"You may say that I am a dreamer/But I am not the only one" John Lennon: "Imagine"

"So come brothers and sisters/For the struggle carries on" Billy Bragg: "The Internationale"


Elizannie has a reading room at 'Clarice's Book Page' http://www.villiersroad.blogspot.com/

Sunday 10 May 2015

Answering the comments that the 'Defeated' in the General Election are not taking it well! And the Vilification of Ed Miliband



I have been mulling this over since I have heard it said/read it in the media. That people like me, the so called 'defeated' in the electorate stakes are bad losers and 'won't let it lie'. After any election there will always be 'post mortems' whatever the results. And people like me who are very involved in politics will also make comments in the media, on meeting friends in the street, on their status pages in social media groups just as we have been making comments and canvassing our views during the election campaign expressing our discontent at the result. 


The Opinion Polls got it wrong, surprising/shocking so many. Although I did hear a representative of pollsters explaining that  [1] They got it right at the exit polls [2] They hadn't really got the pre-poll figures wrong, they just hadn't allocated the votes around the constituencies correctly. So that all good then.


There is no excuse for anyone, either in a private or public capacity, to make scurrilous personal comments about how people voted or the personalities of voters or the politicians. Personally I feel that a lot of people have been mistaken in their reasons for voting how they did - but then I would say that wouldn't I and I am sure no-one is surprised at my feelings!


I don't actually give much credence to most of the media's outpourings except to note its bias - this from the daughter of a political journalist who worked in the press gallery of the House of Commons in the days when there was a lot more honour in journalism. I am also very upset about the loss to the country of many very good politicians across all parties. There have been some ridiculous conspiracy theories floated but then that has happened at many times, including large sporting events and moon landings so we needn't even discuss those.


The vilification of Ed Miliband by the media is disgusting, I did not vote for him as party leader, but my union backed him and when he was elected as party leader I supported him and honestly don't feel he made a bad job of it. No need for anyone to take me up on this - I am not going to change my mind so don't waste your typing fingers energy! We are very lucky in the Labour Party that we have so many excellent politicians in the party very well qualified to take on the leadership of our fantastic party. We are bloodied but not bowed to quote the poet.


As for the worries many of us have about the NHS and for which we are being rather mocked at the moment: Yes many of us feel that it is under threat for its existence under a Conservative government. The reasons for this we have laid out during the campaign. Although I know the NHS has problems they can be fixed. I have lived in a country where if one did not have enough money for life saving drugs you wouldn't survive. My ex-husband is proof of this, not improving from a life threatening illness until money was thrown at the drugs issue. I really, really hope I am wrong and the NHS in five years time is even better than it is now. 


If I say that I honestly feel that this is not the government for the old, the poor, the sick or the vulnerable please accept that is how I feel. Like the delivery man who knocked at my door with a parcel on Friday morning, and seeing my Labour placard in my front garden told me that he had been crying all night as the results rolled in. I know others may disagree with the hundreds of thousands like us but we all have the right to our own opinions as long as we express them honestly and decently. Just as those who are happy with the result and say so! But for now I am making my activism plans for the election in 2020 and all the elections inbetween!

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