It’s the first full day since MPs voted for a snap election and #VoteConservative is trending on Twitter. But Boris Johnson might not be happy. Because people are using the hashtag to show exactly why voting for his party is a really bad idea.
As the Parody Boris Johnson account stated:
https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson_MP/status/1189463728225443841?s=20
“If you want…”
Some people wrote lists of all the reasons why people might vote Conservative:
If you want to be worse off
If you want to say bye to the NHS
If you want more people in poverty
If you want people to die on the streets
If you want to do business with Trump
If you want children going hungry
— Lauren Rose 🇵🇸 (@LeftLozB) October 30, 2019
If you want the Fire brigade to be thrown under the bus.
If you want a PM who gave 1 hundred grand to his mistress.
If you want a racist PM, Piccaninnies with watermelon smiles.
If you want more arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
If you want a privatised NHS.
Then #VoteConservative— Ray (@Armsman47) October 30, 2019
Novara Media‘s Ash Sarkar used the hashtag to detail the positive things a Labour government will deliver that the Conservatives won’t:
If you don't want free social care for the elderly
If you don't want 850,000 green jobs
If you don't want free university education
If you don't want 100,000 new council houses a year
If you don't want fans controlling football clubs… then #VoteConservative innit.
— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) October 30, 2019
Austerity
Other people highlighted the damage ten years of Conservative-led governments have caused:
If you're happy with 10 years of austerity, happy with Victorian-era poverty returning, happy with NHS crumbling, happy with the disabled having their benefits cut, happy with nurses forced to use food banks & happy with the level of misery now in Britain then #VoteConservative
— Pileus Media (@thepileus) October 30, 2019
#VoteConservative because 120,000 deaths from the austerity cuts aren't enough. And hey, those handouts for the rich have to come from somewhere, folks!
— chas newkey-burden 🕉️ (@allthatchas) October 30, 2019
Who’s pulling the strings?
Further social media users used the hashtag to call out the owners of the corporate media:
#voteconservative If you want this wretched trashy individual to run the country. pic.twitter.com/ECL5TXGT3u
— Stephen Miller (@BoyCharioteer) October 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/ElCorbynista/status/1189348802228035584?s=20
Others highlighted who’ll profit from a Conservative election win:
https://twitter.com/Jonnymonkfish/status/1189334298752700424?s=20
Remember, remember
The hashtag was also used to remind people of some key facts:
The Tories cheered. They cheered.
Remember this when you vote.
Don't #VoteConservative pic.twitter.com/Q5Qip7pjrK
— Thomas H. 💙 (@THemingford) October 30, 2019
Boris Johnson has a history of lying and was sacked for it. He makes racist remarks – and conspired to have someone beaten up. But it's not just him: we've had 10 years of the Tories lying and hiding the truth.
Without truth, there can be no trust.
Don't #VoteConservative pic.twitter.com/q0jJRb63QS
— Thomas H. 💙 (@THemingford) October 30, 2019
Another timely reminder highlighted the fact that we shouldn’t be tricked by Tories pretending to represent “regular folk”:
https://twitter.com/seebsouq/status/1189432676274593792?s=20
Early days
On one level the Conservative Party might be happy that on its first day of campaigning #VoteConservative is trending. But as political commentator Rachael Swindon stated:
The #VoteConservative hashtag has been officially hijacked by the social media powerhouse of the left.
There are some things that money just can’t buy.
— Rachael Swindon #WeAreCollective (@Rachael_Swindon) October 30, 2019
One thing is, however, clear. While the Conservative Party and the establishment media might want to make this election about Brexit, ordinary people disagree. Because we’ve all had ten years of experiencing and seeing what the Conservative Party has done to us and to our country. We’ve seen our services slashed, benefits cut, disabled people demonised and our retirement age increased.
Johnson might have a massive election budget and a wealth of election trickery up his sleeve. And there’s little doubt this will be a nasty, manipulative and dirty election. But this hashtag shows that people won’t forget the abject misery this government has caused and will use every available opportunity to remind us all why voting Conservative is a really bad idea.
Featured image via Flickr – Chatham House
