Thursday, October 02, 2014

Of course, it's your fault that politics is the preserve of lying toerags...

That is, I admit, a controversial statement. And, not unreasonably, you would expect me to have a justification for making it. It's just that the comment isn't intended for you, gentle reader.

You see, by the very fact that you're reading this, it is likely that you engage with, and take part in, our political system - most readers have come to this blog via the Liberal Democrat blog aggregator run by one of politics' unsung heroes, Ryan Cullen, who created it and manages it to this day. Some of you come via Twitter - all posts here are 'advertised' on my Twitter feed - and others because, occasionally someone out there likes something I have written and transmits it on to their audience (it is appreciated, so that you know).

It's everyone else that I'm a bit critical of. Yes, everyone is to blame, if you want me to be entirely honest. Politicians who make claims in the almost certain knowledge that, whilst they may be what you want, may not be possible, or even sensible, journalists who distort the agenda, misrepresent what has been said, wilfully set politicians and sections of the community against each other and can't be bothered to do even basic research before making claims, and members of the public who say one thing and vote for another.

A few days ago, I wrote asking why anyone would want to be a Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate and a comment was posted, noting that ordinary people were, effectively, excluded from the political structures at national level, if you like, that ordinary people cannot become MPs.

This is true, to a degree, but it has nearly always been true. Does anyone remember a golden era when 'normal' people (whatever that means) were massively represented in Parliament? When the Labour Representation Committee was formed, vast numbers of ordinary people didn't even have the right to vote. and, until MPs started to be paid a salary, it was only the independently wealthy and those who had someone to support them, who could even consider doing it. Now, when even significant numbers of Labour front benchers are millionaires, can it be said that ordinary people get a look in?

Once upon a time, ordinary people joined political parties, were part of the process by which candidates were selected, had direct access to politicians to some extent. Now, they don't join, and the field of potential parliamentary candidates, and therefore MPs, is so much smaller. Someone claimed recently that more people go dogging in this country than are members of a political party, and whilst I am sceptical about the accuracy of that claim, the fact that it could be made and many would ask, "can that be true?", with genuine doubt, should worry all of us.

Assuming that only members of political parties are likely to become MPs, the chance of a random person becoming an MP is already less than 1%, before you start to rule out those political party members who join for social reasons, or are ineligible to run, or even have no interest in being a candidate at any level, let alone Westminster. It is, a very small, almost self-selecting field and, if you aren't a member of a party, you have conceded the field to them, effectively. And, many of you tell me, they're lying toerags. Well, you left them there...

So, I ought to examine some of the issues surrounding this, because it seems harsh to blame you and then walk away...

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