Tory Bashing

DEAR STUDENT DIRECT,

IN RESPONSE to Lex Devidson's article "Conservative Controversy" (and in support of Lisa Thompson's "Abortive Autonomy?")

So Lex, perhaps it would have been worthwhile telling us why Cameron isn't a "twat", instead of reminding all of us "narrow-minded voters" that he tried to get in with the kids by riding a bike. Bikes are cool, but it's obviously not going to get me voting right-wing.

In regard to not judging a book by its cover - a very patronising comment to make to a politically active student body - I judge politicians, along with the voting population, mostly on what they stand for. The fact that David Cameron recently spoke of his support of the anti-abortion campaign disgusted me. This campaign, run by Anne Widdecombe, brings a women's right to choose under attack, and shortening the limit will considerably compromise a woman's right to free, legal and safe abortion. Oops there go half your voting population....

Emily Crompton

DEAR STUDENT DIRECT,

I FOUND Lex Davidson's implication that people hate the Tories because they're narrow-minded deeply offensive. Not so: the Tories are rightly hated because they are indeed a bigoted party for the middle classes, ignorant and apathetic towards the plight of working class people.

Cameron being a smug, slimy, posh twat with a face I'd dearly like to slap around is not the reason people don't like them, as she seems to believe.

Being a Geordie with working-class roots, I've grown up with many horror stories about the brutality of Thatcher in her repression of the working class, and have grown up with many people whose parents’ lives were destroyed by her; in fact my own dad lost his job in a factory that she closed down around the time that I was born, meaning that I, like many other working class kids around this time, was born into poverty.

To understand the significance of this look at the cold hard facts of her legacy; since she came into power the trend towards decreasing inequality was reversed and inequality continues to rise, social mobility continues to decrease, violent crime and drugs use rose sharply during the 80s as a consequence of the poverty she caused, homelessness visibly increased, and relative poverty still increases.

Many functional and safe working class communities were turned into dangerous, soul-destroying run down shitholes with massive drugs problems. Take a walk outside your nicey-nice southern middle class bubble for a minute and head up north to somewhere like Peterlee to learn about the damage she's done.

Matthew Kell