back to a world where:
“The new Sovereign Individual will operate like the gods of myth in the same physical environment as the ordinary, subject citizen, but in a separate realm politically.”
But of course this is not easy: most people want to live in a civilised country where they are not treated as “ordinary, subject citizens” but have equal rights and opportunities.
So how can they hope to do it?
So far, their approach has been effective, but slow and steady. Wealth has been gradually transferred upwards, public services have been gradually starved and our democratic safeguards have been gradually removed.
But things are changing now.
They plan to accelerate the destruction of our society
Now that the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and virtually every member of the cabinet are market fundamentalist graduates of the Tufton Street network, they plan to accelerate things.
The jewel in the crown of the post-war social contract is the NHS. And the government is close to its goal of destroying the NHS to replace it with something much more like the US system – the worst in the developed world from the point of view of patients and tax-payers, but an enormous generator of profit.
They are planning to remove our remaining human rights; some of these have already disappeared: we no longer even have the right to peaceful protest. And Since the Elections Act, with its requirement for voters to show identification, many younger people and people of colour are likely to find themselves unable to vote.
As we can see from the recent Budget, the government are not even concerned about the health of the economy or the environment, as long as they can transfer yet more wealth to the already wealthy. They are committed to turning the UK into a Plunderstate.
If we do nothing, we shall find ourselves living in a polluted, corrupt society, poorer, with a broken healthcare system and no rights.
The next election is vital, and it is not in the bag
The Conservatives cannot compete on their track-record, so they have adopted a strategy of distraction and division instead. In fact, this satire is dangerously close to a precise description of the electoral strategy they are adopting.
Fortunately, the Conservatives are now far more fragile than they would like us to believe. Look how much has changed since this article was written. And current polls suggest that they are in grave trouble.
Even so, the polls are moving and given that the media will largely support the Conservatives, probably including the BBC despite their supposed balance; so while we have grounds for confidence now, there is still no room for complacency.
Conclusion
As voters we need to act now:
- To make sure we will be allowed to vote under the new rules;
- To use that vote to prevent another Conservative win – even if that means voting for a party we might normally not support;
- To make others aware of the dangers.
And if you would like to help more, take a look at the 99% Organisation and join us.