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Five more years
Dec. 19th, 2019 01:02 pmWhat a week.
"I'm not looking at the exit polls," I told my mum. "I want to sleep tonight."
I was looking at Facebook though. So the exit polls found me.
I had, secretly, dared to hope. I'd gone out canvassing for Labour, with E in the sling. I'd pored over the Labour manifesto and discussed it with family. My feed had been full of impassioned socialist discourse for the last few weeks. So yes, I was startled and disappointed when the exit polls indicated a historic swing to the Tories. I'd steeled myself against losing, but I hadn't anticipated a result /that/ bad.
I didn't sleep well that night.
In the morning when it was confirmed I wasn't surprised, not really. I've lost every general election I've cared about as an adult except when Sadiq Kahn became Mayor of London. We've had a Tory government for nine years and before that it was Blair. I expect disappointment.
So here we are. A majority Tory government. Brexit is definitely happening. No end to austerity any time soon. An NHS being underfunded and privatised to death. The welfare state being ripped apart. Immigrants demonised and detained. Hate crime against Muslims and trans people up. Migrants and sick and disabled and mentally ill people struggling and sinking and dying. For another five years, maybe more.
Last week, I had energy to give the Labour party. But I'm already despairing at the squabbling taking place between those who blame the media, fake news, social media attack ads and smear campaign, those who blame Brexit, and those who blame Corbyn and the socialist manifesto.
It was an exciting manifesto. I'm sorry to see Corbyn go, but I agree his time has come. It's a shame the clarity of purpose and campaigning energy we saw last month wasn't there six months or a year ago.
I don't know how to win an election when our opponents are funded by billionaires, own the media and fight dirty.
Right now, I feel very over parliamentary politics. Life goes on. The sun rises and we get up in the morning and care for our children. I can feel my aura retracting, closing in defensively on a smaller sphere of influence. I want to focus on community acts of kindness. We're going to need each other in the years to come.
I'm looking into ways I can contribute locally. I do childcare three days a week. I can't work or do computer based activism on those days. But I took E canvassing, so maybe there are sling friendly volunteer opportunities?
That said, if all we do is step up to pick up the slack left by the state aren't we enabling their neglect? I don't want to get drained fighting a rearguard action, putting bandaids on mistreatment until I'm too exhausted to agitate for change. I thinking looking after each other now is essential, and will be healing. But I also want to strategise for a better future.
Maybe that looks like campaigning for electoral reform. Maybe it means empowering local communities to move the locus of power away from our corrupt political system. Maybe it means revolution. But I don't think I want to rely on Labour to save us in five years time.
"I'm not looking at the exit polls," I told my mum. "I want to sleep tonight."
I was looking at Facebook though. So the exit polls found me.
I had, secretly, dared to hope. I'd gone out canvassing for Labour, with E in the sling. I'd pored over the Labour manifesto and discussed it with family. My feed had been full of impassioned socialist discourse for the last few weeks. So yes, I was startled and disappointed when the exit polls indicated a historic swing to the Tories. I'd steeled myself against losing, but I hadn't anticipated a result /that/ bad.
I didn't sleep well that night.
In the morning when it was confirmed I wasn't surprised, not really. I've lost every general election I've cared about as an adult except when Sadiq Kahn became Mayor of London. We've had a Tory government for nine years and before that it was Blair. I expect disappointment.
So here we are. A majority Tory government. Brexit is definitely happening. No end to austerity any time soon. An NHS being underfunded and privatised to death. The welfare state being ripped apart. Immigrants demonised and detained. Hate crime against Muslims and trans people up. Migrants and sick and disabled and mentally ill people struggling and sinking and dying. For another five years, maybe more.
Last week, I had energy to give the Labour party. But I'm already despairing at the squabbling taking place between those who blame the media, fake news, social media attack ads and smear campaign, those who blame Brexit, and those who blame Corbyn and the socialist manifesto.
It was an exciting manifesto. I'm sorry to see Corbyn go, but I agree his time has come. It's a shame the clarity of purpose and campaigning energy we saw last month wasn't there six months or a year ago.
I don't know how to win an election when our opponents are funded by billionaires, own the media and fight dirty.
Right now, I feel very over parliamentary politics. Life goes on. The sun rises and we get up in the morning and care for our children. I can feel my aura retracting, closing in defensively on a smaller sphere of influence. I want to focus on community acts of kindness. We're going to need each other in the years to come.
I'm looking into ways I can contribute locally. I do childcare three days a week. I can't work or do computer based activism on those days. But I took E canvassing, so maybe there are sling friendly volunteer opportunities?
That said, if all we do is step up to pick up the slack left by the state aren't we enabling their neglect? I don't want to get drained fighting a rearguard action, putting bandaids on mistreatment until I'm too exhausted to agitate for change. I thinking looking after each other now is essential, and will be healing. But I also want to strategise for a better future.
Maybe that looks like campaigning for electoral reform. Maybe it means empowering local communities to move the locus of power away from our corrupt political system. Maybe it means revolution. But I don't think I want to rely on Labour to save us in five years time.