Confirmation bias by Laura A. Munteanu

Confirmation bias, also called confirmatory bias or myside bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs or hypothesis. This is being deliberately used in the current election campaign to delude the voters on behalf of the very wealthy. 

For example, let's look at the popular notion that the Conservatives are the party of low taxation and Labour are the party of high taxation. Using this basic axiom, the Conservative party beat the fear drums, so that the voters of average or above average income fear that by voting Labour they will lose the little extra they have. In addition, this message is reinforced by inadequate police forces, councils, schools and hospitals -- all starved of essential resources by politically-led civil servants. 

Just like in the 80s, when the Council stocks were plundered and the National Utilities of gas, electricity, water, rail and telecoms were given away to private investors, once the public investment of taxation had established the infrastructure to be robbed. No one who has commuted to London by train, or waited for a bus at night, rented a private flat, used a pre-paid meter, or who has wondered why their broadband is so slow would suggest that private ownership makes everything better or more efficient. What private ownership has facilitated is rather to raid the assets of a public monopoly established to serve everyone, and to drain its future investment income for the private enrichment of its new owners, who have not had to invest a penny in its establishment or development. This is clearly the Conservative Party’s vision for Channel 4, the BBC, the NHS, the education service, the military forces -- all five of which are targets for the Conservative Press’ continual sniping. 

Yes, the new Grammar school corridors will be free of graffiti and litter, because you and your like won’t be allowed in them. Yes, the new private hospitals will be clean, full of english speaking personnel, with Jamie Oliver approved cuisine in all its food outlets, because when you’ll need your chemotherapy treatment they won’t start until you’ve re-mortgaged your house to pay the £160,000 hospital bill. Yes, you won’t need to pay the TV licence anymore because you will have access to 9000 channels of Simon Cowell repeats, and for £35.99 a week access to the premium channel’s best porn, sport and films. The rich will live in beautiful islands of gated communities, quietly and efficiently laundering the money of the international criminal syndicates. Our future? We will be bicycle pizza delivery men or women, watching re-runs of Only Fools and Horses --until we have to decide which family member has to sell their kidney when someone gets ill, to pay for their treatment.

Theresa May secretly posed for photoshoot for American Vogue in her £995 leather trousers 

Theresa May describes herself as “a bloody difficult woman.” Since her elevation to Prime Minister, she has demonstrated an inability to make decisions, lead, set out a consistent agenda, meet targets set by herself or others, be consistent or even articulate a plan other than stopping immigration or pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights. Her principal opposition, Jeremy Corbyn is daily derided for his consultative principles, his caution in the face of international conflict, his desire to restore funding to the police, the social housing sector, the education service, the NHS, his desire to re-nationalise the rail service, create more jobs, raise the minimum wage, set up a public investment bank and to re-introduce the policy of progressive taxation to pay for it. The biggest difference is that Jeremy Corbyn presents himself as the spokesman for a series of policies. Theresa May presents herself as a person, who will think of some policies when she has to.

Jeremy Corbyn visits cafe in Glasgow Scotland and buys meals for the homeless

When Phillip Green’s business manipulations defrauded the BHS workers of their pensions, where was Theresa May? She continues to hide from the public, ordinary people who didn’t vote for her. In emulating the style of the last “bloody difficult woman” to occupy her job, she appears to have forgotten the fate of her predecessor -- and we, voters have developed an appetite for something much better than went before. Something made by us all, for the benefit of us all, not just the self-serving agendas of the “bloody difficult”. They can just fuck off!

So, in the spirit of resisting the venomous drip of Conservative party’s confirmation bias, just look what ruin the last “strong and stable” Conservative Government wrought. Considering the history of what they did last time to the trains, to the electric, to the gas, to the water, to the Council tax, to the private landlords, to the Council housing stocks, to the telephone and internet companies, to the steel industry, to the car industry, to the chocolate industry, to the pensions and insurance industry, to the coal industry, to the mine industry, to the university sector, to the farmers and the fishermen -- I ask you one simple question. Have we been well served by the strong and stable government of the Conservative Party? You choose on the 8th June!