Election Special - the UK's General Election and the W. Family

Hello all -

It is now the season for UK Election blogs, so I am having a go. We are a leftish family in general - my partner D. and I first voted in 1964, both voting Labour for the Wilson government. We were graduate students at the LSE (London School of Economics) at the time. I was a 1960s radical who often took part in the major political demonstrations of the era - the big CND and anti-apartheid (in South Africa) marches. Later on (by 1967-68), D. - a more private person than I, interested in "mod" style and music when I first met him, had married me and become more radical too; we went together on the huge London anti-Vietnam war marches, in one carrying the banner of my university research staff trade union, (then called) ASTMS led by the Welsh firebrand, Clive Jenkins (whom I met once, on a 1-day strike in the universities). Those were the days!! When we settled down in our first bought house, we joined the Labour party in Ham. Richmond. It was in a safe Tory seat, but the local party was a lively, right-on set of people, and we got involved - I was the membership secretary for 2-3 years, until we moved away.

Then we moved across the River Thames to Twickenham, where we still live. We transferred to the local Labour Party here, remained active for many years (also during our children's school days) - we took part in canvassing votes and telling (counting votes) at all the elections (local and national), went to meetings and "socials", and still demonstrated occasionally - right up until 1984, when CND was revived during the Reagan "Star Wars" era in USA. We supported Old Labour in its different forms under Wilson, Callaghan and then the leftwing, clever but in reality, pretty hopeless Michael Foot in the 1980s. Under Wilson, etc, the party never satisfied us who were well to the left: it later caved in to the USA (though it did not participate in Vietnam, to its credit) and to international capitalism on so many issues. But it did all the right things on "race" and sexual equality. My political days were before I became a born-again Christian, but I joined our local Anglican church around 1985, when I was still fairly active in Labour. D. (my partner) had by this time opted out - the party had compromised too much, and had thrown in its lot with the USA, especially durign the Reagan era (1980s).

Since the Blair Government came to power, we both got more disillusioned with New Labour. I gave them a chance in 1997, and was delighted that Labour had kicked out the Tories. We had too many years of hard right conservatism, from Thatcher to Major. Now the left had its chance, it seemed. I had seen Blair speak at a meeting on crime, and admired his power and eloquence. But as a leader he has seemed to imitate Mrs. Thatcher, and only a few policies were acceptable to us on the left. New Labour has done well in battling against poverty, but hardly publicise that! If Gordon Brown were to take over now, I might reluctantly support Labour again. However, the Lib. Dems. have proved to be an acceptable alternative. Our local MP. Dr., Vincent Cable, has done an excellent job since he too over from the Tories in 1997. He has done much to help us, putting forward our case with Richmond Mental Health services, re. the treatment of Tom our son. He has been brave personally carrying ont he fight after his wife died a few year ago through cancer. He has since remarried, and deserves some happiness. We knew him from many years ago - through the old local Labour Party which he too once briefly belonged to but later left, and the church and babysitting circles.

We will all almost certainly vote for Vince Cable this year. I have put up a poster for the Lib Dems in our window; Tom aims to vote, and I shall badger D. into going down the road. He too does not want to help the Tories back in. It is a wasted vote to support other parties, eg. the Christian one, or even the Greens. I have some sympathy with the Greens, and am pro-environmentalist. But they are too weak round here. The main parties are all lacking good policies re. the environment - they all allow too much building and other development. I did go on the big anti-Iraq War demonstration in 2004 - and the Lib. Dems. were there too; they are still against that nasty war. I have a postal vote this year, and it has just arrived in today's mail. That is all for now - I hope some people will read this - and (if you live in the UK) get out and vote!

Love and peace,
Tigey