Saturday 24 September 2011

The Guilty

James Delingpole posts on those he believes guilty of crass decision making and in so doing writes:
".....you can be sure that those Guilty Men won't actually be experiencing even the slightest frisson of guilt or embarrassment about the decent people whose reputations they have helped destroy, or the damage they have done to our economy, our democracy and our freedoms."
whilst making the point that there will be no pay-back for the public.

Harriet Harman is the subject of an 'interview' by Mary Riddell in todays Daily Telegraph in which she goes on record as stating that she is in the business of helping Ed Miliband take the Labour Party back into government. So the process by which a political party gains power is a 'business', is it? In which case why is it failed politicians do not suffer the same fate as failed businessmen and women?

In instances where those at the head of a business make bad decisions, resulting in the loss of income, or in some cases the total collapse of the company for which they are responsible, their services are promptly dispensed with. Yet in the political world those that take decisions to the detriment of the nation, taking the country to the point of bankruptcy for example, are allowed to continue, as Delingpole so rightly says, without any guilt, embarrassment - or even suffering the penalty of dismissal. Reading Twitter, the blogosphere and even letters in the press, the public were quick to condemn what they saw as rash conduct yet they appear to condone similar behaviour amongst politicians. Yes, the public were quick to castigate politicians over their expense excesses, but this then poses the question why similar crass behaviour over managing the finances of the country was not likewise punished?

The answer will no doubt be given that this is all down to 'tribal voting', yet surely amongst those 'tribalists' they must know that their party politicians have been remiss? Is it, as some will maintain, they feel it matters not who they vote for as nothing will change, that they cannot influence the end result? Or is it due to the fact they give not a damn, as long as they get their fixes of Corrie, Eastenders, X-Factor etc? Have the political elite managed to dull our senses that much?

Just asking.....................

8 comments:

kenomeat said...

The working classes will vote Labour just to keep the Tories out, not because they expect anything wonderful from Labour. It's a kind of class warfare. Tory voters simply hope that, sooner or later, genuine Conservative policies will be implemented by their party. Of course, they won't be; which is why they must be encouraged to abandon the Tories and vote UKIP. Labour voters will not be so persuaded.

Bill said...

I recently posted a comment on my local rags website answering a blog from Tim Farron the next leader of the limp dumbs. I politely suggested he and his ilk find a piece of land, preferably outside of the British Isles to act out their fantasies as they are so different to the rest of us.

The town is home to a Labour MP and the limp dumbs came a very distant third in the last election.

There was one response to my comment and the responder assumed that I was a Tory because I didn't define 'us'!

That shows that most people don't give a flying **** about politics and those who do are polarised into stupidity.

It really makes no difference which party has its turn at the wheel, the ship of Parliament still continues on its course away from the people who live on these islands.

The ship needs sinking rapidly enough to go down with all hands.

Barnacle Bill said...

The opportunity was lost once our political elite realized they were going to get away with their expenses scandal.
With only a loss of a couple sacrificial lambs from either side.
I was surprised we didn't see any marches on Parliament when it all came out. It would appear the public have become so brainwashed our political elite can get away with murder nowadays.

TomTom said...

in some cases the total collapse of the company for which they are responsible, their services are promptly dispensed with

Your confidence is charming, but I recall Stephen Walls, Chris Hogg, Adam Crozier, Derrick Wanless, Andy Hornby and I know you are wrong !

I wait for Eric Daniels to cease drawing £100,000/month for his work in destroying Lloyds Bank so I can see what new challenges are lined up for him......perhaps he and Andy Hornby (now running Coral bookmakers) can explain how Incompetence is so lucrative

PeterCharles said...

Unfortunately one of the biggest causes of UK economic failure was the Thatcher era claim that introducing 'American' business practise would revitalise the manufacturing sector, the practice being the Boss received a huge salary but if he failed to achieve his targets he got sacked, without compensation. As TomTom so rightly says, the UK version kept the huge salaries but forgot the sacking part and we started on the good old merry-go-round of rewarding failure. It was also at that time we started promoting accountants and financial officers to run businesses, another inexcusable mistake, in the main such people are totally inadequate to run a business of any size. I illustrate this particular stupidity with a little story. Joe Manager's business is booming and he decides his machinery is getting old and wants to replace it. His accountant says, 'don't be ridiculous, production levels are fine, profits are good, you don't need to waste money on new kit' Convinced Joe Manager lets things lie. Next year his machines start breaking down, deadlines are missed and orders are lost so he goes back to the accountant and tells him we need to re-equip now. The accountant looks at him pityingly then says, 'don't be ridiculous, you can't afford new machines and your balance sheet is so poor no one would lend you any money anyway'.

I am sure everyone here knows my view on the non-accountability of politicians and their cronies, so I won't repeat it. However, when the lights start going out or we have to pay 5 times the going rate for France to pour some of that nuclear juice down the inter-connect I will be calling for all the politicians who voted so stupidly for the Climate Change Act to be surcharged. Personally I would strip them of every single asset they possess, down to and including their underwear.

WitteringsfromWitney said...

Once again an interesting response from you all.

As I have said elsewhere in the comments on this blog, k's idea is nice but won't happen as he envisages it. Ukip has to appeal to the majority of voters to have any chance of success. To just hope that they would supplant the Tories is to see a Lib/Lab coalition.

That those of the public who do take an interest in politics are polarized into stupidity, as BB says is true - and it is this polarization that needs breaking.

I was remiss not to have made the point that PC makes about the musical chairs game which takes place amongst those captains of industry who fail. As TT so rightly states my confidence was misplaced and I stand rebuked and rightly so - unfortunately now and again I tend to slip back into dreamland...... On PC's point about accountants, I remember that at one time I worked for the housing arm of Mowlems who appointed an accountant as MD. It only took him 18 months to reduce the company to a loss making enterprise which promptly got taken over by Bovis and then fired most of the workforce.

kenomeat said...

WfW: I have just posted a comment under your headline "Sooner of Later..." but will repeat my main point here. I am looking at a right wing anti-EU victory in 2020, not 2015, and the best way to achieve that is to see Cameron removed in 2015 as a result of a Labour victory. Quite simply, voting UKIP will remove Cameron. I'm not waiting for the miracle of a UKIP government; just a strong enough UKIP presence to force the Tories into being a real Conservative party again.

Anonymous said...

"Have the political elite managed to dull our senses that much?"

This is a very incisive comment as is the view about tribal voting patterns and the need to break 'em. I think you maybe on to something.