I do it because I care about people. I care about life, because it's amazing in all it's different varieties. The Conservatives have consistently cut the NHS. Here are some examples. And here. And here, back home. Why do I care about the NHS? Because life can surprise you nastily. I think people today, because we do generally have a better quality of life than decades ago, only think of their life in the grand scheme of things. When I'm 20 im doing this, by the time I'm 30 I'll have found my career, 35 a partner, 40 i'll have kids, etc. But life doesn't always work like that. You could have a heart attack out of the blue. You could be in a car accident. You could contract a disease which leaves you bedbound for months. You could require a lifesaving operation. This happens. Life is fickle.
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| Wow, that took a sudden dark turn. |
Look, I'm not here to make you worry about the possibility of these things happening to you or a loved one. These things do have low probability, and live is for enjoying what you have, not worrying about what could happen. The thing is, when these things do happen, we have a safety net. Against the uncertainty of life which can wipe out people in a blink, we have the NHS. The NHS will do their goddamn best to keep you tied to this mortal coil. And Theresa May is gradually eroding that.
If you wonder what life would be like without the NHS, look at America. Look at the story of Matthew, a healthy guy with his life ahead of him studying his PhD at Texas University. Disaster struck out of the blue and he suffered cirrhosis caused by autoimmune hepatitis. In plain English, that means his body's immune system started attacking itself. He's now in 62,000 dollars worth of debt. He doesn't look at his bills anymore, they just make him upset. He is financially bankrupt, and more importantly, his life is at risk. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, Want a baby in the US? 15 grand please.
And if you want to know how much dominance Theresa May is offering the private sector, Richard Branson is SUING the NHS. A BILLIONAIRE SUING A HEALTH SERVICE. It makes me sick to my stomach. They are arguing we cannot afford the NHS as it is. But we're out of recession. And she's still continuing austerity. Yes, we've got Brexit to pay for now, but hang on let's think. What's more important here. Leaving the EU. Or saving lives. Lives to us which now may be complete strangers, but one day could very well be us, or our family.
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| Richard also has contracts in care homes for the elderly. Will he also sue Gladys? |
But, the media's out to get Corbyn. And this is the issue with political discourse. I'm not saying the man's perfect and without blame. But are we seeing massive discourse in the newspapers and media about the NHS? Yes, every now and then we hear about the cuts, but are we hearing how they are being applied? Are newspapers at the scene of your local hospital, investigating what's happening? How on earth they are choosing to cut £100 million pounds out of their budget? Do you hear the doctors on the news going "Well, we had to choose between helping the sick kids, or the old people. Goodbye Grandma".
(I could have inserted a comical picture here, but it's not a laughing matter at all).
No, you hear ZERO of this. All you hear is "Corbyn voted in support of the IRA!". Well, the issue is more complicated than that, and it was twenty years ago. The Tories are giving arms to Saudi Arabia, who are bombing the shit out of Yemen and have links to radical Islam, now. "Corbyn didn't bow far enough during war commemorations!". Oh really, well he went to dinner with them afterwards, unlike David Cameron. "Diane Abbot didn't have a clue about the cost of the police force!". OH REALLY, WELL HOW ABOUT THE LIE THAT LABOUR GOT US ALL INTO THE RECESSION WHICH STARTED THIS MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE (we could more justly blame bankers, or the economic system which Corbyn seeks to adjust) YET NATIONAL DEBT HAS ONLY INCREASED.
Corbyn's a madman right? We could never afford everything he proposes. I'll be honest, even I think he's proposed a bit too much recently. But just contemplate something for a second. All this rhetoric about Corbyn, it existed before Brexit. And Brexit is going to cost us hundreds of billions of pounds? Huh. So we have the money to completely overturn our economic system in one sense, but not in a way to help all of society?
Huh
It's almost as if
The sixth richest country does have the money
They just don't want to evenly spread it
It fucking stinks. We're kept in ignorance of how much money we truly have and what exactly is happening with Brexit. We only know that politicians speak of the economy like it's some deity which most be upheld above everything. They televise politics to consist purely of characters like Corbyn and May like it's a bloody TV show. Tune in tomorrow, you'll never guess what Corbyn will say next! But oh no, what are the EU leaders doing in the distance? Who cares, look at the gaffe Trump pulled today! HA! These are all things designed to keep your attention span short, keeping you distracted from actually understanding the issues at play here.
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| "He's behind you!" |
Do you hear ANY critical thinking about the situation we're in by the media? No. We just hear accusations. And it's dumbed down political discourse everywhere. "CORBIN IZ CRAZEE" "TORY SCUM!" "TIM FARRON 4 LYFE". People don't enter the political arena to understand how the world works. They do it to pick sides. They play a game. But this isn't a fucking game. People's lives are at stake.
I want to talk about so much more, because this issue is much more complex. I want to talk about how Facebook's algorithms hinder political discourse because it only shows you posts on your timeline with similar views to your own, so it further reinforces everyone's political bubbles. I want to ponder whether this has lead me to believe that Theresa May's argument consists only of "strong and stable government", and whether I've missed something extra from their argument bar slagging Corbyn off with arguments which don't contemplate the bigger picture. I want to question how Corbyn gets so much hate from the pro-Brexit media, yet Tim Farron gets hardly any stick despite the fact he wants to reverse it? Tim, we've only just fucking got out after we've pissed off the entire EU, you think that both they and the country will dance for joy to be back after so much divisive hate?
But all of that moves away from the heart of the matter. That the vote is about humanity. Do I think Corbyn would make the country economically poorer? With Brexit too, yes. But guess what? You can be the richest man in the world. When you or someone you love is in critical condition, that is the poorest you'll be. Because life isn't about money. It's about being able to experience the wonders which make you laugh, love, live and think. As long as you have people who care for you, people who make you happy, and you and those people are healthy, money won't be able to get you any more happiness. And if you still think that Corbyn investing so much into the NHS and everything else will bankrupt the country and lead us to ruin, I'll end with a quote.
"Our grandparents fought in the millions to defeat Nazi genocide and Hirohito's imperialism. Then when there was not a penny left - when the country had far less money than they had today - they fought even more, to build the NHS, the welfare system, and over 200,000 new houses each year. Don't believe the Tory lies. Don't sit back and do nothing. Don't let your grandparents turn in their graves. Fight back against the selfish savagery. Leave your grandchildren something of value; a humane and compassionate society."
~Christopher Bainbridge
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