With the forthcoming UK election, I thought I’d add some comments to those already floating around the web.
My father is currently in soapbox mode, ranting every time the news comes on, which is always entertaining to watch, even if it hampers rational debate.
It’s struck me that the fundamental decision for most voters will be weather they can ever trust Tony Blair again, after the somewhat appalling PR handling of the Iraq war. The Labour party, however, are campaigning with the aim that people will be voting on their record with regard to the running of the country.
This is clearly not the daftest idea, as the whole point of an election is to see who you think would run the country best, and it’s becoming clear that Labour has delivered a booming economy with low unemployment, reducing crime (depending on who you talk to) and a respected position on the world stage. (Have you guessed where my sympathies lie?)
Unfortunately it’s more likely that people will be voting entirely on the issue of trust, which again is not a terrible position to take.
So do I trust our Prime Minister? Well I don’t believe he will always tell the truth, as the backtracking over top-up fees demonstrated, but I do trust him to run the country in a reasonable manner. Higher public spending is only possible with higher taxes, as a top-quality education has to be paid for by somebody. I’m happy to pay for things I use, and hence think that the NHS is worth the money.
We’ll just have to wait and see who the public choose.