So for the last few weeks I've been subject to "WTF?" "Weren't you a libertarian?" and other similar remarks over my recent veer to the left:
(Red dot being where I am now)
Is it a drastic change? Compared to last year, absolutely! (That was me, bottom right, pretty much wanting the entire state abolished)
I joined the Tories in 2005, as a fresh faced student, who didn't like the Iraq war, saw the need for the Tories to change, and anticipated a liberal candidate (who turned out to be David Cameron). I supported Cameron (I even wrote a pretentious email to him that was featured on his campaign website), and maintain that for the Tories, he has clearly been an electoral advantage. The fact Ukip have risen (more on them later) demonstrates there's a large swathe of socially conservative Tories dissatisfied with Cameron. I digress.
I was elected to Cheshire West council as a Tory in 2008 (against expectations!), but in reality I wasn't ready. I hadn't 'found myself' politically, and was in awe. I didn't know how things worked, and allowed myself to be whipped on big issues that I opposed, most notably the HQ purchase. In early 2010 I started reading some political/economic libertarian (anti-big Government) books. I found myself agreeing with an awful lot of what the former Presidential candidate Ron Paul wrote; some of which I still do, most notably I'm against intervening in foreign wars which don't involve genocide, and I'm opposed to arming any one group of soldiers, and I support relaxed drug legislation, so we can tax and regulate such substances, in the same way we do alcohol and tobacco.
In my newly found libertarianism, I felt confident. I dared to challenge the Conservative leader, I freely campaigned for "Yes2AV" (the sole Tory in West Cheshire to do so), and felt liberated. Eventually, after several months of speaking to young members of Ukip, I felt that there was a strong libertarian streak within the party, and that with a higher number of young, active members, it was possible to direct the party towards a more liberal perspective. So I joined, after 6 years within the Conservatives.
The fact that a mere handful of libertarians remain, and I was forced out over my support for equal marriage and immigration, should offer enough to close that chapter after 2 years. I, and others, were wrong. Social conservatism won the day.
2 months later, I joined the Liberal Democrats. Whilst not a mistake, it was a decision made in part because of my passion to put socially liberal values first, but also because they were the antithesis to Ukip. I was unemployed, politically burned out, and unable to really offer any activity, and I apologise to them for wasting their time in my brief (9 months) time there. (We're now in January 2014)
That's for those who want to know how I became a raging leftie who voted Green in the 2014 European Elections.
The tl;dr (too long, didn't read) version: unemployment and experiencing mental health treatment under the NHS.
The beefier version: I was unemployed for over a year, so felt and understood what it was like to live on the breadline, to struggle for rent, to receive benefits. A hard alternative to the relaxed life I'd been lucky enough to live.
(N.B. I don't think libertarians/non-lefties are heartless/haven't lived in the real world, who would instantly become leftwing if they struggled for money. I'm simply stating how my views changed, and being unemployed played a key role)
Whilst unemployed, I experienced the debacle that was Job Centre Plus; for my thoughts on that, visit here. Then the more I thought about it, I had paid taxes for several years. Surely the support I received should be worth the money collected in taxes? If we are not to have our own personal 'benefits account' which we draw on as and when, surely it's in the taxpayer's interest for people to be back in work as soon as possible? In which case, spending that little bit extra on training the unemployed is clearly worth it.
Furthermore, in experiencing pretty dire waiting lists for mental health treatment, and, sadly, poor care from the NHS, I realise that more training, more support, and more guidance for Counsellors, Doctors and Patients is needed.
Finally, the 3rd key to my veer leftwards is recognising that I'll never see a libertarian society, and it's unlikely any children I have will either. As a utopia, it's great. No need for Government, society takes care of itself, private companies recognise that competition will make them care more, and be more socially responsible, striking a balance between humanity and shareholders.
Bluntly, this will not happen any time soon, with or without technological advances: the majority of people couldn't tell you what libertarianism is, let alone want it. "Yes, we'd scrap the NHS" is all you need to say to see the opposition.
The real tl;dr version is this: I've had enough of the dogma, the idealism, the desire for something that frankly the vast majority couldn't fathom supporting. Spending time dreaming of the impossible (in my lifetime) is, for me, a waste. I'd rather recognise the society we live in now, become an active participant in that, realise that whilst I've no problem with there being rich and poor, I do think we should do all we can to make the poor less poor. Thatcher said "there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families". This is true. But a society comes together when needed; a society marches in its millions against Iraq. A society is a libertarian ideal. Society is where we look after each other. If a libertarian society would result in wealthier, more active charities/friendly societies because of increased donations, why not support the state who are merely doing that?
I believe in tax & redistribution, I believe in a fair society, I believe everyone should be entitled to the best healthcare, education and living standards that society can afford. I don't want to live in a society where more people struggle like I've had to.
I remain a liberal, as I always have been, but I am now left-wing with it too: I'm not militantly so, I don't hate the rich, and I don't think the Tories want to eat our babies. I think each political party wants to do what's best for Britain, they just differ in their approach.
I apologise if this doesn't make sense/follow properly. I might come back to it later, either adding/editing.
I'm ending my rambling (I've literally written this as I've gone. No planning!) with this song; I hope it doesn't detract from my words:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zkX6kfnWbk
