Fact or fiction – election day looms

Increasingly, politicians, their campaign managers and supporters, seem to lose touch with reality. It’s never been so clear as when the mail arrived today.

This will be the 14th general election I have been able to vote in and it seems it will be the

last for 20 years.

First, a letter from Boris Johnson, alleging that a vote for Labour would give Keir Starmer a blank cheque to do whatever he likes. It could mean Labour in power for a generation, but that was exactly as it had been under Tories when they lost in 1997.

Boris isn’t keen I vote for the Liberal Democrats instead of Labour. He wonders whether I

can trust the Lib Dems to hold Labour to account. Well, I seem to recall a Conservative/LibDem coalition with David Cameron as PM? Boris, did your party not trust them then either?

He warns me against open borders and perhaps re-joining the EU. Well, again, I seem to

recall that growing Euro scepticism with the Conservative Party and the fear of UKIP around 2010 and onwards pushed Cameron into promising a referendum. It wasn’t the other side,

Boris; it was your lot.

Second, there was a letter from me to myself. Well, that’s the idea, anyway. In this circular from the Conservative Party (yes, two in one day – a little desperate, isn’t it?) I have written to myself 20 years from now, highlighting the cost of wrongly casting my vote this Thursday.

According to the Conservatives, I shall end up with masses of Labour MPs representing me.

It’s a failure, claims the letter. After 20 years, there are no successes, just increased taxes.

Of course, it’s all total fiction but, interestingly, the letter concedes the Tories could be out of the picture for 20 years. Consensus across the board in the party, for once.

At the foot of the page and in small print, is a statement that I’ve received this circular

because the sender thought I’d be interested. Wrong. I shall be nearly 90 in 20 years’ time. If I’m lucky enough to be around, I shall probably worry about many things other than politics and economics.

I’m already paying income tax under this Conservative government and fully expect to continue to do so if the Conservatives get back. No, there will only be one thing on my mind in 20 years — breathing.

The person who thought up this idea, to send a letter highlighting fictitious prospects under a Labour government, wants to be careful.

Imagine if I’d received one looking back on a fictitious period under the Conservatives since 2010.

There have been five party leaders and so five Prime Ministers (one for just seven weeks).

There’s been the scandal that was ‘Partygate’.

Recently there’s been betting on election dates.

Rolling on for years was the farce that was the Brexit agreement and during a short-term premiership, a budget that plunged us into an economic abyss.

Add to that, MPs who seemed to me more focused on their earnings from TV jobs and elevation to the Lords than doing a fair day’s work for their constituents.

And finally, more changes of party allegiance by MPs than ever before.

Who’d have believed it, eh?