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'We must stop thinking politicians are monsters from...' blog discussion
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Former_MSE_Helen
Posts: 2,382 Forumite
This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.
Please click 'post reply' to discuss below.
Read Martin's "We must stop thinking politicians are monsters from a different planet" Blog.
Please click 'post reply' to discuss below.
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Just to be pedantic, the idiom is "Toe the line" rather than "Tow the line".0
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A lot of good points in your blog but if I had one critisism it would be your frequent reference to the 'average wage'
Can I just point out that the average wage in this country is actually twice the minimum wage which most of the workforce is on and belive me they hate to hear the term 'average wage'
ETA
Thanks to Douglas Adams, I subscribe to the view that anyone that actually wants to run the country should on no account be allowed to do so and as all MP's secretly harbour that notion they should all be disbarred by defeult.0 -
Whilst its true that some politicians have lived in the real world and so understand people's situations, I still feel that assuming this is the case for the majority is wrong.
Firstly if you eliminate those from very privileged backgrounds (the % of private school educated MP's is far higher than the norm for the overall population) who have only ever done jobs at least as good as graduate programme style ones, as its hard to see any of them ever having had to queue up outside the CAB to find out where to get help with their damp infested housing etc.
Secondly eliminate all the career party hacks whose only really job experience is working at party HQ or on some political think tank. Again its a privileged position out of touch with what is going on in social housing estates up and down the country. We had one of these stand for the Tories at the last election - never lived in our city until he was chosen for the seat, his career to date was a combination of politican activism and part time "consulting". As for how life was in the more deprived areas of his potential constituency, he hadn't got a Scooby!
Long long long gone are the days when MP's were elected from amongst the people in a particular constituency - most of them are national party list people parachuted into an area because they have been carefully groomed by central office to toe the party line. If I could make just one minor change to our electoral system it would be to require any potential candidate to have lived and paid council tax (albeit via benefit if needs be) in their proposed constituency for longer than the maximum parliamentary term. In other words anyone wanting stand in 2015, would have to have been living there before the 2010 elections.
If politicians want to regain respect as our representatives then they need to start being that, not thinking of it as a nice career and a good way onto a few FTSE100 boards! They may well mostly be well intentioned, but in the real world, most of them are not!Adventure before Dementia!0 -
WestonDave
Long long long gone are the days when MP's were elected from amongst the people in a particular constituencyWestonDave
...eliminate all the career party hacks whose only really job experience is working at party HQ or on some political think tank.0 -
It really annoys me when I hear said, the Government should spend more on this, or on that, do people not realise the Government only has our money, it is us who have to fork out more for additional fundings. There is no magic pot of money. Another thing is when people get additional funding to provide them with transportation if they are disabled, but then do not spend it, and just save it, and expect others to help them out without ever offering the cost of fuel. I am not against them receiving it as long as it is used for the purpose it is given. DGMember #8 of the SKI-ers Club
Why is it I have less time now I am retired then when I worked?0 -
About 5 years ago I met an MP on holiday and they were sociable over about 5 days.
The general consensus amongst us was that they were in politics for their career and their own benefit, totally out for themselves.
Have been observing them ever since on TV and twitter and the view hasn't changed.
Yes some are definitely monstrous.Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.0 -
My constituency and those surrounding it is stocked by people who've been parachuted in to safe seats after they gained a PPE, worked for a union or political party or political think tank or are a scion of a political family of long standing. They all excel at telling people what they believe they want to hear, and many of their listeners mistake that for empathy, solidarity and a life lived similar to theirs.
Guacomole with those chips, anyone?.....................I'm smiling because I have no idea what's going on ...:)
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Have to say I agree Martyn. I have contacted my local MPs and AMs on various issues I felt strongly about over the years and have generally been very impressed with the responses.
I am sure some are 'self serving' or 'not living in the real world' but to extend froma minority to label all as such is not a valid thing to do.0
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