No. 105 - The Terrible Choice before our Nation
Dear James,
A terrible choice has been laid before the British electorate in what has been a shoddy and shabby election. Full of empty promises and forests of money trees, last night the two main party leaders held their final head-to-head debate and demonstrated how unsuited both are for the highest position in the land. Mr Corbyn dreams of a unicorn society of massive over spending and Mr Johnson talks about ‘Getting Brexit Done’ meaning many more years of chaotic acrimony and uncertainty with the EU. Yesterday’s debate was dull, uninspiring and dishonest, as you would expect from two parties growling at each other from the extremes of the political spectrum. The blizzard of ever more shrill bribes and promises leaves us all shivering in disbelief. Political credibility is at an all time low.
In the end this critical election is about trust or rather the lack of it. It is this commodity that is the major victim of the Tory Party Civil War. How can anyone trust Boris Johnson, Britain’s very own Trump? The list of his half-truths, untruths and misleading comments grows ever longer. Today the Labour party released a leaked Treasury document which proves that Boris’s ‘EU deal’ will in fact involve border checks down the Irish Sea, essentially cutting Northern Ireland off from the mainland. Boris has insisted repeatedly the deal he struck in November will not require border checks. It is now proven to be yet another Boris lie.
Dishonesty may begin with the PM but it infects the whole of the current discourse. On Wednesday Savid Javid swore blind that the levels of homelessness and rough sleeping were down under the Tories from their high point under Labour in 2004. It emerged later that the original high point was due to the redefinition by the Labour government of the statistics and that the subsequent fall all took place in the remainder of the Labour government. Since then, under the ten years of Tory rule, the figure has risen consistently. Another lie to add to the many others issuing from your party HQ!
Yesterday a senior British diplomat in Washington resigned saying she was no longer willing to ‘peddle half-truths on behalf of a government I do not trust.’ Alexandra Hall Hall, whose job was to explain Brexit to the US public, said, ‘I have been increasingly dismayed by the way in which our political leaders have tried to deliver Brexit, with reluctance to address honestly, even with our own citizens.’ She talks about, “the use of misleading or disingenuous arguments’, and, ‘some behaviour towards our institutions, which, were it happening in another country, we would almost certainly as diplomats have received instructions to register our concern,”. She finishes by saying, “It makes our job to promote democracy and the rule of law that much harder, if we are not seen to be upholding these core values at home.”
Last week Donald Tusk, that survivor of the brutal untruths of Communism, said that there is a new element in politics. It is “the unprecedented readiness to lie on almost everything … to treat a lie as a justifiable tool to win”. He said this “shameless” behaviour would have disqualified politicians only 10 years ago. Are you listening Boris?
If our nation chooses your party next week James, we shall have set out on our own version of untruth in the service of the manic obsession of a few. Boris has been a liar for most of his professional career. He was sacked from the Times for inventing quotes. He was fired as a shadow minister for lying about an affair. He lied to the queen about prorogation. He lied to the DUP about Northern Ireland. The list goes on and on. At least Corbyn is only misleading. His vast overspend on his unicorn projects is simply impractical. We might forgive delusional utopians. We must never accept liars.
In 2012 at the London Olympics we were at the top of our game. Now our nation is tired. Tired of voting. Tired of arguing. Tired of its ancient social structures and political systems. Today we lie exhausted by a combination of a few frantic posh boys who have managed to convince a genuinely left behind section of our nation that they represent them. Until we come together as equals, sharing what we produce and what we have in a far more equitable way, this nightmare will continue.
The BBC has managed to add to the dishonesty. Its ‘political exposure’ algorithm, based upon the 2017 election results has almost excluded the other parties from the debate making it seem like a two horse race with the result that Boris has a ten per cent lead over Mr Corbyn. But, when the choice is so awful, there is always the chance that many have not yet made up their mind. So don’t bet on the polls James. There is still all to play for. And that goes, whatever the result of the election.
Kind regards,
BH - Your Concerned Constituent