Why the Sikh vote matters: Part III, 2024

The General Election

This is the third election that I am covering in this blog, the fourth if you include Brexit, and the fifth if you include my coverage of the American elections. You can read about my coverage of the 2017 election here, and you can read about my views on the 2019 election here. 

During the last two elections I tried to be neutral and give a balanced view. But given the absolute shambles we find ourselves in, this one will be a lot more subjective. That might annoy some of you, and while that isn't my intention, we need to wake up. The most important thing, regardless of who you vote for, is to go out and vote and make the voices of the Sikh community heard.

Economy

The UK economy has never really recovered from the Global Financial Crisis, but since the last election, the pandemic, several wars, and the seemingly rampant corruption of our leaders as well as some insane decision-making, we find ourselves in a pretty grim position in 2024. While inflation has come down, its impact has meant that prices are roughly a third higher now for many common items than they were just a few years ago.

Conservatives: Let's be honest. They've made mistake after mistake for the past 14 years, from the stupidity of austerity to risky referendums, potentially giving contracts to friends, and the disaster of Liz Truss. Under the Tories, inflation reached double digits, peaking higher than all comparable countries and their main promises are around cutting taxes for the rich and corporations - they still believe in the outdated theories of trickle-down economics (I wrote about that a while ago, check it out here). The Conservatives are keen on promoting free trade and are committed to negotiating trade deals with non-EU countries but they've failed so far and by now we can't really trust them to negotiate their way out of a paper bag.

Labour: Anything is better than the sh*tshow of the last 14 years, so Labour really just need to play it safe. Their economic manifesto proposes significant investment in public services, particularly the NHS and education, funded by higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations including a new wealth tax on the richest 1%, abolishing VAT exemptions for private schools, and increasing corporation tax.

Others: The Liberal Democrats propose to increase investment in public services, particularly health and education, funded by higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations. They are committed to remaining in the single market and customs union, as well as proposing to introduce a new digital sales tax to ensure that tech giants pay their fair share. The Greens also plan to introduce a new wealth tax on the richest 1% and increase corporation tax to ensure that businesses contribute their fair share. 

Security

The War in Ukraine, and the destruction in Gaza has meant that security is back at the top of the agenda for political parties in a way that it perhaps wasn't during the past two elections that I covered. Neither main party has really backed any decisive action on Gaza going forward, while both have committed to supporting Ukraine. In all fairness, they are all failing humanity at this moment, at least that's what it seems to untrained people like me.

Conservatives: The Tories want to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as well as increasing police funding by £2 billion annually and aiming to recruit 20,000 more police officers in the next couple of years. They've had 14 years to fix this, and they haven't, but hey, maybe sixth times the charm. 

Labour: They propose to increase police funding by £2.5 billion annually, recruiting 30,000 more officers in the next couple of years and spending at 2% of GDP on defence. The big open question is how they would work with allies. With French and US governments potentially switching to the right I think optically it might be more difficult for Labour to work closely with them, but I'm not sure they have an option. 

Others: The Liberal Democrats have committed to maintaining defence spending at 2% while the Greens advocate for a reduction in military spending. 

Social Mobility

This is always a topic closest to my heart given my background from growing up under the UK poverty line. It's something the country has struggled with quite a bit recently, and the gap between the wealthy and the poor is now larger than it has been at any single time since the Victorian Age.

Conservatives: They propose a £1 billion fund to expand apprenticeships and vocational training and want to put young people into the Army because that's what pensioners want to hear.

Labour: A plan to abolish private school VAT exemptions, expected to raise £1.7 billion annually, which will be reinvested into state education is long overdue and welcome. They also propose to introduce a new £10 billion fund to support apprenticeships and vocational training, targeting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Others: The Liberal Democrats propose a £7 billion annual increase in education funding, focusing on early years and disadvantaged areas. The Green Party is proposing a universal basic income of £89 per week for every adult. The Greens also advocate for a four-day working week to improve work-life balance and create more job opportunities which I think is a long-term inevitability. 

Environment 

You can read my views on the environment here, so I won't say too much more. 

Conservatives: They are committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and have pledged £12 billion to support this transition. This includes investments in nuclear energy, offshore wind, and hydrogen technologies. 

Labour: Their green agenda has been massively rowed back and at this point I'm not entirely sure where they stand. They do plan to introduce a new Clean Air Act and they have said before they would aim for net-zero by 2030, but they've flip flopped in this area so many times and weakened their promises so much that it is hard to know where they stand now. At their most recent discussions, they have mentioned to achieving net zero electricity generation by 2030.

Others: The Liberal Democrats aim to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 including a £100 billion investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and public transport over the next decade. They propose to plant 60 million trees annually by 2025 and introduce a new Clean Air Act with legally binding targets. The Lib Dems also plan to extend the ban on single-use plastics and introduce a new tax on virgin plastic. This is the Green Party’s main agenda item and they propose achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 through a £100 billion annual investment in renewable energy, public transport, and green jobs. The Greens plan to plant 700 million trees by 2030 and restore natural habitats to increase biodiversity. They also advocate for a ban on all new fossil fuel extraction and a rapid phase-out of existing fossil fuel use.

Health and Education

14 years of Tory rule, and healthcare in the UK is on its knees. Calling GPs are 8am, scrambling for appointments and inevitably not getting any. I've almost given up on seeing doctors and have been once in the last decade. This needs to be a priority.

Conservatives: You can't trust them with the NHS. No matter what promises they make, because the track record speaks for itself. In education, the Conservatives plan to raise school funding by £14 billion over three years, ensuring a minimum funding level of £5,000 per secondary school pupil. They also aim to expand the academies programme and open 500 new free schools.

Labour: In all fairness, the issues with the GPs began with Labour's focus on targets. This time around they plan to recruit 50,000 more nurses and 5,000 more doctors, alongside investing in new medical technology and facilities. In education, Labour proposes to increase school funding by £15 billion over three years, ensuring smaller class sizes and modernised facilities.

Others: The Liberal Democrats propose to increase NHS funding by £7 billion per year, focusing on mental health services, with a pledge to recruit 20,000 more mental health professionals. The Green Party commits to increasing NHS funding by £6 billion annually, prioritising mental health and preventive care. They plan to recruit 35,000 more healthcare professionals and ensure all public health services are publicly run although it's not clear where this funding would come from. 

The Sikh Vote

Last time out I wrote about the important of the Sikh vote to help bring Sikh specific issues to the forefront like increasing hate crimes. My focus previously has been on ensuring the UK government brings back British citizen Jagtar Johal from a foreign jail where he has been languishing without justice for many years. It still remains the number one goal.

Since the last election, the British government has taken steps that have alienated Sikhs, including working with foreign governments to target Sikhs, and has been aware of targeted violence, including from state actors, against British Sikhs. I'm not saying a new government would change this, but we know for certain that the current government has not, nor will it, support the legitimate concerns and aspirations of Britain's Sikhs.