OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
This from Harry, a 30-year-old nurse from Newport. Ed
Yes, I know people are angry, and rightly so, but punching ourselves in the face is not the answer.
After years of Tory austerity, and public service cuts – the country quite rightly voted for change. Sadly, what we received was a slightly watered down version of the same show, which has rightly cheesed off. Now granted, our current Labour MP is miles better than his predecessor, however that does not change the fact that Starmer’s Labour remain subscribed to the same neoliberal ideology that puts the wealthy first.
In order to win, it appears Starmer’s Labour has not only made a deal with the devil, but it has sold its soul to it. So where does this leave us, and what should we do?
Misdirecting fear
Reform UK, like Donald Trump and many before him, skilfully employ populism to rightly identify the symptoms people are experiencing (getting poorer, worse services etc) then like generations of snake oil salesman before them – give a false cause and a paradoxical course of treatment.
They misdirect our very real fear, and scapegoat the poor and vulnerable who are not able to defend themselves. Meanwhile they enrich themselves by flogging off our national assets. It is worse than grotesque, it is inhumane.
What to expect under Reform UK
Under Reform UK I believe we would see privatisation of the NHS, deregulation causing worse rights for workers, and the flogging off of our national assets whilst seeing an increase in hate, violence and division.
Yes, I know people are angry, and rightly so, but punching ourselves in the face is not the answer. Voting Reform UK is not a protest vote, it is an act of self-harm.
Farage and his cronies are the establishment they claim to oppose. I believe they cannot be trusted. So, what can we do?
Standing together to demand a fairer society
The Green Party recognise the same symptoms as Reform UK, but instead of misdirecting people’s anger, we are willing to stand together and demand a fairer society. Our enemy is greed, not the vulnerable – and the Green Party are the only party I can see willing to take on the elite.
Want to find out more? Look online, we are fully democratic and want real change – but we stick to our principles and will not succumb to any form of hate or discrimination.
Tax the rich, protect the vulnerable, oppose fascism.
