Thread by @swardley

X : Thoughts on Conservatives winning?
Me : Hmmm ... not good for society. Is that what you mean?
X : You mean you'll be impacted by it?
Me : Oh no, well ... yes in a positive way but that's not the point. I'd rather see us takes step to resolve issues in society.

X : Why positive?
Me : Oh, I'll benefit from tax cuts the Conservatives will bring. I'm fine with hard brexit. It's not me who will lose out with privatisation of the NHS or increasing University tuition fees. I've got a £100K+ set aside for the wee lads education. But ...

... society will lose out. This is what the election is about. I'm fine with paying more tax etc as long as we aim to build a better and fairer society. It's the collective national interest over individual.
X : What about the environment?
Me : Ditto. Needs a collective approach.

X : You don't think Conservatives will do that?
Me : I'm sure a lot of them are climate deniers. I've been down that road of trying to persuade people who won't listen and if we're not going to take a collective approach then ... well ... burn the planet, fine ...

... this election is it for me. We are either going to adopt a collective approach or its dog eat dog all the way.

If that's the case then I have no issue changing position to ensure I prioritise the wee lad over everything else. As Corbyn said it's a last chance election. Yep.

Do remember I've spent a lot of time in the US. I've seen the homeless shooting up drugs and crapping on the streets of San Francisco. I know people who have been bankrupted by medical bills. I know we can make the poor more miserable. It's not what I would vote for.

But, if that's the way it goes ... I'll adapt. I'm a former trader, I've no problem with becoming "money is everything" ... it's not how I would build a society but then there is no society without the collective.

It's a togetherness of individuals i.e. a unforgiving pit.

So, for me this election is simple ... we're either for the many not the few or we're for the few not the many.

That's it. The only question that needs to be asked and answered.

X : What about tactical voting?
Me : How do you mean?
X : Voting LibDem to get rid of the Conservatives?
Me : You mean vote for one sort of Tory over another? What's the point? If your only option is Tory or LibDem then ... I'd still vote Labour / Green / SNP / PC.

X : What about democracy, isn't that why you voted to leave?
Me : Yes and I still would. But even more than this, I would not have held a referendum on what is clearly a false binary -

https://twitter.com/swardley/status/744528231802494976

- there were better paths. But that's not what you're asking ...

... what you're asking is a question of priorities and at the moment, ending austerity is the most important. 120k excess deaths caused, public services in crisis ... you can't ignore it . This is not an EU issue, it's home grown Conservative & LibDem policy.

But underneath this a deeper issue that has been running for sometime. We're either a society, a collective of many with interests of the many or we are a bunch of individuals with a common flag, a dog eat dog attitude and a few that are mostly born at the top. Make your choice.

X : Why do you believe in a brexit utopia.
Me : I don't believe in a utopia, I do believe we can create a stronger nation based upon collective action and representative democracy. I cannot and will not support a structure like the EC any more than I would the House of Lords.

X : The EC are like civil servants.
Me : Then you woefully misunderstand how the EC and the horse trading operates. It initiates law and controls the schedule. That is nothing like civil servants.