The tory landslide means that life is going to get a whole lot harder for an awful lot of people. That includes those who thought themselves immune; those who voted for the conservatives in full knowledge of the hardships their votes would inflict upon their neighbours.
It’s vital, however that we don’t alienate them as they discover their mistake, as they realise how much more difficult their own life is becoming. They’ll see the NHS sold off to the US and they’ll soon find themselves unable to access care without paying extortionate sums for it privately. They’ll see crime continue to rise as desperate people, denied benefits turn to theft to feed themselves and their children and they’ll remember why they never voted tory until now.
There’s a potentially huge tide of voters who’ll soon be ready to kick these tories out. We’ll have to wait 5 years to do that but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing for us (and them) to do in the meantime.
So let’s not be too smug with “I told you so”, tempting though I know it really is. I know you’re angry – so am I but prolonging division won’t help. We need to heal those wounds and get everyone working together or many of us won’t make it until 2024. We’ve had 130,000 unnecessary deaths due to Tory and LibDem policy already. We need a different approach. Instead, let’s come up with community resources, with creative ways that we, the ordinary people of Britain can soften the impact of tory abuse until we can vote the buggers out in 2024. And let’s welcome everyone who wants to help, regardless of how they voted in 2019. If our society is to survive we need to start rebuilding those community links we once had. And we need to start right now!
Here I’ll list examples of community action from around UK, partly to give credit where it’s due, partly to spread good ideas and partly to reassure those of us who could so easily descend into despair that there is hope.
So if you know of a community initiative or scheme intended to assuage some of the abuses this tory government has inflicted since 2010 and looks set to continue into the future get in touch, let me know and I’ll give you a plug here.
Initiatives
29/12/2019: Part 2 of my interview with Gone to the dogs. Paul has some fantastic plans to bring the community together.
29/12/2019: I visited Gone to the dogs cafe in Carlisle, Cumbria where Paul, Mick and colleagues have built a community that feeds, clothes and advocates for homeless and other disadvantaged people.
24/12/2019: The Rose Community is both national and regional. It’s the most comprehensive of all the new (post GE2019) initiatives I’ve seen so far. This is going to be big!
18/12/19: Interview with Mia and Jade, the ladies behind Corbyn’s Christmas Challenge
13/12/19 After 9 years of Tory misrule between 30 and 40% of British children don’t have enough to eat. Corbyn’sChristmasChallenge is a Facebook based initiative asking people to donate at least £5 worth of food to their local foodbank to help address child poverty and homelessness in UK.
25/12/19 Cardiff – A city chip shop will open on Christmas day to give free food to Cardiff’s homeless people.
Left eye view 