General Election 2017 wait another one?

Earlier this week Theresa May called for a general election to be run, stating that divisions in Westminster over Brexit are delaying progress in a time of unity for the nation. However, there is as usual much much more to this story and I will explain the reasons why and my opinions on the matter.

Why call an election now?

Well, there are several reasons for a general election to be called one being Brexit, the negotiations for Brexit are scheduled or rather estimated to take up to 3 years which would mean the climax of any deals or proposals would be happening as the election in 2020 was nearing. this would place the government at a disadvantage since some nations may try and use that as leverage against the UK to get a better deal.

Another reason is that Theresa May has no mandate she is unelected(as PM), this presents the issue that many don't perceive her as having authority to govern but also means that she is bound by the manifesto and promises of David Cameron, and any policies she would produce outside or in conflict with the 2015 manifesto would be frowned upon since that is not what people voted for. The most obvious reason she wants a general election is to increase the majority held by the conservative party.

What has the majority have to do with the election? Well, everything. currently, the conservative government has a 12 seat majority which is not a lot, as demonstrated by the chancellors backtrack on increasing tax for the self-employed caused by a rebellion in the tory party. with such a small majority the government will struggle to pass any unfavorable laws or Brexit deal.

The Torys are confident that they will gain seats for many reasons. one is that currently the Labour party is 20%+ behind the conservative party in the polls and another is that Theresa May has twisted the election to be about one issue Brexit.

In her announcement speech, the prime minister has indicated that there is only one issue which is Brexit she clearly aimed her campaign at those who voted leave, claiming her party is the Brexit party. Not making mention of any other policies, issues or the near 30 million who didn't vote for Brexit.




Other Issues

Contrary to what Theresa May says there are so so many other issues that should be discussed and debated in the run-up to the election so many services and people's lives will be massively affected by the outcome of this election.The NHS, pensions, education, council funding and standard of living are all going to be decided by the outcome of the election.

My Opinions

I have many opinions on the current situation of many policies ill try and condense them
The NHS, This service has been critically and criminally abused and underfunded since 2010 the service has slowly been degraded and is near collapse, there are people receiving letters that their families now rely on private care that is beyond substandard and is actually causing people to consider moving to areas where the NHS still runs (making them political/medical refugees).

Pensions, The elderly are some of the most vulnerable people in society and not only require care but respect and the tory party has denied keeping the Tripple lock promise on pensions that make them rise in line with inflation (keeps their value)

Education, there are plans to change the education system to reintroduce the 11 plus and the grammar schools which places kids that don't have affluent family or don't develop academically at a severe disadvantage, if anything like the system of the past those who attend grammar schools are more likely to get into university but to attend the grammar school you must pass the 11 plus and have parents/family that can afford the fees. 

Council Funding is a massive issue there has been a throttling of local authorities since 2010, councils have been suffocated to the point where they can't provide social care anymore which is an indirect way of damaging the NHS as many who would normally have received care from the council now have to go to AnE and take up beds till they find someone to care for them.

one of the biggest issues is the standard of living which has gone down dramatically, in the UK the 6th richest country in the world homelessness has gone up by 23% there are thousands who rely on the food bank to survive, this is wrong. and don't get me wrong there are so many other issues that should be brought to the surface like corporation fraud and the manipulation of LIBOR rates (the cost of banks borrowing money from each other).

My Views

While I agree this election is needed I am really worried about the timing and the Brexit smoke screen. this election is called as the Brexit negotiations are about to start, as Labour is 20 points behind in the polls and there is the talk of bringing charges against tory MPs and staff for election fraud in the 2015 election.

This election could see the largest tory majority in decades which in my opinion would be utterly catastrophic. A large Tory majority would mean their Brexit is the Brexit we get regardless how "hard" and damaging, they can get rid of the NHS and limit the futures of children based off a flawed test and family wealth.

There is a silver lining, the election is not a foregone conclusion, yes the polls say labour is 20 points behind and have 12/1 odds to win but that doesn't mean anything when Jeremy Corbyn had odds of 200/1 to win the labour leadership election (which he won twice increasing his mandate on the second win), The Tories hope their voters will stick with them and that they will gain voters from pro-Brexit voters. but the Tories by making Brexit the main issue seem to have forgotten that 29 million people didn't vote for Brexit that 2/3 of the electorate.

This election was called for tactical reasons and if you want to prevent the tories from gaining a crippling majority then follow the instructions on this  Tactical Voting spreadsheet  ( also available from this article http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/how-to-stop-the-tories_uk_58f89312e4b0cb086d7e4de6?). It details who to vote for if you want to stop the tories for each constituency. especially helpful if you live in a constituency that is close between 3 or 4 parties.


Important 

Regardless who you want to win the most pressing issue is that this election is fought fairly respectably with honest truthful debate and most importantly you vote the none voters have outnumbered the total votes for any party by millions and this means that every person's voice counts in this election, it is thus imperative to register to vote by the 22nd of May to be eligible to vote.