The Boar speaks out over General Election

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he last 24 hours have been very eventful. Claimed as one of the most exciting election nights in recent UK political history, it has completely changed the landscape and lives of the millions of people that live and are connected to Britain. The Boar editorial and business team have stayed neutral up until this point to maintain our credibility as a source of information. But that was news, and this is comment. Even though these views do not reflect the views of the organisation as a whole, it goes some way to reflecting what some of us are thinking about the General Election 2015.

Alex Shaw, Money Editor

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]believe that the silent majority of British voters silenced the loud jokers such as Russell Brand and Owen Jones, who professed, during the lead up to the election, that the British public had  ‘had enough’and we were seeing a lurch to the left. Just like here on campus, it has been made clear that the silent majority, in times of opportunity, speak louder than the vocal minority and I am pleased to see us waking up to a blue Britain of a Conservative government pursuing positive tax, welfare and government reform. The British people have spoken.

Ali Jones, Games Editor

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n the face of it, I got what I asked for – I voted Tory, and I got Tory. But I sent my postal vote off two weeks ago, to a constituency where I genuinely felt that the Conservative candidate would benefit the wider community, not just my family and friends. Two weeks is a long time in the run up to an election, and while I’m happy that my candidate won, I find myself pretty unhappy with the overall result. On top of that, I feel alienated from those who voted Labour or Green. It seems that despite my change of heart, I’ve seem to have become part of the problem that the more vocal on my Facebook feed are worried about. I wonder whether I’ll come to regret not taking the time to consider my choice on a wider scale.

Carmella Lowkis, TV Editor

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] am still unable to believe that the Conservatives won by such a large number of seats, after such a close election race. I don’t want to believe it; to believe that so many people can support a party whose entire campaign has revolved around money. Conservative policies are only there to benefit the wealthy. All of this might be supportable if their economic plan, revolving around austerity, worked, but after an initial boom it’s done little for economic growth since.  When I hear people claim they voted Conservative because that party has the better economic plan, what I’m hearing them say is that they prioritise money over the lives of real people.

Connor O’Shea, Co-News Editor

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]aking up this morning and turning on my laptop to see a map of Britain in blue has certainly brought a smile to my face. Leading up to the election, I hadn’t expected David Cameron to pull through and achieve a majority. The national polls didn’t either. Looking at the Boar’s own election poll results, students seemed more supportive of Labour. Yet, of the 3 main seats Warwick students were voting in, the Conservatives won 2. Despite this vocal socialism at Warwick, the fact is, Conservative Chris White has won in Warwick and Leamington. And, he didn’t just win, he increased his majority quite significantly. To quote Maggie “Where there is doubt, may we bring faith”.

Derin Odueyungbo, Head of Logistics & Distribution

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ongratulations Mr Cameron on a very hard fought election. The Conservatives may have overcome the odds to pull of an overall majority, but you can’t help but feel that there is an underlying issue at hand. With SNP and UKIP making gains at the expense of the main two parties, future elections might not see clear majorities being won. The UK may be caught up in the euphoria of a David Cameron victory, but today has shown us the potential incapability of our current electoral system to provide stable government. The first past the post voting system may be coming to the end of its time. Perhaps, funnily enough, Nigel Farage in this case, had a point. 

Elizabeth Pugsley, Lifestyle Editor

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e are a country that looks backwards, not forwards. Backwards, to a time where democracy didn’t matter, where the disabled and the poor were a blight on society and where cutting debt was more important than increasing development. We’re travelling so far back in time we might as well re-introduce the plague to help us along with the NHS. The people are important, and the people should be where the power lies –this is impossible with First Past the Post. Why was I led to believe that there was an opportunity for political change in this election? It seems the people of the country are comfortable with the way things have been going, but have given little thought to what things will become.

Halimah Manan, Deputy Chief Sub-editor

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he votes have been counted and so Britain is in for another five years of hell. However, the Conservatives aren’t the worst party to be in power right now. They aren’t UKIP. But that hardly seems a compromise when they pose the threat of privatising the NHS, denying benefits claimants the capability to live and carrying out more cuts to education. They’ve promised a ‘strong’ economy and ‘stable’ government but at what cost? And for whom? And, considering they don’t seem likely to combat zero-hour contracts, or the cost of education, certainly not students. With five years to go, who knows what will happen. But at least they’re not UKIP.

Matt Barker, Deputy News Editor

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Conservatives will be able to push through many of the policies they pledged to deliver, which I find a very concerning prospect. 11 year-olds being forced to re-take exams; an unprecedented £13bn cut to the welfare budget; climate change being placed as an issue of little importance. Moreover, the use of food banks has become epidemic over the last five years. Those living on benefits are routinely vilified and many can’t make ends meet. I can only see this situation becoming more desperate. I sincerely hope that the Tories will bring about social change and will tackle underlying issues in our society. I fear that they won’t.

Sam Evans, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Publications

[dropcap]U[/dropcap]KIP should have won far more seats than they did. It’s not something I thought I’d ever say, nor is it one that I even agree with morally. But the fact is that they secured 12% of the vote. 12% of the population of this country believe that the much-maligned party best represent their views. And yet they go into the next five years with only a single seat parliamentary seat, when they could have won 83 seats with proportional representation. The SNP on the other hand, who gained a total number of votes less than half of those achieved by UKIP, sit with 55 more MPs than Farage’s party. This election has highlighted the flawed concept that is the ‘first past the post’ system. And just because it’s managed to prevent something that the vast majority of us were opposed to, it doesn’t mean it’s correct.

Selina-Jane Spencer, Science & Tech Editor

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ow can we live morally under a government with which we disagree? It cannot be true that we are free only during the election of our members of parliament to voice our opinion; and for the next four years I will continue to disagree with the policies with which this government ran for election. I will not look away from Trident, from further cuts to benefits or from an in-out EU referendum. And most of all, I will watch and criticise the Conservative party’s attempts to replace the politics of hope and humanity with a politics of fear. We must resist the temptation to look away for the next four years. We cannot stop watching.

The next five years look to tackle some of the most exciting, and possibly challenging issues to date. Keep an eye on the Boar for all of the top student comment and opinion as this story unfolds.