In response to “Tim Montgomerie: The Conservative Party becomes a broad coalition again – or it dies”, earthenware wrote:
Mr Montgomerie, you’re missing the point.
I voted Tory for nearly 30 years. I’ve now switched to UKIP. Why?…
I was never voting “for” the Tories, I was voting against leftism. I had a number of electoral options and chose the least bad. For a long time that was the Tories. It isn’t any more.
I’m not in the least bothered by the “vote UKIP, get Labour” mantra because I see Cameron’s Tories as no different to Labour. In fact, in many respects they are worse.
Higher taxes plus greater deficits.
Denuded military yet increased foreign aid.
Gay marriage yet attacks on the traditional family through the tax system.
Adhering to the Climate Change Act.
Europhile.
…and so on.From my perspective, Cameron talks of being a conservative but his actions say exactly the opposite. As you say, you can get away with this in opposition but once you’re in power your true colours become clear.
As for UKIP, I don’t support all their policies but this is a question of values. I feel that Nigel Farage shares my values and I feel that David Cameron does not.
A final point, are you aware of the amount of abuse that the Tory press has heaped on people like myself? Even if the Tories were now to replace Cameron with Davis, I would not go back to voting Tory. Boris’s quip about “the kind of people who have sex with vacuum cleaners” may be amusing to the Tory party faithful, but I find it deeply insulting.
