Dave gave us policies, and I remembered why I’m Labour

By Matthew Dear / @positivematt

I have won the victory over myself. Having been a political flibbertigibbet for most of my adult life, I have finally come home to Labour. Home to stay. I use the word “home” deliberately: my father, as an act of gross rebellion against his father, has described himself as a socialist since he was 14. Would that I had his consistency! But I excuse myself on the basis that politics is very much less polarised now that it was for the bulk of the 20th Century.

What I believe has changed little. I’ve just been struggling to work out where it belongs. Deep down I knew it was on the Left, but I was so utterly disillusioned with some of the hypocrisies of an increasingly leftist establishment that, since 2004, I have tried to convince myself that I am a Tory.

I joined the party in 2006 having cultivated an excessively philosophical view that “conservatism” is defined entirely by what one is trying to “conserve”. For me, it was a Britain of fair mindedness, social justice, respect for the environment and generosity to those in need. In short, a Labour Britain.

I have been waiting expectantly for enlightened morsels of policy to drop from Cameron’s table, but from the moment he fired the electoral starting gun on New Year’s Day, I knew I was going to be disappointed. What did he wave in front of my nose? Yes, the still indeterminate tax-break for married couples. I ought to be pleased – I’m married, the household breadwinner, and a Christian to boot.

But, despite believing that there is indeed an injustice in an adult’s tax allowances sitting unused whilst a spouse supports them, I cannot stomach the fact that they would restrict it to married couples alone, and I cannot abide the moralising which is touted as a justification. If they were to extend it to all domestic partners, and perhaps more pertinently, carers, I might not have run for the hills so quickly. But they won’t. And it’s just one of the reasons that I’ve bolted from my comparatively brief flirtation with the dark side.

I don’t think Labour has got everything right. Our taxes yield significantly less value than many of our European neighbours. I’m sure I’m not alone in agreeing that I would happily pay much higher taxes if we could have something like France’s TGV trains. But it’s not entirely the Government’s fault. A cultural shift is what is required. Yes, we need to become more like France, the land of my antecedents! It is only Labour that can make that happen.

So, au revoir Dave, et merci pour tous les poissons. You’ve begun to lift the veil on your vision, and it’s reminded me why I’m Labour.