The political parties conference season is now behind us and the dust has settled and our politicians are firmly re-esconced in the Palace of Westminster baiting each other across the narrow front bench divide. Reshuffles have been done and the political landscape for the future is becoming clearer as battle lines for the General Election in 2015 are drawn and the party political leaders articulate the things that they believe we will vote for in two years time. “A week is a long time in politics” as once famously said by Harold Wilson, clearly is not something on the radar of our current crop of wannabe statesmen (mainly).
So let’s examine exactly what in leadership terms the protaganists are offering us.
The Conservatives are lurching further to the right against a backdrop of threats from the UKippers (smoked in a rather smelly shed and recommended by the doctor as full of goodness?). Get rid of the Human Rights Act at the same time as wooing, like some kind of 17th Century courtesan the vilest Human Rights regime in the world at the moment, purely to entice the great mammon to our economically bereft shores. China executes more people in the world than any other country. Oh and by the way let’s make sure we entice all those high spending Chinese tourists to UK by easing those awful visa restrictions which currently exclude all those deserving people around the world but who cannot offer so much as a “sous” in money for our deserving economy.
We shall also be able to buy our own houses, which every “hard working family” deserves, as the Government promise to help us to do so. Never mind the inevitable housing bubble, which may ensue as long as they get elected and let’s not worry about the fact that lot’s and lot’s of people are working zero hours contracts and are also hard working, but will never get a mortgage anyway because who in their right mind is going to lend to someone who cannot possibly demonstrate the ability to pay off the loan. Whilst of course never mentioning the fact that rented property is completely unattainable due to the dearth of council properties, as they have now almost all been sold and fallen into the hands of greedy developers and private landlords. So once again encapsulated in these two current policies we see again the Thatcherist ( It was no coincidence that she was mentioned so many times ) influence of “If you can’t manage yourself it is not the role of government to help”. That’s without examining the dearth of women, black people and others from diverse backgrounds, which the Conservatives not only consistently fail to attract but seem, not bothered in attracting. They portray a rather homogenous, narrow middle class interest.
The Lib Dems offer no consistent political view except to ride on the coattails of the big beasts and hope to do nothing other than appear to be ostensibly in power and on the front benches. They are a spent and vacuous force through which most people can hear the ominous chill political wind blowing through their leadership that augurs a long spell in the political wilderness. The moral is, if you consistently lie to the electorate, it really is not enough to “You Tube” a trite rap melody saying how sorry you are. We will never believe you again.
Then of course there is Labour. Who are they and what do they represent?
I know what they used to represent but what is it now. Why does the leadership assume that a huge swathe of middle class people do not want the same justice, equality and fairness in society that the majority all want. Take education. Free schools are nothing more than a “vanity” and now according to the same person(Hunt) “we will support good free schools and the setting up of a free school where needed” A free school is nothing more than a taxpayer funded public school as witnessed by a quote to Burbalsinghe who recently implemented a new free school. A parent said to her, “ I was so worried that I would not have the money to send my child to public school and then you came to us like an angel from heaven” Ed, a good school is a good school, do not fall into the trap that if schools are not good then we must set up an alternative. Deal with the underperformance and make sure that all children get the same opportunities, which is your job in government. Let me assure you that if state schools were excellent there would be a lot less public schools.
This is just one example of your prevarication and obfuscation, we the electorate and genuine centre socialists do not know what you stand for at the moment. Tell us clearly how you will reduce inequality; bring fairness to society whilst at the same time ensuring you will never repeat the economic mistakes of the past. There is one certainty in the next election, and it is, that the economy will win or lose it for you.
To quote someone who never followed her own doorstep utterings “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith and where there is despair, may we bring hope’
Shouldn’t this be the role of all our political leaders?
So what are the leadership qualities that we look for in our leaders?
Authenticity and consistency are fundamental along with vision, ethics, a clear direction and the ability to communicate these ideas across the whole electorate.
But most of all relate to us as people.