A aerial view of Westminster. BBC Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUF7JB1JmqQ. Some rights reservedAs the British Prime Minister has called an election for 8th June in order to strengthen her mandate for a hard Brexit (or perhaps to replace the 20-odd Tory MPs who are reportedly charged with electoral fraud and who would likely face suspension), British liberals and lefties are agonising over which non-Tory option to vote for.
Voting out the Tories will save many lives and mitigate much suffering, so it is an important thing to do. We should not, however, deceive ourselves to believe that there are good alternatives to the Tories when there are only less bad ones. In this election, tactical voting is all there is. If we want a society that is better than merely ‘less bad’, we must stop relying on the nation-state and instead organise together in our communities.
The Conservative Party has proved a sinister force in government. It has indirectly caused much death and suffering that could have been avoided. The most striking effect of Tory rule has probably been the surge in suicides among disabled people facing the Tories’ cuts to the Independent Living Fund and harsher Fit to Work assessments (which by the way have been found to cost more money than they save). We have also seen a systemic defunding of the NHS, leading to longer waiting times, a shortage of hospital beds, and several hospitals declaring emergency alerts announcing that they are no longer able to guarantee patient safety. Added to this, 250,000 children fell into poverty in the first year of Tory rule since the last election alone, and the number of families who rely on food banks is rising.
