We've just days left until the election and I am scared. I'm scared that another 5 years of this Government will make life for us and families like us extremely uncomfortable. So I want to take just a couple of minutes of your time to tell you why situations like mine mean people like me desperately need you to vote Theresa May out.
I'm a carer. What this means for me and many like me is that I am also the sole breadwinner. At the end of last year I changed jobs because my then full time job was not enough for two of us to get by on. Six months later I am earning more than I was before but the rising cost of living means we are no better off. Rising costs and stagnating wages mean I have to keep earning more just to keep my head above water.
We are on the third floor and as my wife's mobility deteriorates the need to relocate to somewhere more suitable location. But we can't. We can't first of all because there aren't a lot of options. When I do a property search I filter out all the ones we can't afford but also the ones in horrible areas or the ones let by unscrupulous agents or anything managed by the actual landlord because these are almost always a nightmare.
Then there is the cost of moving. We would need find a month's rent upfront, then a deposit, then fees, amounting to roughly three times our monthly rent. All of this while trying to save for our retirement because God knows what pensions and elderly care will be like by then. So on a good month we can save for our retirement or too move out, we can spend some money where things in our home are currently held together by hope, or we can treat ourselves to non-essentials lie a pizza or a couple of coffees. But we can only do one, never all three, and often none of the above.
I've personalised this to give you a specific account but this isn't about me. This story applies to many other carers, as well as single parents and many two parent families working all hours, retired people with only a state pension, young people earning lower wages but somehow given less support, anyone who's mental or physical support makes them dependant on state support. It means a lot of people who have good reason to be scared of a future under the Tories.
A lot of you may have friends or family in this boat. Maybe they have done the oh-so-British thing of telling you everything is ok when it isn't. Maybe they told you but you assumed they were exaggerating. Maybe you're in the fortunate position that everyone you care about is able to enjoy life without financial worries. In which case I am, we are, depending on you to make a choice for people you don't know but who's worries are very real. Please visit www.tactical2017.com to see how you can vote in your area to keep the Tories out. People are depending on you.