The election results of 2015 were shocking, but not as shocking as the reaction from the left. The level of bile and hatred has been truly shocking. I have seen signs on shops saying no Tories, signs requesting that Tories declare their political beliefs so they can be charged more, calls for Tories to be fired from their jobs. More famously the Women of World War Two memorial on Whitehall was vandalised. by anti-Tory protesters who graffitied ‘Fuck Tory scum’ on the monument. Could there be a more disrespectful way to make a statement? I am not so sure. Although leftie darling Laurie Penny didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
The people vandalising of memory of what the women of world war 2 fought for are sitting in Downing Street right now.
— Laurie Penny (@PennyRed) May 9, 2015
“Tory Scum” graffiti shows everything that’s wrong with the modern Left, says @Timothy_Stanley http://t.co/izgQ6AoZr7 pic.twitter.com/FO8B0LCS1o — Telegraph Comment (@TeleComment) May 11, 2015
My husband was sure Labour would get in and that there would be a coalition. You are wrong I said, you are forgetting about secret Tories. The truth is, tories have been openly discriminated against for years. In fact, they are one of the few people you can openly discriminate against and it is ‘okay’. The other is white working class males. (See Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class
In 2010 I campaigned for Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith. I campaigned for Zac because I thought he was a good, decent guy who could do good. I would have campaigned for him no matter what political party he was running for. The amount of abuse I got for campaigning for a Conservative was quite something. I lost friends and even work (I am an writer and actor. Both professions are notoriously left-wing). Even my own father commented that I was ‘no longer his daughter’. To this day we never talk about politics or my campaigning.
Social media is ablaze with comments about the destruction of the NHS (Spending actually increased under the last Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition) and comments about welfare cuts. The amount of status updates and tweets I have seen saying how anyone who voted Tory should be ashamed of themselves and are now responsible for the cuts and coming destruction is shocking. My friend Jeremy Drysdale referred to it as an ‘echo chamber’. People with the same thoughts and beliefs following other people with the same thoughts and beliefs, living in a bubble of their own political making. ‘You are an actor’. another said, which explains just how much left wing abuse and bullying I saw. But I am also friends with Conservatives so I get a more balanced view. My Conservative friends have been dignified in their silence. They are also some of the most decent, generous, caring and moral people I have ever met.
Truth is, I don’t hang my mast to any specific political party but I believe in Conservative values: small government, aspiration, working hard. What I don’t agree with is 11.3 million people being called ‘Tory scum’ just because they have a different political belief. There are even calls for a new voting system even though Labour won with less votes in 2005. Where was the protesting then? The Labour majority in 2005 was 66 with 35.2% of the vote and the Conservative majority in 2015 was 12 with 36.9% of the vote. The alternative voting system was rejected by the British Public four years ago. Now because some people did not get the outcome they want they are crying foul.
Truth is, as this excellent article by Byrony Gordon says, the left are just bad losers. You can’t abuse people with different opinions from you just because you didn’t get what you want. The truth is, both Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg were gracious in defeat. If only their followers did the same.
What do you think?
Would you give examples of what you mean by elite. Is this MPs who you say are only from the elite? In which case let’s have some facts. Is it the electorate? Explain also what you mean by a corrupt system. What do you propose putting in place of the elite – once we knows who that is – and what system? Proportional representation? In which case, because of the coalitions which have to be formed, issues frequently become stymied. All very interesting. Looking at other countries we do have an extraordinarily stable system, with opportunities for social mobility, and with a safety net. Of course it can be better, but I’d be interested to know how you would improve it. By it, I mean the system.
If you mean proportional representation then because the conservatives and UKIP had over 50% of the vote, then that is the coalition that would be running the country.
I completely agree with you Amanda.
You may find the lefties being in bad taste but the problem really is they are fed up with the corrupt system. Being Labour or conservatives it doesn’t matter. What I have a problem with is if you are not con then you must be labour. I think people have had enough of being lied to and the system being only for the elite. The system is broken and we need a change and there is a huge unrest nationally and internationally. We have to wake up and see the bigger picture here.