Some could say that I am naive. So be it. But, if it is thought there is even a grain of truth in the idea, and something is done about it, it will be worthwhile. This follows the piece I did on the 29th of March, concerning Trust, the Nucleus, the birth of a new party and the reason for it. Here I set out the reason why I believe the total overhaul of our political system is essential, and logically try to show how this might be achieved. I am a layman, without real political experience, most of us are, yet we repeatedly rail against the current system. From 1970 the teeth of Local Government were steadily extracted, with the result our influence is weakened. I submit that if corruption or mismanagement is a worry, it will come to light quicker and be less destructive in a council than in a National organisation. Hence pressure for improvement will be more effective at local level than Nation wide. If this submission is accepted, the New Party must have influence, a strong input at local level, which is where the Nucleus and Radial system comes into its own as it is based on National policy resulting from collected local research. Sophie says it is too idealistic – I say if you shoot for the stars you might hit the moon
If a new approach is broached, people ask ‘where would one get sufficient people of sufficient quality?’ In the past few had university degrees in politics, they came up the hard way or were, born into it. Now being a politician is the aim of many young people, possibly for the wrong reasons. We need people of great talent, with political bent, retiring early from a profession, or commerce, with sufficient experience of life, and know-how to succeed in another profession. At 58 having had enough of doing roughly the same thing month after month, I took early retirement. In a new profession in a different field I qualified jointly to receive a British Design Award. I quote this, not to boast, but because I sincerely believe that there is a tremendous amount of wasted talent among the younger members of our retired population. I therefore suggest that some who have a strong interest in politics as a hobby, possibly working for a local party, long before retirement, should do part-time degrees in politics, through the Internet or the open University, as that would give us a pool to draw from.
I believe the reason we need this change is paramount because the current political scene has insufficient contrast to get any real choice. The real priorities are not being addressed, lip service, and band wagons, are taking the place of what really needs to be done. The Green Party, apart from wetlands and other worthy but minor aspects, has been usurped by all the rest of the parties when it comes to green issues. However, as I have repeatedly said, the green issue is not the important issue here in Britain all the time the major populations, China, Russia, Eastern Europe and the rest, are belching out smog and CO2 – some of it on our behalf. Our major issues are prisons, and all the other neglected services. We have got our priorities wrong, and this is why I suggested that the process of obtaining a new party which would address this imbalance, could be started with the Radial System I proposed, feeding to and from the Nucleus, to give priority to the most urgent reparations needed and thus build a valid and sensible opposition bent on improvement rather than rhetoric and theatre – an open system the electorate can be involved in, contribute to and criticise,
It won’t happen over night, it will take a lot of dedicated work, and a tremendous amount of logical, careful thought, not knee jerk reactions or winging it with a prayer. We still have the House of Lords, in which there is a good deal of political experience, and that is probably why the current government want shot of it. But I don’t think it likely that we’ll be able to rely much longer on it, in the way we have in the past, to curb some of the excesses of the House of Commons, We just have to hope that not too much damage will be done in the meantime and pray that the system will somehow be regulated and that we will be governed with less change for change’s sake, and more respect for the real priorities and the Public Purse.
The populace is not apolitical, only apathetic through frustration and political impotence. If a government is totally secure, has the whip hand, then the electorate is bound to be apathetic, and frustrated, especially when any choice appears to be more of the same, in lesser doses. So a totally new approach, spelled out to the electorate so that they understand precisely what is happening might succeed. Even more so if they have the opportunity to engage in some form of relationship with the Termini of the Radial System, and are asked to contribute their views and even take part. Under these circumstances we might generate a much needed revised political awareness, with a more circumspect approach to grass root need rather than the flavour of the month.