The Floating Voter

I'm still a floating voter - a novel experience for me. Some 16 years ago I read the Plaid Cymru manifesto and have voted for them in all elections since. I find little to criticise in this year's manifesto, which includes some pleasant surprises: the emphasis on 'the nations of the British Isles working together regardless of their constitutions' being one, and the acceptance of all who have made their home here (which includes me) being another.  Altogether, a quick skim through the manifesto leaves me feeling more positive about Plaid.

Job done then?

Not quite. There is one issue which seems to me to be the most important of all: 'climate change'.  I deplore the use of this term as if it were in the same category as say 'immigration' or 'unemployment': -

"Oh yes, and we mustn't forget to do our bit for Climate Change, that goes down well with the tree huggers." It's not one of a list of issues,  It is the ONLY issue if we want our species to survive.

I certainly want at least some of our species to survive, and there is only one party which puts "healing the planet" right at the top of their agenda: The Green Party. So, logically I should vote Green, but it's quite clear now that this election will not be won by anyone offering long-term solutions to our problems.

Perhaps I should be voting for the party which has the best chance of making some of the changes needed to change tack on the climate. If I take this view then in this constituency (Carmarthenshire East and Dinefwr) I should vote for our MP Jonathan Edwards of Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales). Plaid, in potential alliance with SNP and the Green Party could make a real difference.

Against that is the Green slogan: "If you think Green vote Green". The Green party manifesto commitments are UK wide, but I really don't like the way the party is perceived by the media as "to the left of Milliband". This is not what new politics should be about. I would be much happier if the Green party were saying something along the lines of:

"We reject the stale old politics of Left and Right. The present system is leading us to disaster. If we wish to save our species from probable extinction this is what we have to do:

·       Stop burning fossil fuels,

·       Reduce our population by more than half

·       Allocate our resources equally." 

The trouble with this scenario is not that it is fantasy - I suspect there are a large minority who think this is probably what we should be doing. The problem is it doesn't fit human nature. It doesn't square with what we feel our species is all about: some form of 'progress'. We are utterly committed to the idea that our history is about things getting better. This is what all our political parties aim to deliver. Try this one at the hustings and see how far you get:

"Vote for us and we will try to make the best of a bad job!”