17th May 2017

Marx and spenders

I tend to have a rather cynical view of politicians, formed with some up close and personal encounters with a number of high profile one’s over the years. 

I am sure many will recall the great Groucho Marx line on politicians, “Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well I have others.” 

Why would anyone want to stand for election these days? Why would anyone want to vote for some of them?

A prospective MP today appears to have no view of their own, blatantly cannot or will not answer a straightforward question with a straightforward answer, cannot add up or even, if recent tabloid reports are to be believed, cut a lawn with a Flymo. They address imaginary crowds surrounded by camera friendly, placard waving ‘endorsers’ craving your attention for a brief period of time and then it is back to the bus.

It is now manifesto time. Will those finely crafted, fully costed manifestos, leaked or not, move very quickly into the realms of creative accounting, faux promises, fake or unverified news? 

The leak of the Labour one made the most cynical out there, me included, think the leak was not a leak but a launch made to look like one as that would get more press attention.

But should we be afraid of being ‘miss-promised’ by politicians?

In every walk of life, whatever we do or consume, it is normally accompanied by a health warning of some sort. These warnings take up a lot of print space, label space or airtime In fact in many ways they seem to beg the question ‘is everyone so stupid’ who buys, eats, drinks, smokes, drives, wears this product that such warnings are needed?

The ‘fat bastard index’ wonks at Public Health England are giving consideration to allow supermarkets access to its algorithms so their tills can work out for the obese shopper the sugar and fat content in people's shopping baskets and put it on the receipt.

The UK Government issues travel advisories to let citizens know about safety concerns and unrest that may affect travel to a particular country or region.  

As in “do not travel to Syria”.

Smokers get a warning on every packet they buy, drinkers get a similar warning. There are even controls over how many ‘Ibuproferen’ tablets you can by in one shopping trip.

Investors get a ‘wealth warning’ before they invest, a surgeon will issue warnings around the procedure you may be about to have, the anaesthetist will do likewise with the side effects of anaesthetics. 

So with June 8^th fast approaching, is it time for political advertisements and broadcasts to carry ‘health’ warnings in a similar way to any other lifestyle decision we are forced to make?

A starter could be “the content of this broadcast may or may not be true or actually never happen”.

I would urge you to read an amazing book, ‘Revolting’ by Mick Hume.

It is summarised as “a short, sharp intervention in the crucial debate about the future of democracy, which has been brought to a head by events from Brexit to the Trump phenomenon.

Every serious politician in the Western world supports democracy. Yet when the EU Referendum and American Elections both delivered the 'wrong' result, elites challenged the merit of the people's will, and some even tried to block it.

Preferring unelected institutions, from technocrats to the courts, self-appointed higher minds questioned whether voters are fit to be trusted with their own futures. 

Ours is the age of "I support democracy, but..." And yet the answer will never be to impose limitations. Popular democracy must offer better choices, rather than removing choice altogether. It's time to defend democracy and fight for more it, with no ifs, buts or backtracks”.

Has the time come to make politicians personally responsible for the promises they make to get elected?

Now there’s a thought, which would make them just like an IFA?

Panacea Comment