Tony Wilson said this about socialism, and it's good enough for me as the basis for how I think about most political issues. Underneath all the flannel and spin, this is at the heart of my political views:
"Socialism isn't complex, it means a deep, central belief, natural in your heart, that the poor should not be so poor and the rich should not be so rich".
I genuinely struggle to understand why people do not think that this is how a just and fair society should operate, or why people vote Tory in the full knowledge that doing so increases inequality as the few get better off at the expense of the many. Arguments that we can't afford to provide for the needy are clearly nonsensical when the UK is the fifth wealthiest country on the planet - what's needed is wealth redistribution, not cuts. I personally believe in proportionate taxation of wealth, and pay a pretty big chunk of my income in tax (certainly a much bigger percentage that the corporations who earn billions do). I do so in the hope that it is used wisely by those in power, but see no evidence of this from the Tory government that had mishandled the economy far worse than any Labour government ever did, while ensuring that those with vested interests (Capita, Serco, G4, etc) continue to profit handsomely from the taxpayer while delivering far worse services for more money.
I am not ashamed of my beliefs and therefore I answer questions about them from sanshee and Littlestone (why I voted remain, etc). My answers are only my opinion. I do struggle to understand what makes Tory voters so reluctant to give their reasons for voting Tory. None of the three people in this thread who have stated, without being asked or pressured, that they will vote Tory have been willing to say which Tory policies have made them take this decision. My own opinion on Tory policies is that they are geared to helping the selfish and greedy, or those with right wing views. But that's merely my opinion and I must be missing something, because there is obviously an attraction to voting Tory that I can't for the life of me see but many others can.
A measured and heartfelt post. May I say however that there's often a tendency (and I'm probably guilty of this as well) to be selective in one's replies. For example (returning to earlier posts), I never said that Yugoslavia was in Europe, I said the EU did little or nothing to prevent the Yugoslav Wars. Nor did the EU, as an aspiring federal unit, do anything to address the appalling conditions at the Calais Jungle Camp - a camp within its very own borders. Nor indeed has the EU a coherent policy on the migrant issue. When push comes to shove individual EU states tend to act in their own interests leaving, in this case, an impoverished Greek economy to bear the brunt of the problem. It’s this lack of moral conviction on the part of the EU that worries me very, very deeply and makes me think that it (the EU) is really no more than a monstrous capitalist wolf in sheep’s clothing. I might be totally wrong about that however and am prepared to say so here. Time will tell.
On the question of the Tory manifesto (that you also raised elsewhere) unless I’ve missed it that manifesto is yet to be published so it’s a little difficult for me to comment on it even if I wanted to. That aside, I’ve made it abundantly clear here and elsewhere that I am not a Tory voter but a Theresa May supporter (and I’ll take what might seem a contradiction of terms on the chin there). I support May because I’m of the opinion that she is the only party leader we have at present with the wherewithal to steer us through some very, very tricky Brexit negotiations. If anyone can suggest someone else to get us through those negotiations I’m all ears. Meanwhile remember that Theresa May has been an MP for twenty years and the longest-serving Home Secretary for over 60 years – that’s a formidable track record and not one to be casually brushed aside.
That said, come the next election (after this one) I shall be voting according to my conscience which, surprising as it may seem, is not that far removed from your own. :-)
