Monday 6 June 2011

Cause and effect

Readers will be aware that I am quite fond of quotations, quotations I use with the intention of underlining the point of a post. It will also be known that I am quite fond of quotations from Thomas Sowell, so forgive me if I offer another pearl of wisdom from that source.
"If you have ever seen a four-year-old trying to lord it over a two-year-old, then you know what the basic problem of human nature is -- and why government keeps growing larger and ever more intrusive"
When considering the ills that have befallen our once great nation, in the financial and social areas, it would appear that our political elite have forgotten John Henry Boetcker's "Ten Cannots", about which I posted in early May.

A motivational writer, one Wanda Hope Carter, stated:
"It’s up to you to decide how your life will unfold and whether or not you will choose to go far."
It seems to me that the choice facing our nation - and the present political elite - is that it is indeed up to them how their life will unfold and how far that life will go. The reason I make that statement is because, in the words of Bob Dylan, I detect "The times they are a-changin". 

In the hope that they, the political elite, will manage to hold on to their ill-gotten power, they have decided to 'devolve power to the people'. whilst not actually devolving squat-diddly. As is the norm for those who live within their own bubble, the political elite have forgotten their history wherein rulers in the past, having given their subjects a hint of freedom, then found they could not prevent their subjects wanting more and more freedom.

The ultimate question facing our political elite is basically one of two options. They either accept a peaceful revolution encompassing the concept of small government and "Referism" - or we make use of every lampost in the land and then start with a clean sheet!

5 comments:

The Gray Monk said...

Can I assist in the decoration of Lamp Posts? I have a fairly lengthy list of candidates from Whitehall to submit ...

Barnacle Bill said...

We should have started the lamp post decorating when the MP's expenses scandal hit the fan.

Whilst Referism maybe the general answer, we also need an effective means of individual recall to control MPs.

WitteringsfromWitney said...

TGM: All assistance welcomed!

BB: True. Under my idea the recall system would not include any parliamentary final decision - if the people want, the people get.......

TOmTOm said...

I don't think the political class is very intelligent but it does see itself (mistakenly) as superior to its voters much as a con man thinks he has outsmarted his mark.

The trouble is they can cover mistakes by using the sanctions of office much as the clerical grades blame delays on "computer fault" but refuse to accept the same excuse from clients who are threatened with sanctions.

This exposes the thuggery behind all political power and weakens its legitimacy. After all who gave authority to Crapita to collect a levy for owning a TV which is higher than the cost of the TV ?

How did this private company get to use the criminal law ?

It is the extension of State Sanctions to agencies and private contractors which becomes even more arbitrary such as Crapita accessing police records by professionals forced to buy Certificates of Good Standing to be able to work for a living serving persons who themselves may have criminal records ie schoolchildren, persons in care......but the professional does not know this.

The chaotic state of modern life is due to third-rate individuals trying to be all-important having done nothing in their own rather mediocre lives

WitteringsfromWitney said...

TT: Yet another excellent comment and therefore great points made! Perhaps I need to hire you as my ideas man....?