In a previous article, I took a brief look at the importance of understanding politics in our society and argued that even young people should take some interest in this part of life, as the decisions made by today’s government will directly affect them, whether or not they now get a vote. So, in this article, I’m going to take a closer look at this year’s upcoming election and who’s running.
Most people believe that there are only two real potential winners of the next election. These are the conservative party and the labour party. The labour party is a moderate left-wing party, meaning that they believe in trying to improve social justice, reducing the inequalities between different classes in the country, and so focussing on helping those most in need at the bottom of the system, such as jobless and homeless people. They believe in promoting equal opportunity for everyone, regardless of class. Their current leader is Ed Milliband.
The conservative party is a moderate right-wing party, meaning that they are strongly in support of the capitalist system we have in the UK, and that the money one makes should be theirs and theirs alone. Because of this they often act less in favour of policies like giving benefits to those without jobs, since they argue that these people should put more effort into finding themselves jobs. The current leader of the Conservatives is David Cameron, who has already been prime minister for one term now. Many want to know what he is going to do differently if he is elected again.
There are clearly benefits and drawbacks to each of the party’s views, so many people will vote based more on their current policies to deal with the problems faced by the UK right now, such as our financial debt and our position within the EU. It is by far the most likely situation that one of these two parties will win the election this May, since they have the historic advantage. Since no other currently-running party has ever won the whole election in the past, most people will assume they are the only two options and only vote for one of them. Though this is not necessarily the case, most people only vote for one of the two because they believe that it is the only way to get their voice heard.
Last year, the liberal democrats did better than expected and so entered into a coalition government with the conservatives. This marked the beginning of change, as many appear to be now turning to other parties, feeling that the old ones have not worked well in the past and it is time for new ideas. That being said, the overwhelming majority will still vote for one of the top two parties this May. The liberal democrats wish to achieve greater freedom for everyone, whilst also focussing on the social systems in place to help people, such as in healthcare and education. They are currently led by Nick Clegg.
Some of the smaller opposition parties this time around are Plaid Cymru, led by Leanne Wood, who want to win seats so that they can make Wales an independent country within the EU, and the Scottish National Party, led by Nicola Sturgeon, who want to achieve the same thing for Scotland. There is much debate at the moment as to whether this is a good idea. The UK Independence party, led by Nigel Farage, believe that the problems we are currently facing are due to us allowing too much immigration (letting foreign people come and live in the country) and that we should focus on helping the people of Britain first and foremost. His views are very controversial. The green party, led by Natalie Bennett, support a progressive approach to social policy, aiming to move with the times and create a more harmonious nation.
Because of the clear pros and cons to each parties views, it is very hard for some people to decide who to vote for, and if you’re interested further, you may like to watch the seven-way debate, or some of the other programs that are taking place this year in the run-up to the election.
Image from: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/03/16/273C14AA00000578-3024708-image-m-24_1428076031955.jpg
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