Socialism, a hard truth to face.

My dad and me used to argue about politics. Nothing serious, and not usually about the issues concerned, more the way to get the destructive tory government out of office.

My dad was politely asked to leave the Labour party after the Militant witch-trials, while I myself pushed for the party to move more to the right to become electable.

A few years later, I sent my membership card back to head office when it was sent out without the self-explanatory clause 4, never to receive (or ask for) it back.

While the Labour Party has moved so far right as to make the Liberal Democrats suddenly important, the problem isn't with the party, but the expectations of the electorate.

Unfortunately, and this is the hard truth to face, people do not want a socialist government. They've had chances to elect one in '79, '83 & '87, but didn't. Joe Public doesn't mind getting paid minimum wage, so long as they can go down the local car-boot and pick up pirate DVD's for £10 a through.

You can slag off Tony Bush for his involvement in Iraq and his opposite standpoint in the middle-east, but he represents the only chance we have of stopping the tories getting their grubby paws back on the keys of number 10.

The TUC can protest all they want, but where we are now, and I'll quote comrade Tony:

... is a darn sight better than wasting our time in opposition passing resolutions no-one ever listens to or can do anything about.

Keep pestering the government on important issues, by all means, but don't let the fat-cat, mutual-back-scratching, high-taxing-on-the-poor, low-taxing-on-share-deals, plastic-bag-orange-in-the-mouth-shagging bastards get back in power.

(*** Apologies for the lack of humour, references to football, drinking or dodgy guitar bands in this post. Normal service will be resumed shortly. ***)