Month: November 2014

You may be surprised to learn that Vox Political does not support any alleged violence that may have taken place during the protest outside the new UKIP store in Penarth. This blog condemned the destruction of a Labour street stall by a gang claiming they were UKIP, and it would be hypocritical to show a different attitude here. Political movements are not defeated by violence. Brutality sends them underground and helps them gain support. If UKIP is to be defeated, it must be defeated by the use of reason, and…

The BBC have a story today on their website called “Will the public accept the cuts to come?” writes Alex Little. The first sentence is “Whoever wins the election, more cuts are on their way.” Cuts are inevitable, end of discussion. The article then goes on to list all the areas of public spending that could be under threat, and whether the public will stand for what’s coming. While it’s certainly true that all the main parties agree they need to “balance the budget”, and think they need to cut spending by…

You can now get a full copy of the Coalition Government Colouring and Activity Book, writes Tom Pride. All proceeds will go towards a book I’m aiming to publish in the run up to the election next year lampooning the coalition government, so your support will be greatly appreciated. The book will hopefully make a perfect stocking-filler just in time for Christmas for anyone you know who isn’t a fan of the present government. Or on second thoughts, why not annoy someone who is a big David Cameron or Nick Clegg fan by…

The deficit has not been eliminated. Depressed living standards are barely rising. This is not ‘job done’, but a record of failure, writes William Keegan. The austerity panic propelled the economy back into depression; and, far from using public spending as a countervailing force against the cutbacks in private sector investment, the coalition’s budget cuts served to aggravate the crisis. This year’s Reith lecturer, Dr Atul Gawande, speaks of the twin problems of ignorance and ineptitude that can beset medical practice. This applies also to economic policy. Osborne, on the…

Here’s a great site, flagged up by our good friend, the angry Yorkshireman at Another Angry Voice. It’s an interactive graph showing the differences between public opinion and the policies of the different (main) political parties. The example above shows UKIP’s performance (not very good, is it?) but if you visit the site you can see visual accounts of all parties’ performance, based on opinion polls (for the public) and party literature. The graph is on the We Own It site. Please bookmark it and use it when you consider…

What follows is excerpted from an absolutely storming article by kittysjones, which not only goes into detail on why trade unions are so vitally important for working people but also features many of the most important arguments against the current Conservative-led government and its ideology, all in one place. You need to read this article. As a taster, to draw you in, here’s kittysjones on trade unionism: The Coalition have introduced trade union laws which inhibit trade union recruitment, activity and collective bargaining. Employment rights are being removed, at a time…

The death of Jacqueline Harris is another suicide we can lay firmly at the door of the Department for Work and Pensions. This poor woman, a former nurse who suffered chronic pain in her back after an accident at work, in her hand after a dog bite, and partial blindness due to a head injury, took her life after the DWP axed her incapacity benefit after a one-question work capability assessment. The question? “Can you get on a bus?” The coroner’s verdict was suicide but we should all know that…