Offered In The Spirit of Love

I am a Labour supporter and a trade unionist. I believe that a more equal society is healthier, smarter and recognisably better than a capitalist one - for a start, we would all have to work less:) New Labour were in power for thirteen years, and my first political love - we haven't split up, but she's getting a new haircut and lost some weight, and before I see her again, I have to consider whether I still want to carry on this relationship.

"We need to talk, darling"

"Look, I promise you, things will be different this time. I went through a phase, you know. All those people telling me how good I looked, and the power, oh god, you have no idea.."

"I know, and I still look at that little card you gave me, and I am amazed by how far we have moved from that little statement. Democratic socialism is a beautiful phrase, so is social justice and I don't really hear that from you anymore."

"Is it Clegg? What does he have that I don't?"

"Oh how wrong can you be? Clegg is a cardboard cut out, no more substance than a Spice Girl. I know people were flirting with him, but I never trusted him. I still love you, but you make it difficult"

"What do you mean? NHS Direct, Tax Credits, Freedom of Information Act, banning fox hunting, more money into the public sector, I did everything I could..

"Its not that I don't appreciate what we have, or had. But in this relationship, I had to put up with a lot from you -

"We were amazing together, weren't we?

"The Millenium Dome, faith schools, house price inflation, the fact that our children won't ever be able to afford a home of their own, an incomplete immigration policy and the attendant failure to explain it to people, which in turn led to a resurgence in tacit racism and extremism, two wars that we had no true business being involved in with hundreds of thousands dead, a generation of soldiers and families traumatised and disabled, the fact that the same people kept on getting richer and richer whilst we all struggled to get by, despite being told that things were getting better - the 50p tax rate whilst you couldn't get your shit together to close tax loopholes, demonising benefit claimants.."

"Still, you do what you can in government, and we did our best. Do you think that the Tories will do any better?"

"No, I still believe in you but I want to see some changes if we are going to carry on. Did you ever hear that quote made by a US President?

I struggle to recall the origin, but the substance comes to me.

"It is better to believe in something and suffer for it, than to slide through life with no passions. I don't think that you should compromise anymore, you should talk to people and find out what they actually want. Or at least be better about selling what you want to achieve"

"OK, listen its not down to me, people have to work with me for the change to happen. Little things have an impact and I hope that you like the people that I want to work with."

So do I.