As part of our ‘Why you should vote…” series for the last days of the general election campaign, Lydia explains why the Tories should attract your pen’s cross on the ballot paper.
How can we doubt that there is not still a class war at hand? Unfortunately for the Tories, their age-old and still-damaging “elitist, white-collared” façade is in fact being used by their opposition and the public to question whether they are helping us all equally. Perhaps it is easier to turn heads away from internal political elitism in the other parties, and cover our eyes to the Tories’ genuinely progressive social policy.
This election campaign has shown the emergence of more party faces than ever before. Their campaigns were keenly witty and designed to use the modern, fickle media wisely – think of the Green’s boy-band-esque video and the SNP’s manifesto which appears an Old Labour activist’s dream: equality, fairness, an end to austerity. Although the election can be seen to have adopted a light-hearted approach, what does the Conservative party have to offer in terms of real policy?
According to the Office of Budget Responsibility, the tightening of spending followed by an increase of public spending proposed by Labour would lead to a “roller-coaster ride” for the UK’s economy. Although most people view any deficit decrease as positive, the real question for voters is the exact extent of fiscal expenditure. Are the Tories in fact making the deepest cuts? We know that the Conservatives want to eradicate the deficit and would implement spending cuts to do so (bar education, foreign aid and health). But it is also important to remember, class warriors, that cuts would be combined with more progressive taxes and the deployment of stricter attitudes towards tax avoidance.
Turning away from economics, the Tories also pledge £3 billion to be spent on improving the environment by 2020. In foreign policy, they promise a crucial comprehension strategy to defeat Islamic State, as well as working towards peace in Syria and Iraq. Britain’s defensive position will be renewed along with the Trident submarines, which will remain a continuous sea nuclear deterrent.
Attention has been paid to the healthcare sector, with an increase of mental health treatments, seven-day access to GPs and an increase of NHS spending by £8 billion over inflation.
As the standard of living is increasing for the vast majority of people in the UK, a swelling has developed in a demand for housing. This is catered for by a proposed 200,000 homes for first-time buyers, as well as unlocking sites for 400,000 homes with a regeneration fund.
One of the most critically-viewed actions of the present government was the drastic increase of tuition fees. But alongside the headline nominal £9,000, the threshold for paying this debt was increased, along with a moderate increase for existing students. Only until a new student is earning £21,000 per annum do they in fact start to pay back their debt in small amounts, so spending allowance in real term is increased. In addition, a large proportion of the money in the higher education budget is spent on supporting students from less advantaged backgrounds, meaning that more people from lower social groups are going to university.
Even then, the consensus that university is the only pathway to success has been loosened by the increase in value of apprenticeships, which are to be made more widely available in the Tories’ potential second term. And although the leftist criticism – that the rate of unemployment in young people peaked during the Conservative’s stand – is true, the same trend affected the whole of Europe, which would suggest that it was not a result of Tory government. Regardless, education reform notoriously takes many years to reach full effect, so it could be a while before we see the benefits of tuition fee increases.
If you’re still dithering between placing a specifically Labour or Tory vote, remember that Ed Miliband can just about manage to eat a bacon sandwich and still look like a fool. And that goes for Nigel too, who has more than overused the scapegoat of immigration in response to every single issue in the UK.
Only when the election takes place on May 7th will the fate of the Conservative party be decided, but when looking to place your vote, remember to consider which face you want representing the UK.
Next: Why you should vote UKIP, by Domenic Edwards.
Words by Lydia Ibrahim