You Get The Government You Deserve

It has suddenly dawned on me, after all these years of fighting for the rights of working people, and believing that the great British public are basically fair minded, caring, tolerant, and generous; that I have been fooling myself!

Last night, after spending 6 hours watching the Death of the NHS played out in the House Of Commons at the hands of MPs, most of whom never attended the debate, but dragged themselves from the bars to vote along party lines; I woke up to the reality of the UK in 2011.

After living through 18 years of Tory hell, the great British people have once again descended into the pit, and elected a Tory led right wing, self centred, and fascist evil government that makes Thatcher look positively socialist.

If you subscribe to the view that people get the government they deserve, then you must also accept that the government of the day reflects the society in which it is born.

Whilst it is true that the majority of MPs, irrespective of their party, no longer really put the needs of their voters before party dogma, if indeed they ever did, the fact is that knowing this, the public have voted for them none the less.

Which begs the question; on what basis have they done so?

Knowledge of the individual party’s policies, or that of the candidate perhaps? Because they agree with the policies of the party they voted into government?

Given that the majority of the electorate are politically uneducated when comparing them to their European counterpart, with most not being able to tell you who the prime minister or chancellor is, not to mention the health secretary; it clearly isn’t on the basis of what they consider is best policy for the country.

It is far more basic than that – simply what is best for me, the one, the voter, and perhaps also for my family.

Do the British voters actually care about the wider society, the elderly, the unemployed, the disabled, the young, the sick, the homeless, and the otherwise disenfranchised?

Well, after yesterday and with the inevitable passing of the Health Care Services Bill, which will destroy the NHS, I doubt the answer to that question is yes.

It is said you get the government you deserve and so my question is why if we live in a caring society, did people vote for a party known for its total contempt for the poor, the working class and the otherwise disadvantaged?

The only answer possible is that we no longer live in a country filled with people who are compassionate, caring, generous and fair minded. In other words in any way altruistic.

No, the society we have now is made up of people prepared to vote for and support a government that attacks the poor, the elderly, the disabled, the unemployed, the sick, the poor and the homeless. In short a government that in other times would have been called fascist!

Worse still one led by a party that they had previously voted to govern for 18 years from 1979 to 1997 and with full knowledge of that government’s political aims and aspirations.

If I am wrong, then were is the anger on the streets, the demonstrations, the letter campaigns signed in the millions? Given the technology we now have it could not be easier to vent our feelings and anger against unjust policies. Where are the opinion polls showing a massive lead by other parties over the Tory and Lib Dem parties?

Despite that there are without doubt a large minority of people opposed to the Governments policies, sadly mostly made up of those badly affected by such policies, and backed up by those who still hold onto what used to be the British way of defending the weak, under privileged and otherwise disenfranchised.

But sadly that is drowned out by a silence of the British people which is deafening!

With a news media reporting absolutely zilch about yesterday’s events heralding the destruction of the NHS and the dawning of an American health care system, there is little in the way of complaint as people are happy watching trivia on their TVs filling their heads with celebrity big bollocks, the shite factor, and celebrity gossip about who is shagging whom!

No, I have finally woken up and realise that the country I remember growing up in as a child of the fifties disappeared long ago, to be replaced by a country that is sinking deeper into the hell of neoliberal policies and control.

It will endure nothing short of vile evil policies regarding health care, education, employment and the gradual withdrawal of all social benefits and any form of welfare. Employment rights will vanish along with health and safety protection at work, with subsequent death rates reaching those of the USA; whilst the ability to turn to legal recompense is removed from working people.

A world of schools controlled and built by organisations and business on a for profit basis, hospitals where the rich get treatment and the poor left to wait and people denied operations. On the back of that will come massive joblessness, higher crime rates, disenchanted youth with lots of time and a sense of outrage turning to crime and riot. Soup kitchens and clothing banks will be found in every town and village.

A culture of blaming the sick and disabled and unemployed for their own lack of health and wealth, will grow even more prevalent than it is now.

Many of the big businesses that will run the private NHS, and the for-profit schools and universities will be Tory party sponsors creating a situation were over a quarter of the population will not have access to education and health care at all – a mirror of the USA that this government want us to become.

All this will go unchallenged by a political elite made up of all parties consisting of MPs who have never seen individual hardship, and have no empathy for those worse off in society. We already have such a ruling class who have this week started on the road of totally shafting every man women and child who is not from a wealthy and privileged background.

Will all that wake up the previous altruistic, caring, tolerant and fair minded English character, and see them demand the election of a decent and caring government?

I think not.

Sadly, with the abolition of the National Health Service about to become law, we have seen the destruction of a society based on the principles of a civilised, principled and altruistic nation.

God help the youth of today, the sick, the disabled, the elderly, the unemployed, the homeless and single parents; for their destination is in the hands of a country becoming ever more cold and callous and governed by a far right neo-con fascist political elite!