When you think of the ‘Conservatives,’ you often think of rich, nasty folk, that care little for the poorest in society. However, others would argue that this is an outdated perception and that the party has progressed significantly over time. They may have a point; the party has developed somewhat over time, but only because old-fashioned Conservatism is far from electable now. Every other party has developed too, and old-fashioned Labourism would also be unelectable in 2015.

Apparently, this outdated ideology has been replaced with ‘moderate’ Conservatism, one that supposedly understands and has developed around modern society. However, I simply cannot concur with this view. As I write this, Britain is only six days into Tory rule, and yet already we have witnessed the beginnings of what looks set to be a horrendous five years for British society.

Let me begin with our culture, which many perceive to be accepting and diverse. The foul stigma that has been attached to homosexuals for decades is finally somewhat subsiding, although a lot of work is still to be done regarding their acceptance in society. To get to this stage took much effort from those who were willing to change our society, and yet this government represents the backward, immoral mindset that people have been attempting to adapt for decades. Two keywords were mentioned in the sentences above culture and equality. In fact, these areas are perceived as so key that they have their own ministerial bodies in government. So, you would expect to see responsible MPs, who are representative of modern society in these posts, right? Apparently not; David Cameron has just appointed two MPs in these positions that voted against gay marriage in parliament: John Whittingdale and Caroline Dinenage. This is an extremely regressive move by our Prime Minister, and also an extremely alarming and offensive one.

However, it indeed does get considerably worse. Prior to these two appointments, the PM named Michael Gove as Justice Secretary. This is the same Michael Gove who claimed in 1998 that the abolition of the death penalty was ‘wrong,’ and that it ‘led to a corruption of our criminal justice system’. Gove appears to not uphold these views today, at least publicly, but it demonstrates the warped mindset that he possesses, and just how dangerous this man may be in such a powerful position.

To add to this, many of our own human rights may soon be eroded. The Conservatives have stated their desire to abolish the Human Rights Act, and replace it with what would most likely be a watered-down equivalent, dubbed the British Bill of Rights. It seems inevitable that this proposed bill will contain considerably fewer rights than our current one, which is an extremely disturbing thought for everyone in the UK.

Moreover, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is determined to pass the Snoopers Charter which will make it significantly easier for the government to invade our private lives on the internet. The proposed legislation would require internet providers to store large amounts of data about us, which would be available to the government and security services when they desire. Thus, the government would have increased surveillance powers over us, despite the backlash that they received in 2013 when the extent of already existing state surveillance was unearthed. This article explains more about the proposed legislation.

Young people will be particularly impacted by the Tories’ new plans. One of their proposed welfare cuts would see under 21s unable to claim housing benefit, simply because they are under 21. These plans would help towards the government meeting their election promise of £12bn of welfare cuts, and may also see Job Seekers’ Allowance scrapped for 18-21-year-olds and replaced by a six-month allowance.

Governments may also be able to conceal information easier if the Conservatives get their way. The Freedom of Information Act has long meant that anyone can access information that is dubbed relevant or necessary for the public to obtain. However, the Tories wish to amend this act, meaning that if the government partake in dirty work, or we wish to find out about previous unflattering information, then we no longer have the legal grounds to do so. This is a disaster for those who believe in transparent governance and is devastating for democracy throughout Britain.

Unfortunately, everything that I have mentioned above is just the beginning of a barrage of undemocratic and regressive policies that we will inevitably see over the years from this Tory government. There are even more issues that I could have mentioned, such as their plans to bring back fox hunting and make it harder for workers to strike. It seems now that without the shackles of the Liberal Democrats, the Tories are going all out by introducing a swathe of atrocious policies. I suspect that when people voted Conservative to ‘maintain our economy,’ this is not exactly what they had in mind.

Ryan Curran

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