Neil Johnston: Northern Ireland - Time for a better beginning

Neil is a Northern Ireland based Conservative activist.

In their paper following the last General Election, the Electoral Reform Society said that with the extension of the franchise in 1918;

“No majority government in British history has ever rested on a flimsier base of public support…”

They got it in one – 66 seat majority and 35% of the vote – unfair?

Well yes. But unless we’re going to embrace PR then we’ll have to do what we’ve done before - grin and bear it until next time, but be better persuaders, have better policies and contest all seats. (I’ll come back to this particular point.)

Galling enough considering what this tax, spend and deceitful administration has turned into.  But how would you feel if as someone paying the same stealth taxes as you, sees the same senior citizens lying on hospital trolleys, doesn’t have enough money for heating (let alone a peerage) and weren’t even asked to support the great ‘master plan’ of the New Labour Dual-Monarchy?

Not one vote was cast for any candidate presenting Labour’s manifesto in this part of the United Kingdom – not one. No one stood giving those who wanted to the opportunity to vote for or against the Government that governs and taxes them.  Voters in Zimbabwe and Belarus have more choice.

Surely in the 21st Century this cannot be right? No citizen of any nation should have to suffer a Government that did not first seek permission to govern?  People do actually want to vote Labour here. 

Why, I don’t know? But they should be given the chance, just as those who want to vote Conservative should be given every opportunity.

So let us give them something worth voting for and a party worth joining.  Let’s engage wholeheartedly, think outside of the box and give them a future and not a re-run of the past they neither sought nor deserve.