Is the UK political system, and other similar systems across the world, broken? This question is not aimed at countries which are known dictatorships or monarchies. This is aimed at what are regarded as true democracies where there is more than one party and elections are more or less free and fair. For the most part I'm focusing on the UK since that's the system I'm most familiar with, but the question still stands for elsewhere.
When I was younger I never voted. I admit I was of the opinion that all MPs were scheming and selfish and in no way deserving of my vote. Some around me said, "if you don't vote you can't complain about how things are run." I would say in reply "If I vote for someone I am endorsing them. If I believe they are a liar and a cheat how can I stomach doing that?" It seemed to me a choice between voting for the sake of voting or not voting in a system I didn't believe in.
Of course that is the system in the UK where I have that choice. In Australia voting is mandatory. I’m not sure how well it is enforced but in principle at least you must vote. In other places you don't even get vote or a vote that counts for much. But just because we have the right to vote should we be made to vote? It is an interesting question and maybe one that could be answered by finding a middle ground like, yes make voting mandatory, but give the option of “none of the above”. That way you don't have to endorse someone you don't believe is fit to represent you, but at least you will think about it and not just forget about it. There are probably many other options and answers as well but as it stands voting is a right and an option but not a legal obligation even if some consider it a moral one.
Fast forward to the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum. This is when I became really interested in politics. For once it seemed like my vote would count for something. It didn't matter what I thought of MPs or the parties, in this instance I was voting for a principle not backing a career politician who wants a cushy job for another few years. Those that know me know my thoughts on the referendum which I may bring up in another blog if things continue the way they seem to be going at the moment. But this blog is not about that. The fact is the referendum was much more relatable to the Scottish public because for once their voice counted for something. No matter which way you voted even though it was being run by politicians it was about something greater than the next PM or who gets to sit in Westminster and claim ridiculous expenses.
But it was also at this time that I really started to look these MPs and MSPs and what their parties seemed to be about. Now don't get me wrong I still feel like most of the politicians are probably corrupt, either morally, legally or both, but not all. But this is where the public's perception of all politicians comes into play. Whether they are corrupt, selfish, lazy or not, a large proportion of public believe they are. Yet the politicians do very little to change this view. It could be argued that this is in the politicians best interest. If only the core voters are voting then things are more predictable. Only when the electorate turn out in greater numbers do things get tricky to predict.
The political class have much to answer for. These are the people making life or death choices after all and they get it wrong quite often, see Chris Grayling as a perfect example. That may seem like quite bold claim but from the money to be given to the NHS to the way the welfare system works or the spending on a nuclear system we hope to everything above we never have to use, everything these people do makes potentially positive or devastatingly negative changes to our lives. Yet the people most often elected to power have never, for the most part, had a truly hard day in their lives. They come from elite schools and universities gaining access to these establishments through family contacts and often large donations. They join businesses in senior positions they haven’t earned, gaining access only by nepotism. Don't get me wrong some will have worked hard but they probably do so knowing that they have significant money behind them should they fail.
Most of the public don't have that luxury. They work hard but have the constant worry of making ends meet. Worry of how they will buy their kids a birthday present, or maybe how they will even put food on the table, of even finding a job in the first place.
A large proportion of politicians are so out of touch with the real public's world view they can't even understand what people are complaining about. Politicians’ view: "You have a job so just work harder and stop sponging off the state." While in the real world: "I have 3 jobs none of which pay well. I work up to 60 hours a week, if I can get the hours. Yet still I only take home £15,000 a year before NI and tax". Working hard is a requirement, but luck, opportunity and a decent wage all play their part too, something the rich don't and can't understand or just don't care about. If wages for the poor go up someone has to pay. God forbid it comes out of your multi-million pound salary.
Meanwhile the public look at Parliament with all the pomp and costumes which serve no purpose. The use of ridiculous old fashioned language and ritual that only show just how out of touch they truly are. You are, by the rule book, not even allowed to applaud, but you are allowed to bray like a fucking donkey. You also have to talk through the Speaker of the house, addressing questions and answers for others in the room through someone who is supposed to be neutral, but who did come from one party or another. They are grown ups, right? So why can't they just address each other in a civilised manner directly? Why can't they just say the Member, as in Member of Parliament, although most do seem a cock like, instead of my Right Honourable Friend? Honourable and Right Honourable friend my arse, what the hell is honourable about most of them? Honour is earned by deeds not position.
The time wasted in ritual and pointless debate on historical matters that will not shape the future or better inform anyone could probably be better filled with actual debate and passing laws that aim to improve the union. If you put a monetary cost on the time wasted it would probably pay for a few extra teachers, nurses or police officers. Let me clarify here, debate is essential but certain topics they choose to debate are pointless as they are never intended to inform or lead to any sort of decision. They merely highlight something like the life of a dead politician or an historical battle. Fine debate these things but not on tax payers money/time.
Then we come to the individuals themselves. What makes someone want to be a politician? Is it the wish to improve society? Is it to try and change the system from the inside? Or is it the big fucking salary for not really doing very much and/or the potential to grab some power? I say not very much as quite a few of them find the time to have additional jobs that aren't even related to parliament. But we will come back to that bit shortly.
I don't doubt that some, maybe even a majority, join for the right reasons. You could even say that those who wish to be MPs outside of the big two parties are not seeking power. But what happens when they become MPs? What's the old clichéd saying, "power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely." OK, so they don't have absolute power but for some of them once they get that sniff of it then the career mind seems to set in and the people who voted them in become little more those they have to sway to keep voting them back in. Honestly I don't understand how half of them do it. How the hell to people, and I use the term loosely, like Jacob Rees-Mogg or Boris Johnson, Chris Grayling or Michael Gove, keep getting voted back in?! I think part of it must be a lack of strength and belief in the Labour leadership and so people vote Tory instead, but come on people, the Tories have continuously stripped the poor and the working class of wealth while giving the rich tax breaks, i.e. their mates!
But I digress slightly, the fact is career minded politicians are not in this game to change the world they are in it to make contacts, get a big fat salary, grab power and become famous. When they feel their time is at an end they can leave rich or move onto made up jobs with fat salaries. Live in a big mansion paid for by the taxpayers and be damned with the people they stood on or killed with awful decisions. And before someone says they didn't actually kill anyone, every time they helped pass Trident when the money could have gone to cancer wards, or cut funding for after-school clubs which leads to an increase in gang membership and violence, every time troops are sent off to war to get at some other country's oil, it's these decisions which lead to people dying. Voting the wrong way can and does kill people. When the public see these things they start to lose faith in the system and the people they voted for. While some change their vote to another party others stop voting all together. But like I said earlier MPs like this as it makes it easier to predict elections.
So how do we change this? How can we take this flawed system and make some positive changes that might just see politicians become actually more accountable, or even attract better candidates? I have a couple of ideas and I'm sure others will have more. For one I would only let MPs serve two full terms which might be tricky to handle when we can call early elections but if they know they can't stay forever then whatever made them want to become an MP or MSP or other elected position they know that this is not a cushy job for life.
Two, get rid of silly rituals that don't add value. Yes we need to ensure fairness and proper discussion but that doesn't need sceptres, cloaks, expensive leather seats or guards in silly costumes. These things do have a place, but in history and tourism not modern day politics.
Three, make the speaker an elected position outside of the parties. If I vote for an MP it is because I want to be represented by them. I don't want that MP suddenly becoming unaffiliated with my chosen party and no longer able to cast a vote on the constituencies behalf.
Four. No more second homes. Create a parliamentary hotel or compound where MPs can stay when they need to be in London. It could be the equivalent of a 4 or 5 star hotel but it would be owned by the tax payer and potentially ensure they spend more time at home in their own constituency.
Five. No more second jobs. You own a business and want to be an MP, then if you are elected you either sell it off or hand it over to a caretaker. Representing your constituency should be a full-time job. It will also ensure that there fewer conflicts of interest. That goes double if you are in government! It's fairly common in other 9-5 jobs that your contract doesn't allow second jobs so why should parliamentarians?
Six. No more subsidised bars or lunches. Everyone else has to pay for their lunch and I think someone on over £70,000 can afford a fucking roll and pint.
I could go on but we would be here for ages and while they might be good ideas I think these idiots take up enough of our time already. By imposing better rules and limiting time in the job the aim would be to attract people who want to make a difference, and won't care they don’t have access to all the extra expenses and money and houses that come with it. People who would fight to make their ideas for a fairer country come true. I mean Ken Clarke is a nice guy with some OK ideas but honestly does he fight with the same passion he has shown in the past, or is he basically just picking up a payslip and imparting a little bit of wisdom as he sees it? Is that good enough?
I'm going to finish this by saying a lot of the smaller parties have talked recently of wanting to change the face of British politics. Have you ever heard one of them say how? We all know the current system is not really fit for purpose and that changes are needed, but until someone able to carry that change pushes it through, then we will be stuck with Labour and Tory MPs and PMs fucking up people’s lives, destroying the planet and making a ton of cash for themselves and their rich mates in the process. The flipside of this is none of it will change it you don't vote. If you don't like the way it is now look at the other parties and choose one that still wants to make a real difference. Everything changes eventually. Even the mountains wear away and seas dry up, it just takes a changing force to make the difference. Be that force!
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