Liberal whingers are wrong – we should shut our libraries

The British Library
Photo by Steve Cadman

Americans take heart! Mean-spirited conservatism is not a "US only" phenomenon. Conservatives in the UK have decided that public libraries have got to go. After all, as this article in the Telegraph points out, almost 60% of people in the UK don't use libraries! And why would anyone? Today we have powerful computers and smart phones which let us look up information any time we want to!

The move to shut down the libraries has been a UK conservative issue for a while now. I can't figure out why the Tories are so keen on such an unpopular and stupid and idea, but I do note that it strikes a blow at the very poorest of society, those who likely won't vote Tory at all.

Except that it's Labour politicians who've been pushing this. Even the author of the above article (which I honestly thought was satire), is a well-known Labour strategist.

My friend Piers has written a protest song about this.

Child of the Library by pdcawley

If you think libraries are important, share the song. I understand that the UK is struggling financially right now, but saving money now by sacrificing the future of many poor children doesn't sound like a sound long-term strategy. For example, does the UK really need the third-highest military expenditures in the world? The cost of saving the libraries is a drop in the bucket of their spending on weapons.