Why I’m pleased we have a Conservative Government

The last few months here in the UK have been interesting to say the least. Last week we had an election, voting for a new Prime Minister and Government. More than ever, this vote was crucial. Our country is in quite a state at the moment. Our political system has been a shambles over the last year; ludicrous expenses claims, spiralling national debt, a rise in immigration, unpopular wars; everyone was keen for an election.

The result was equally interesting. A ‘hung’ parliament; no one party won a majority. The result of days of discussion is a coalition Government, with Conservatives and Liberals sharing power. I’m pleased with this result, and I thought I’d explain why, given that so many of my friends seem to be so aghast at the concept of the Tories being in power.

I’ll start by raising my concerns, and I think I share the same thoughts as a lot of my friends. A Conservative Government means the following is almost inevitable:

• Massive cuts in public spending. There will be less benefits available. The unemployed will get less money. The sick will get less money. Poor families will get less money.
• Tax rises. Quite big ones.
• An increased divide between the rich and the poor.

The above makes for grim reading. So why, given that I understand the above is inevitable, could I possibly be pleased?

Immigration

My first reason is one that people tend to feel strongly about, and that is immigration. Under a Conservative Government, it will drop. Sharply. This is an unfortunate necessity, in my opinion, of the situation Britain finds itself in. And, ultimately, a positive thing.

I am privileged to live in such a multi-cultural city as London, and no doubt the plethora of nationalities and cultures is a positive thing. Some of my best friends and most esteemed colleagues are from abroad. However, it is clear that there is a rise in the number of people who are not so willing to embrace being ‘British’, and contributing back through their skills, hard work and culture.

They are more interested in our liberal distribution of wealth by means of easy-to-acquire benefits. Our welfare state is all they are interested in, not our culture. In fact, they are determined to retain their culture, and wave the flag of political incorrectness and xenophobia at us if we so much as dare to point out that maybe completely covering your face with a veil may not be polite. We’re not a religious country either and people living here need to appreciate and accept this, and not claim we are xenophobic if we, as a nation, are not so up for following a faith and making it as much a part of our lives as would be normal in other countries.

A multi-cultural Britain is a good thing. A loss of national identity is not.

Benefits and taxes

Again, I am delighted that we live in a country where we have a welfare state. I was shocked to hear some of my American friends opinions on free healthcare reform recently – it just does not compute to me, that you should not be entitled to healthcare if you are sick. It’s one of the things that makes this country so great.

A few years ago I was running a startup company with my good friend Pete. I was earning a pittance, working 60, 70, 80 hours a week. I paid my rent, my council tax, my income tax, the business tax, the tax tax, the tax tax tax….you get the idea. I would have been much better off (financially) to have gone and worked at a supermarket, earning the minimum wage; an income of around £12k a year. Or, equally, just stay unemployed; claim housing benefit, tax credits, not paid council tax etc etc. Same amount of disposable income, just less work.

Maybe it was just my unique, personal experience, but this for me was a common trait of the Labour Government.  My strive to succeed, to start my own business, to move up the social rung to the next level of income; there were so many barriers to it. The extra work simply did not equate to extra income. The jump from ~£10k to ~£20k income was painful, to the point where I very nearly gave up.

If you’ve owned and run a small business during the last 5 years, you’ll likely agree with me. Labour didn’t tax the poor as much as tax the aspiring poor. Stay lower class, stay doing ‘alright’, after all, that’s their base of support, so they want to encourage that slice of society.

If you’re happy in your job at a supermarket, bar, high street chain, and you don’t aspire to anything more, a Conservative Government will not help you. If you feel you want to do something more, want to go from doing ok to doing well, then with the current Government, this will be a lot easier. I welcome this.

It is unacceptable to not give aid and benefits to the needy, but those with skills or drive should not be discouraged from bettering themselves, and subsequently, bettering the country as a whole.

The National Debt

I hope, one day, to settle down, to start a family. I want my children to be able to enjoy a prosperous Britain.

Our current debt, as a nation, nay, as a world, is out of control. The proposed cuts by the Conservatives, whilst harsh are, in my opinion, necessary. I did not agree with Labour’s approach to spend their way out of recession.

The current coalition, happily, includes members of the Liberal Democrats. They’re raising the threshold for tax-free income to £10k – this is fantastic news. Those on the minimum wage, earning around £12k, working a 37.5 hour week at their local high street store will benefit from this new Government.

My tax bill, however, is going to increase, probably dramatically. And you know what? I’m not unhappy about it at all. I would rather pay now, while I’m young, able, and working; in 5 years time, this period of extreme taxation, harsh truths, spending cuts; when I do eventually settle down, and my children grow up, the country will be in a much better state.

We’re fucked, financially, as a country. You can be selfish – no-one wants to pay more taxes – or, you can accept it’s something that unfortunately we need. ‘Blaming’ Labour is easy – I don’t think it’s their fault, per say; but we, as a country, cannot afford a Labour administration. And ‘blaming’ a Conservative Government for tax increases is not their fault either. It’s a necessity.

The ‘now’ is fucked regardless of who is in power. The future is what we should look to, and I believe a Conservative Government is best for our country’s future.

Benefiting the rich and why it’s kind of a good thing

Given my above point, this is one of the reasons why I actually don’t mind the Conservative’s perceived agenda of benefitting the rich, at the expense of the poor.

Sure, some of the rich will sit in their castles, counting their money.

But some of them will invest; some of them will take advantage of the current markets and expand their businesses; the super-rich are the people that go into other countries, buy up their industries, and relocate them back to their native country. We need super-rich British people to go to countries in trouble, buy their assets, buy their companies, and ultimately be providers of jobs, for the working class.

We need to encourage the rich to come (or stay) in our country. Need it. For our future.

Gordon Brown

I don’t need to elaborate any more than to say I didn’t vote for him, I didn’t like him, and I’m glad to see him go. I didn’t vote Labour (no shit sherlock) but I did vote against Gordon Brown. If Labour had appointed a new leader prior to the election, my vote may have been very different.

The ‘best loser’ won, and we have Liberals with power

Regardless of the media bullshit, the disaffection with Labour and Gordon Brown and everything in between; The Conservatives ‘won’. They had a larger slice of the vote. We live in a democracy and regardless of whether you agree, more people voted Conservative than any other party. For the two losers to take power would have been a travesty of justice. Are the rules wrong? Possibly, and I expect a change in one form or another. But by the rules, which we all knew, Conservatives ‘won’, and, in the British spirit, we should respect that.

We don’t have an exclusive Conservative Government. We have a coalition. Nick Clegg and Vince Cable will keep the Conservatives honest; David Cameron can’t be seen to ignore or discount their opinions; we’ll have 5 years of Conservatism (the clue to why that’s good is in the name) and the Liberal votes will ensure that Thatcher-style long-term damage is not caused. After their term in Government, we’ll get the chance to make a choice again.

By the way, I voted for the Liberal Democrats.