Monday 26 March 2012

When will they ever learn?

At the time of writing the Daily Telegraph website has not updated their letters page, however in the letters page of the print edition today appears the following:
"Sir,After Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, I thought it would be impossible for anyone to persuade me to vote for the Labour party again. Congratulations to George Osborne on achieving the impossible.Leonard MacauleyStaining, Lancashire"
When one considers the type of democracy that exists in this country it stretches logic that a member of the electorate considers the only choice is between a set of spivs who wear the colour blue and an alternative set of spivs who wear the colour red - which is not to forget a set of 'trainee' spivs who wear the colour yellow. Do not misunderstand me, I am not advocating we all vote for another set of 'trainee' spivs who have adopted the colours purple and yellow and who wish to retain the status quo of central control, albeit with a small democratic twist.


One only has to read Jeff Randall's op-ed piece in today's Daily Telegraph to realise that there is no difference twixt the blue spivs and the red spivs. That he who is presumably a 'thinking' member of the electorate is prepared to switch his allegiance back to a party who were part of the root cause of our country's present difficulties can only underline the nadir to which our democratic system has sunk. That that same member of the electorate also seems unable to think 'outside the box' and appears to accept that representative democracy is the only form of democracy available also underlines how democratically unaware the electorate have become.


On Saturday last I attended a small seminar, the subject of which was how to ensure that any referendum for cessation of our country's membership of the European Union was successful. This was attended by an MP (Mark Reckless), two MEPs (Daniel Hannan and David Campbell Bannerman) and representatives of various pressure groups. Two matters never entered the speeches given or the questions raised - namely that there are too many pressure groups in existence and that perhaps those groups need to combine in order to present one voice to the people; and neither was any mention made of what, exactly should occur once any referendum was won. After all, is it not essential that if asking the people to vote for something all aspects of the alternative being offered should be spelt out? It is all very well campaigning for the laudable aim that those who govern us should be able to be 'hired and fired' by the electorate - but what is the point of exchanging one set of 'central controlists' for another; in other words what is the difference between a collection of dictators who cannot be hired and fired and the alternative who can? We still end up with dictators.


The fact all present appeared to accept that continuation of representative democracy was the only form of democracy available and was therefore a 'given' was depressing in the extreme, likewise the failure of those calling for a referendum who appeared to have committed the political sin of not thinking through that which they propose.

9 comments:

Antisthenes said...

The large part of the electorate is apathetic and mostly of the mentally challenged variety who have been spoon fed entitlement and divested of responsibility and self-reliance. Add to that short-sighted self interest then you have the perfect environment for some form of dictatorship to flourish. You may wish to install a more direct democratic process but how do you propose to do that when the populace is quite happy to have what democracy we have stolen from them without much protest? Your ambition although laudable is a forlorn hope. Only events will bring about a change how we are governed and by who. Fortunately or not as only the final result will attest those events are quickly coming about as standards of living are being more and more eroded. At some point they will drop sufficiently to rouse the population out of their stupor and then change will come about.

WitteringsfromWitney said...

A: You may well be right in your summation however, although I may be misguided in my forlorn hope but I would counter what other forms of democracy have been suggested to the public, other than changes to the voting system for a load of crooks?

I do agree that an event will occur that may well bring the people out onto the streets, but it won't be the subject of democracy.

Stuart said...

Naturally the people who spoke at the seminar are all fully paid (up?) members of the political elite, albeit some who try to pretend they are on our side.

Anonymous said...

Yes the event.
The one that will bring them out onto the streets.
The only one that does that is George Bernard Shaws observation that "the end of civilisation is only three meals away.
Apart from that cant see it.
Still 2012 is shaping up to be a very interesting year ,potential scenarios kicking off all over the place.

TomTom said...

The large part of the electorate is apathetic

I wish it were just the electorate. I find it stultifying in the extreme to have to deal with extended family or neighbours etc. The levels of INERTIA and SLOTH beggar belief. I swear people are lazier both intellectually and physically than I remember them in the 1970s.

There is something of the Slob, the Thug, and the Smug in the population at large - it is Oblomovism is a rotten society on the verge of corrosive implosion

WitteringsfromWitney said...

S: Unfortunately, it would seem so.

Anon: We'll see. Methinks you could be wrong?

TT: It does indeed beggar belief and I concur with you views.

James Higham said...

The kaleidoscope of colours had me spinning.

Anonymous said...

Really don't care the colour of spivs as long as we have control of the purse.

Anonymous said...

I was always told here is no such thing as a bad student just bad teachers.

If you need inspiration look how football has regained the St. George flag from the rascists.

People want to believe in something better but distrust all parties in England anyway.

Look to the SNP and Sein Fein(ourselves alone)