Mad Dogs, Englishmen, and Politicians

This is election week in Britain; that five-year event when the Britons suffer hyper-politics and decide to remove a government. British elections are nowhere near as fascinating as the US presidential race; since they seem to be without a Palin-factor or those Messianic Revivalist gatherings seen and best left in America.

Nanny is still very much alive here in the UK, caring for her dependent population. Some parts of Britain, such as in Wales, have a massive 70 percent of the economy supplied by government-generated operations. Employment problems are solved by job-creation schemes, but the entire economic structure is highly dependent on the financial strength of London and was left severely exposed during the GFC of recent years. Oh... and also rock music, Britain's biggest exporter.

The well-respected BBC seems to add to this government dependency. Just like Australia's ABC with a leaning towards the social justice end of the political spectrum, the BBC gives oxygen to many worthwhile causes. However, they focus on micro-stories of people not getting all they want from the national health Service, school, police force, or local government office.

Each morning, the daily breakfast show has a theme of the day, when a new person will get to tell their story, such as:

• Those trapped in the Eurotunnel with their tales of woe
• A family member who has died of some rare disease for which the NHS has refused expensive treatment
• Drivers complaining of Council inaction on repairing snow-caused potholes in roads
• Ineptitude of social workers when a child has died due to parental neglect
• Ineptitude of social workers when a child has been removed from neglectful parents
• Travellers affected by volcanoes complaining of airport authorities not informing them of latest developments
• Workers complaining that the government is not paying them for time off work due to the same travelling disruptions

The newspapers are no better and present this same message of appeal to government to solve today's crisis. Today's typical headline: 'Betrayed by the NHS'.

The number of causes appears endless, and I suspect there is a list of future stories awaiting their turn. It appears that the way to get some government action for your cause is to get your story in the media to gain public sympathy. And the reporters then ask for more funding for this cause du jour.

No politician is going to win here in Britain by announcing, Kennedy style 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.' Not if they want to survive.



The last of the election debates was held 400 metres from our cottage, when Brown, Cameron and Clegg, the leaders of the major parties, had their final chance to win over uncommitted voters. The security was intense, with rooftop snipers, sniffer dogs shooing out rats from drains, and policemen by the hundreds keeping the quiet crowd ... um .. quiet. It was fascinating to watch so close up when we, for a short moment, were at the centre of the British political scene.

Being a British citizen, I have the right to vote in this election. But I will not do so, since I do not have to live with the consequences of my voting preference.
(p.s. Can anyone else see some irony in the Conservatives election poster, advocating change?? The lower photos were taken outside our home when the Prime Minister arrived for the debate)