I’ve been browsing the Labour and Conservative manifestos over the last couple of days. I was struck by a recurring theme: choice.
Labour offers “a choice of good schools” and “real choice to parents”. It promises “real choices for patients”, “greater choice” about family and working life, and “choice and flexibility” in paying for care.
Meanwhile, the Conservative manifesto celebrates the “choices of students”, promises that “we will give patients more choice”, and offers “far greater choice for consumers” of energy. Care will be through “a system which will be based on choice”. “People expect to be able to make choices” they observe. “This is an age of personal freedom and choice”.
Great, more choice for all. Except that elections aren’t ultimately about choosing a school or a hospital, although those are nice freedoms to have. Elections are about choosing a government. And on that front, the two main parties show an equally united front. “The Lib Dems have no realistic chance” said Labour’s Lord Adonis last week, telling Lib Dem voters that they should just vote Labour and be done with it.
David Cameron went one step further in his manifesto launch speech, claiming that “we stand for the idealists that the Liberal Democrats will inevitably disappoint because they cannot win this race.”
I’m not a Lib Dem supporter, but isn’t all this choice of ‘real choice’ rather ironic?
The Earthbound Report 