I don’t know if you’ve noticed of late, but a whole bunch of people who work for us have had their collective fingers in the till.
About half of them have been dragged kicking and screaming to pay back money they’ve taken from the public purse under rather cloudy circumstances, and some of these jokers are even arguing that they’re right to do this. The system of Parliamentary expenses has been (ab)used and manipulated for years, and let’s not forget that the Conservatives have tapped into it too. (Strange how it’s only recently that Cameron has taken action against his own party for abuses of this system.)
At one end of the spectrum are genuine misunderstandings, no doubt. The other end seem more interested in serving themselves than you and I ………Personally, I’d haul them in chains onto the village green and bring on a trailer load of rotten veg. Then sack (or jail) them. If this political system has any integrity at all, let’s hope, the worst offenders end up where they belong.
Unfortunately, with every new media revelation of yet another sleazy Westminster episode, our confidence in these “public servants” slips another notch, and this has an effect on our confidence to vote too - very dangerous for a democracy. Current surveys suggest that we’ll see the largest percentage of voting abstentions ever at the next election. The BNP is anticipating major gains.
One positive to emerge from this mess has been the emergence of a large number of independent candidates.
A few days ago, a mail arrived from a chap called Peter Howe. He’s a local businessman (Trafford Fireplaces, down London Road), and he’s incensed by all these goings on. So incensed, in fact that he’s put £10,000 of his own money into standing as an Independent Candidate for Carlisle at the next election.
Peter doesn’t have the advertising budget of the major players, but he’s obviously prepared to spend his own money, which is a refreshing change, and his opinions as a candidate deserve to be heard. Before you throw away your vote in the next election, have a look at what he has to say. If you think it has resonance, give him a call; speak with your mates – do something, rather than nothing.
