In the wake of the massive political shake-up that was the British 2015 election, I've come to realise something.
I'm lonely.
Here, on the left-wing of the political spectrum, it's a fairly lonely place and it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon.
But why is it lonely? Why does it seem that there are massive swings towards the right-wing in Western countries? We live in a time of unparalleled information access and scepticism, of freedom of movement and a free-range of ideas. Why are people still rushing towards the conservatives in droves?
Climate change has begun not just to impact our world but has fundamentally shaped our attitude towards fossil fuels and defence. Yet, we continue to elect governments which provide inexcusable tax subsidies to fossil fuel creators at the expense of our nearly-destroyed planet. Social welfare programmes are increasingly being cut as needless and ineffective austerity measures are seen as the only way of balancing budgets. Foreign aid, a core tenant in both saving lives and stopping terrorism, is often on the chopping block of governments and immorally harsh immigration programmes are leading to more and more deaths at sea and inhuman treatments of asylum seekers.
What happened to the future I was promised? The one where we understood that if the lowest class of society are cared for then the nation itself is better off? The one which saw foreign aid programmes, not as a drain on the economy, but an investment in the people around the world? The world which understood that we are at the absolute breaking point when it comes to saving our planet and that only a substantial investment, right now, in green infrastructure can save us?
Where is this future that, only a few years ago, seemed so close?
It's easy to point at a myriad of different sources: Fear mongering, Murdoch papers and fossil-fuel backed billionaires changing the political landscape.
But we on the left also have ourselves to blame.
We don't have any credible candidates who can govern.
Let's take a look around the world and see our line-up.
In Australia, we have Bill Shorten.
*YAWN*
This is a man who can't rouse a sleeping five-year-old on Christmas morning and we expect him to enlighten a nation?
In England, they had Ed Miliband.
Look how that turned out! Conservatives have been handed one of their most successful wins in decades.
In Israel?
Issac Herzog? Tzipi Livni? Nope and nope!
America?
Hillary Clinton. I like Clinton. I have for years. But whether or not she's the progressive white knight that we need her to be? I honestly don't know. I appreciate the fact that she's taking more cues from Elizabeth Warren domestically but, with an electoral system dependent almost entirely on the billionaire class...I've begun to lose hope for a truly left-wing candidate.
So where does this leave us?
Well....let's just say that I've started to practice the words to this song.
