Vote? Does It Matter?

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Green Tea

Politics. Don’t fall out with your friends about it. Don’t talk about it. Thing is,  at varying levels, we all do. Most of us are talking from a point of little real knowledge of what is going on at the seat of Government. We tend to have our own, often ill-informed ideas, and we tend to read or listen or watch the media channels that reinforce our political views and values.

Winston Churchill once said “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.”  It’s a valid statement, in that in democracies, we often feel that we don’t get any real say in what happens; that the politicians that are supposed to represent us don’t; that said politicians say one thing, and do another; that it really doesn’t matter who we vote for, or even if we vote at all, as nothing ever really changes anyway.

What are the alternatives? Perhaps the best one would be that which doesn’t exist – a truly benevolent dictator, who had everyone’s best interests at heart.

Still it is important to vote, even if we end up with pretty much the status quo. By not voting, not only has the individual greatly lessened their own claim to whine about the state of the nation, but also increased the possibility of letting in an extreme fruitcake instead, who is usually even less likely to represent their interests!

One Rule For Them; Another Rule For Us?

Marking International Women's Day, March 2014. Maria Miller's visit to the Imperial War MuseumSome things never change do they? Maria Miller, the UK Culture Secretary has delivered a lukewarm apology after over-claiming nearly £5,800 on her expenses. Not only that but the committee looking into the case reported that she had to be pressured into providing information, and then only gave back the absolute minimum information that she could. The system relies on MPs answering such questions fully and frankly, and not in an obstructive way.

OK, £5,800 isn’t a huge amount, but that’s not the point here. I’m sure some of those who have falsely claimed welfare benefits that totalled a lot less than five grand have ended up with a custodial sentence, or at least a criminal conviction. Certainly more than the slap on the wrist that Ms Miller seems to have gotten away with.