Well thank goodness John Humphreys isn't a politician. On Thursday 22 April 2010 he interviewed Chris Huhne (the Liberal Democrat candidate for Eastleigh) on Radio 4. John Humphreys evidently doubts Nick Clegg's credentials to run for Prime Minister of the UK. I gather there has been a lot of complaints about Humphreys' manner of interviewing Huhne and Toxic Drums doesn't really give a damn who gets into power in the up and coming general election because most regular politicians are full of the proverbial anyway. Power is a funny game and some doubt that you can be genuine and survive in the political world. But the interview has prompted me to stick my ore in and to say what I think on the whole process of elections and the way people vote. (See: Election Fever)
In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female Prime Minister. Jolly good thing from the perspective of liberalism (with a small "L") just because she was female. She put into action a series of policies to reshape Britain and particularly it's economic model. The consequences were disastrous on many levels. It was immoral (but who the hell cares), it was selfish (but most people applaud that), it was short term (but that's what politics seems to be about) and it wrecked the financial foundations of Britain. The consequences were huge unemployment, riots in South London and across the country, and the total destruction of the coal industry.
Watching a fiction drama it is often easy to see who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The good guys are often in rags, they are often oppressed, they are usually passionate about humanity and justice. The bad guys are power orientated and driven by the objective to control the rabble. They are often uniformed and mechanistic. The foot soldiers obey their masters unquestioningly and overall they use ruthless and overpowering force to destroy their enemy. They are almost invariably driven by their own interests.
Why was it that leading up to the 1983 election the image of the good guys was evidently the labour party who were supporting the miners in their desperate fight for survival and the bad guys were clearly the authoritarian Conservative Party. Most people I spoke to at the time were clear that they disagreed with Thatcher's policies and were in favour of helping get Britain back to some just system with less unemployment and wanted to do something to support the miners as their industry and living were being destroyed. I mix with people who are likely to be more left wing than right so this was not surprising. It wouldn't even surprise me if the Conservatives were voted back into power. But what really surprised me was when I had many discussions with left wing and liberal people after the 1983 election, when Thatcher got a landslide victory, it turned out that they had paid lip service to the left wing but had actually voted Conservative.
My conclusion was that when people are afraid the system is collapsing they will often side with the right wing power mongers. People seemed afraid that the system was collapsing and they wanted a bully to force control to "save" the country. You wonder how the baddies win? It is the old psychological oppressor scenario. The oppressor creates a bad environment and when you do what they want they reduce the pain. Conclusion for a semi-conscious sentient being is that they perceive the oppressor as their saviour and support them (because it gives them less pain). What is surprisingly missed is that the majority of the pain from which they want relief is caused by the oppressor.
Then there was the 1997 election when Tony Blair won the noble position of Britain's Prime Minister. Well that was a joke. Much as I tend to roam around the left side of the world of politics (and I don't care too much for the game anyway) Tony Blair made a speech which I watched on the television prior to the election and I was appalled. He was so committed to getting into power he actually said that given the Labour party was the right party to win they would do whatever it took to get into power. My old friend Uncle Adolf came to mind. He believed in saying whatever it took to get what he thought was right. And here we had another socialist doing the same thing. I really thought the British public was a little less gullible than that. Now Paddy Ashdown was the Liberal Democrat candidate for Prime Minister but he had been in the armed forces and I don't generally rate someone who dedicates their life to doing someone else's biding by using force. But he seemed a bit avuncular and I bet he would have made a better prime minister than that toff Blair masquerading as a labour candidate.
My point in all of this is that given you cannot trust any politician and given that the whole game of politics is largely a scam how about voting for the people or person that appeals to you most. How about avoiding all that distraction of policies and rhetoric, all that guff about promises and intentions, all that bull-shit and smear that comes off the political fans and just follow your heart - you know the liberated bit not the fear bit. Vote for someone you like and see what happens to Britain's politics. One thing I can guarantee is that we won't get a pleasant ride whoever gets into power but I bet we'll be heading in a better direction if we start voting for the people who at least appear to be nicer. And for your information I doubt I will be voting for anyone because I don't like picking the bully that I want to run my life. And I think a no-vote makes politicians a little more nervous about the security of their position. Anyway I am just a victim in the sea of other people's machinations so I don't give a damn. I'll be laughing at the stupidity of it whoever gets in.
So thank you Mr Humphrey, your evident dislike of Clegg has up-rated him in my opinion. If I were going to vote I guess I would vote Liberal Democrat as they are the only realistically available alternative to the two lunatic parties called Labour and Conservative. Where is the "Official Monster Raving Loony Party" when we need it? Come back Screaming Lord Sutch we need you.
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