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| Please don't consider the quality of the logos when voting |
However, this time, I have made a conscious effort to pay attention, to listen to what the politicians have to say, to align myself one way or the other, left or right, red or blue, or yellow, or purple, or green. I read what I believe to be the only newspaper that is as unbiased as they come, so this has helped me form my own opinion. I have also, following their publication last week, read key parts of each of the five party manifesto's. Just for context, I'm based in England so can't vote SNP, Sinn Fein or Plaid Cymru etc.
Also for context, my parents live in the aforementioned Tory heartland of rural Staffordshire, which has been in Tory rule since the Dinosaur party. My parents, as far as I know, have always voted Tory. The only recent revelation is that Ukip are closing in a little bit on the Tory rule there, and I wouldn't be very surprised if my parents went this way too. They think there is too much pressure on services in the UK and HS2 is proposed to crash through the golf course my dad plays at. So make of that what you will (and you'll be right).
I'm still registered there, but where I live in central Stafford, it is more even between Tory and Labour. It changed in 2010 to Tory, and it's touch and go whether it will go back or remain.
So why I do feel compelled to vote this time? I suppose I just want my say, and as I say I'm more knowledgeable about what I'm voting for now. I didn't read the full manifestos of course; three more Government's will have been and gone by the time I did that. So I researched what issues were important to me. These included the environment and climate change (my job and my passion), the considerations of young people who I have visibly seen have been shafted in recent years, public transport and then the big issues such as immigration, housing and the NHS. And the other main factor I specifically researched? What each party intends to do about providing better mental health support and tackling stigma.
Now at this point I must mention this. Another reason I didn't vote in 2010 or in local elections was because I don't believe a word politicians say. Moreover, I worked for local Government for over five years and during this time, the majority of councillors I came across were rude and rather up themselves. So I lacked belief that they would stick to their word and didn't particularly like the way in which they governed. Not too much has changed my belief in recent years; but my attitude has. Sadly, it's one of acceptance, that politicians will always break promises, fail to deliver in certain areas and often come across as up themselves. There isn't much I can do about that, so I have to accept my cynicism and doubt and vote in the pretence that each party will do what they say. I don't believe for one minute that they will - but if I let this get in the way I'll never vote, as, I'm guessing, won't anyone else.
This cynicism stretches to mental health. In the nearly three years that I've been writing blogs on this site I've mentioned on numerous occasions my experiences with therapy. I have learnt so much about other people's experiences too; from friends, from magazines such as Anxiety UK's Anxious Times or Mind's magazine and via social media. Many have had negative experiences at the hands of the NHS, whether it be too few sessions, lack of compassion, lack of understanding, ridiculously long waiting times, or whatever. I must emphasise that private therapy can also be like this as well. So in my opinion, mental health provision needs a total overhaul, with easier access to quicker therapy that you can access for as long as you need. Do I believe any Government could achieve this whether they say they can or not? No, of course not. But again, I have to ignore this cynicism and move on.
So, in summary, what is each party (in alphabetical order) saying about mental health:
Conservative:
Provide significant new support for mental health, benefiting thousands of people claiming out-of-work benefits or being supported by Fit for Work.
Provide therapists in every part of the country providing treatment for those who need it.
Enforce the new access and waiting time standards for people experiencing mental ill-health, including children and young people.
Ensure that women have access to mental health support during and after pregnancy.
Proper provision of health and community based places of safety for people suffering mental health crises to stop vulnerable people being detained in police custody.
Green:
Ensure no-one waits longer than 28 days for talking therapy and those in crises have 24-hour access to help.
Eliminate places of safety for children with mental health issues by 2016.
Ensure everyone has access to a 'mental health bed' in times of need.
Implement a campaign to end mental health stigma and discrimination and support the Time to Change initiative.
Pay particular attention to mother's, ethnic minorities, ex-servicemen and children in the treatment of mental health problems.
Give priority to the physical healthcare of those with mental health problems.
Labour:
Bring together services for physical health, mental health and social care into a single system built around the individual.
All NHS staff will be trained in mental health issues.
Ensure that teachers have training so they can identify problems early and link children up with support.
Use of mindfulness to build resilience, especially for children.
Ensure that the great majority of patients can access talking therapies within 28 days,
Lib Dems:
Invest £500m to transform mental health care with waiting time standards to match those in physical health care.
Inclusion of a waiting time standard from referral of no more than six weeks for therapy for depression or anxiety and a two-week wait standard for all young people experiencing a first episode of psychosis.
Increase access to clinically and cost-effective talking therapies.
Revolutionise children’s mental health services.
End the use of police cells for people facing a mental health crisis.
Set stretching standards to improve the physical health of people with mental health problems.
Develop a campaign promoting the steps people can take to improve their own mental resilience – the wellbeing equivalent of the ‘Five a Day’ campaign.
Establish a world-leading £50m mental health research fund.
Continue to support the Time to Change programme to tackle stigma against mental health.
Ensure better training in mental health so people can identify if someone has a problem.
Ukip:
Develop a 'whole person’ approach to health and that means giving mental health parity with physical health.
Recognising there is often a link between addiction and mental illness and offering appropriate treatment where this is the case.
Provide access to specialist mental health treatment for pregnant women and mothers of children under 12 months of age.
Fighting the stigma around mental illness and supporting those seeking to get back into work.
End the postcode lottery for psychiatric liaison services in acute hospitals and A&E departments.
Provide a single point of contact for veterans experiencing mental health problem.
So there you have it. Like with most things politically, what this summary will probably do is confuse you more rather than less, as it did for me.
If you go by quantity alone, the Lib Dems seem committed to investing in and tackling mental health problems the most, but is this enough to get them the vote on mental health alone? The good thing is, the issue appears in all of the party manifestos, which is progress. It is seen as important whether you're right or left wing, which again is strong. It would be fascinating to undertake a study (if it's not already been done) that shows what party the people who do stigmatise mental health generally vote for, or whether it's fairly random. Similarly, who do those people that work in the mental health profession vote for? And, most importantly, who do people who have experienced serious mental health problems vote for?
What this blog aims to do is just get you thinking about what the parties are considering. I'm not going to say that you should or shouldn't vote - to say the former would be hypocritical. I believe we have a right to choose whether we vote or not, on the assumption that one doesn't normally vote if they are ignorant about what the parties stand for, as I was - and always will be, to some extent.
As for who I vote for, I genuinely haven't decided. It will factor in the mental health policies but also other important issues of mine, as outlined earlier. By main concern is this: it is often Government policies that cause heightened mental health issues in the first place... meaning that when we're voting, we must consider the whole package.
Best wishes
Al
