Lesser of several evils

I didn't vote Labour in the European elections, I couldn't. I am one of the millions who 'drubbed' them (as Radio 4 is rather quaintly putting it) because of the heinous Iraq fuck up. I voted for the Respect Coalition (website here, weird spoof website here), not because I particularly wanted to but because I desperately wanted to vote a combination of anti-war and the nearest thing I could find to the opposite of the BNP, and that seemed to be the best option.

But I did vote Labour in the local elections, contrary to my own expectations. And the reason I did was on the strength of a statement from John Reid, following the furore over his comments (which I paraphrase) that smoking is one of the few pleasures poor people have access to, and that calls for a smoking ban are part of a middle class obsession with telling other people what's good for them.

I'm not saying I wholeheartedly endorse his view, but I do think it was a brave contribution to the debate. Unsurprisingly the media went crazy, and he issued the following statement:

"We want everyone to live a healthy lifestyle but not everyone lives in the same circumstances. If we wish to change people's habits we will often have to help change the circumstances in which they live."

Now *that* is a sentiment I cannot imagine coming from a Tory politician, and it caused me to reflect on all the small ways that Labour councils and Labour governments -- yes, even this one -- listen more and take fairer decisions than the Tories ever do or did for just long enough to put my Xs in the Labour boxes.

I saw Billy Bragg play three times during the 1997 election campaign. His line then was 'New Labour may only make an inch of difference, but it's an inch worth living in'.

It feels more like a millimetre at the moment, but you've got to figure the alternative's still worse.

joella