The country is divided in our views of Thatcher, the Marmite of politics. The tories loved her principally for her longevity of spending three consecutive terms in office. They also cite her “no retreat, no compromise” attitude. It was an attitude that would have been unacceptable outside of politics. Her actual achievements were few, and in my mind her legacy is toxic and not at all worth preserving.
She achieved her three term feat on the back of hopeless divisions in the Labour party, there was, in those years, no effective opposition, which meant she was there at the right time. For the country, it was unfortunate. Her response to any problem was overkill, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Destroying people was a solution that didn’t prevent her from sleeping at night, but it informed the present crop of tories in the coalition to an alarming degree, filling their sociopathic little hearts with avarice. Her planned denigration of minorities, her spiteful manner, her twisting of truth and her teachings of greed aspirations are the true legacy, and being less than ably enacted by the present Government.
Parliament appeals to sociopaths, and that is a danger to us all until it is reformed. The high pay and expenses, the ability to disconnect from the reality of the lives of the very people they represent, the acceptance of donations and gifts from sources looking to influence policy, the wielding of power, and the ability to vote on issues in which they have financial invested interest, are all tempters for corruption that are contrary to public interest and desperately need reforming. Those factors will continually draw the wrong element to candidacy, to the detriment of the country and its prospects.
We know there is a strong Tory ideology that has long supported enriching the rich, depriving all else, and lacking humanity and empathy. How can we allow people who think themselves to be wielding power, rather than thinking themselves public servants have so much ability to do so much damage without conscience. I have heard more numerous and outrageous lies from the mouths of this Government than any I can remember from my long years of experience.
We had an admission today that Thatcher`s funeral was in fact a State funeral rather than a ceremonial one. They simply called it ceremonial to avoid a discussion in Parliament over the cost, which may well have frustrated their will and caused them embarrassment. Such casual deviousness and lies are a hallmark of the present Government, and an excellent reason not to trust them. Ask yourself what else they have lied about in order to enact their will. They have no respect for democratic process, and this is seen in their unprecedented retrospective change to a law they fell foul to and were too childish to contemplate paying the price of.
Austerity has now been totally discredited as a means of economic recovery. This was uncovered by a student economist who, on studying the data sets of the original economists calculations, found them faulty. The new findings have been checked and rechecked and are accurate. Austerity does not work, but has served the Tories well in a means to enact their ideology. In this past week of discrimination, I have heard no apology from government. No plan B from Osborne, no change of course whatever. Our government simply finds it serves them to pretend it will work eventually and carry blithely on, costing lives, draining the economy, and punishing the poor and disabled without adequate cause. This is conscienceless, this is the work of sociopaths who care nothing for the children pushed into poverty. The economy is far better served if benefits are survivable, wages are liveable, the poor have money to spend, this money pumped in to the economy promotes growth, and makes shareholders, managers, directors and business owners happier and wealthier. Who buys your goods and uses your services if more people lack the means? It really isn’t rocket science to see that.
I would prefer we kept politicians out of Parliament. It is a job best in the hands of those who have no wish to be there. I advocate we choose campaigners and people of emotional intelligence to better represent us. I am setting an example of this by standing myself as a candidate in David Cameron’s own constituency of Witney. Every politician in cabinet currently is an amateur expert. Pronouncing in areas of education etc. areas of which they have no experience, and will not listen to those whose experience is greater than theirs. We are far less likely to see such abuse from campaigners.
A Parliament of the greedy, corrupt magnet for abuse without conscience. This is the true legacy of Margaret Thatcher, all else is lies.
Gina Ravens. Human Needs 