Two articles struck me from yesterday’s Observer. Firstly, a long piece about David Simon’s new series, Treme. In it, reflecting on The Wire, the article notes:
Over the years, in scores of interviews, Simon has consistently made the point that The Wire was a show with an editorial agenda, a polemic about “the America that got left behind.”
Secondly, an editorial by Will Hutton in which he suggests two alternatives in the forthcoming election – a conservative victory after a short hung parliament, or a Labour / Lib-Dem coalition now, in which Gordon Brown must go. Musing on the first option, he writes:
The state will become a Conservative fiefdom, with even local police forces directly run by Tory politicians in the name of “democratic accountability”. The City of London will not be reformed. Wealth will become ever more concentrated in fewer hands.
Britain will become a meaner, less generous and more unequal society despite David Cameron’s declared intentions. This will be Murdoch’s Britain, with the BBC to be cut back and Sky’s influence extended. Government will be in thrall to the right of centre press. The sale of our companies to the highest foreign bidder will accelerate.
Connecting both of these pieces I say to anyone who has watched the left-behind poverty and grim urban blight of the bottom-of-the-pile drug-war capitalism and corrupt media and politics that the series evokes so powerfully: if you’ve watched the Wire, you simply cannot countenance re-electing a party once led by Margaret Thatcher. Period. Vote how you need to, but keep them out.
Comments
3 responses to “If You’ve Watched The Wire, You Can’t Vote Conservative”
kester,
i work in business as you know. on an almost daily basis, i get dla benefiters in looking for their free government purchased car. 65% of our economy in nIreland is civil service. all creativity here is stunted. the UK has now adopted a completely stifling posture towards ideas and wealth generation, and i blame labour. they need to get out of the way so that people can get on with working for a living. just this morning i had a 55-year-old policeman sit at my desk living off his indexed linked final salary pension. is it any wonder i’m slightly aggrieved that i work harder than most only to see the fruits of it being sucked out in corporation tax (one of the many I pay) to fund these good-timers? any government that gets out of our way so that we can foster some entrepreneurial activity and allow people to get on with their ideas will be welcome. whilst i don’t know that the tories, can, i don’t think gordon is capable of that. i would rather give my own money away to what I want than have gordon’s robbers direct it to NHS mid-management who do nothing but frustrate the healthiness of that system. regime change please! 😉
I had you up to there… but this is dreamland mate. You might give money away, most simply won’t. So this isn’t about voting for what you feel is best for you, but what is best for the weakest, the most vulnerable. And as bad as Labour are, things only get worse for the poor if people vote for their own wallets. Sure, business needs to be treated better. But not so fat cats get rich.
As a close follower of the emerging church conversation on the blogosphere, interaction with Ikon etc for the past few years I think I recognise your name Si from the past! Almost all those involved in this loose network tend to be politically very left of centre (IMHO)so it is refreshing and strange to hear a more typically conservative voice! I must confess I work for the civil service in NI and ny wife works for the mid management NHS…..
I would describe myself as a follower of Christ(aspire to is probably far more accurate due to my constant failures) and wonder whether the priority given to the marginalized, poor and downtrodden in the kindom of God validates Kesters comment?
Rodney