The election is over, the votes have been counted and we have a new Conservative government. I will freely admit that this wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for and I am feeling somewhat despondent today. And like thousands of other people, I expressed that disappointment on social media.
It wasn’t the comments and status updates from those who are celebrating this result and openly happy about it that bothered me. It was the ones that were along the lines of “The Tories won. Get over it and stop moaning” or “if you don’t like it, move elsewhere.”. Why do some people have such an issue with those expressing disappointment about the outcome? Are we not all entitled to our own feelings about the issues that are important to us?
One of the key factors in my decision about which party I wanted to vote for was the future of the NHS. As a mother of a child with complex medical needs, this is an issue which is very important to me – the thought of a potential future where an insurance company dictates whether my child can have medical care is one that keeps me awake at night. I am not a core voter, I have voted for several different parties in the last eighteen years and my political affiliation may change again in the future. I do not criticise those whose political views differ from my own – we live in a democracy and I respect the right of others to vote how they wish. I truly believe that the vast majority vote for the party that they believe is best for this country.
Yes, I’m disappointed. Yes, I have openly admitted it. And yes I’ll get over it. And if you’re happy about today’s outcome, I respect your right to openly celebrate it. But please can you also respect my right to express my disappointment without belittling and insulting me for doing so.
Well said Louise. I didn’t vote, obviously (although I believe if I’d been a little more organised I might have been able to), so I haven’t commented on social media at all as I don’t feel in a position to. However, I will say that as a Scot I have the biggest grin on my face; as a Brit I am terribly disappointed. I know that’s the nature of our democracy, and the first past the post system, whether we agree with it or not, and it is what it is. But to insult someone for expressing disappointment (or happiness), well that just goes against the ethos of a democracy, and I’m really sorry to see that is what is happening today.
Thank you Sara – I can well imagine that your feelings must be quite mixed over the elections results with regards to Scotland and Britain. As you say though, it is what it is.
Very well said! I too am disappointed in the outcome but some of the things I’ve read on social media today have been so rude. People are passionate about politics so of course there are going to be reactions to an election! xx
Thank you – passion I can understand but there really is no need for people to be rude to each other.
I’m not particularly happy either as my party got wiped out and you also have the right to be disappointed.
What I’ve found disturbing from my friends is the expletive filled rants comparing all Tories and anyone who voted for them with Voldemort etc. I’ve also seen lots of claims (mainly from people with a vested interest in the status quo) that every reform to a public service will see it shut down overnight and completely failing to recognise any public service motive in any Tory candidate.
As for your specific concern about healthcare, why does everyone in the UK assume that the options are the NHS or a US style private insurance market? Do you think Jessica wouldn’t have good care in Australia, Canada, Germany etc, all of whom have Social Insurance Schemes? I worry about healthcare in the UK, but not because I think we’ll wind up like the US. Instead I think the NHS will slowly collapse under the weight of demand and the Tory (and Labour) responses will be small injections of cash and poor value, badly specified monopolistic involvement of the private sector (eg PFI and Hitchinbrook). We have a lot to learn from other countries’ health systems, but the false dichotomy that’s presented stops that from happening.
I’ve not seen too many expletive filled rants and people have a right to vote for who they wish without being compared to Voldemort. I am sure that there are privatised healthcare systems in other countries that work well. My post was primarily about feeling attacked for expressing disappointment rather than comparing different options for privatised healthcare services – a US-style private insurance insurance market option is the potential outcome that worries me the most; I did not say it was the only possible outcome.
I am with you on this completely. I am disappointed too (and I wish I shared your opinion that most people voted for the good of the country maybe I am just too cynical – but this thought makes makes me feel even more despondent), and I totally agree that just as people are allowed to celebrate if they want to, people should also be allowed to express disappointment. Everyone has different circumstances, different opinions but what we should all have is respect for everyone else.
Definitely agree with you Jenni – we can agree to disagree without having to be rude about it.
Hear hear. I am gutted. And naively, was left really surprised too – I honestly thought people would go a different way. The NHS is at such risk now, along with social care and so many people who – for many reasons – are vulnerable in our society. I think a lot of people have been really shortsighted and manipulated into thinking that the problems with the country lie with over spending by Labour rather than the collapse in the US and by people on benefits – which is a load of rubbish and exactly what the minority of protected, privilleged people want us to believe. I hope things aren’t as bad as we fear x
I was expecting days of negotiations and another coalition government which was the outcome I was hoping for. Hoping with you that things aren’t as bad as we fear and that the changes needed to keep the NHS running will be positive ones that improve it rather than putting it at risk.