FOLLOW THE MONEY

The Guardian newspaper expresses views in its opinion section and on its editorial pages. The view of Boris Johnson is quite clear – he should go. There is a short piece on How to get rid of Boris Johnson. It mentions ministerial codes and skirts around issues of impeachment and written constitutions or perhaps specific legislation to remove a bad prime minister. Whatever the thinking, it is clear that the matter of representation of the people is in need of serious overhaul. The very fact that a political party, effectively elected by only 25 or so percent of the population, with an even smaller percentage involved in choosing its leader, who then acts as the entire country’s prime minister, can claim to have a mandate to govern is ludicrous in the extreme and totally at variance with the concept of responsible democratic government.

 

This country has an electoral system that is completely at odds with its philosophy of human rights which has been developing since the 13^th century and is now consolidated to some extent in the Human Rights Act of 1998, which incorporates principles adopted by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948 and subsequent declarations, all of which have the stamp of ideas essentially crafted and proposed by citizens of the United Kingdom including John Locke, David Hume, Adam Smith, Thomas Paine and others.

 

In order to preserve and protect human rights a government must reflect the whole of the society it purports to represent, and given the spectrum of views and diverse make-up of the citizens within a modern society, that representation, to be truly democratic, should be proportional. This does not mean a country would be ungovernable or bogged down in argument, stalemate and inaction. Many Countries round the world manage to form coalitions. Indeed the coalitions of the National Government of the UK from 1931 through to 1939 and the Coalition Government from 1939 to 1945, proved to be very successful in leading the country out of depression and preserving liberty throughout the second world war. A cooperative venture of 14 years.

 

I do not know whether the elected representatives and leaders of that era were more selfless, had more integrity, objectivity, openness and honesty or were held more accountable, but a multi-party government is more likely to avoid corruption from being scrutinised by opposition cooperative party representatives, than would be the case with a single party in power. The current government is an instance in point. It has no respect for any ministerial code, it prevaricates continually and its cronyism is seemingly without parallel. There is a so called opposition but they have no actual or effective say whatever in governing. They can bleat and bray but it’s just that, noise which can be ignored.

 

But on consideration, perhaps this government is indeed a reflection of its population. The very fact that £5 billion of emergency covid loan claims has been fraudulently obtained is symptomatic of a corrupt society that appears to be out of control. I repeat, £5 billion. At a time when the entire country, and entire world, should be coming together to deal with a serious pandemic, the scammers and fraudsters are out in force. They are roaming the streets and cyber ways mugging the entire population, under the noses of a government incapable of scrutinising its own actions. The very fact that government departments can be scammed on such a colossal scale is part and parcel of a government whose leaders flout their own rules and regulations, and prefer photo-opportunities to actual serious governance.

 

One of the government slogans during various press conferences was “Stay Alert” – Hello!!?? They do not know the meaning.

 

It took the press, the Daily Telegraph, to expose a list of MP’s expenses that created a serious stir and even resulted in some criminal prosecutions. There has now been some exposure of unlawful activity, and certainly the misleading of Parliament, but it has led to nothing but bluster and ‘let us move on.’ A cabinet of elected representatives defending the indefensible with no thought or worry that their hypocrisy could lead to them losing their seat at the next election. What does that say about the electorate? Do they not read? Can they not see? Can they not hear? Is it any wonder therefore that £5 billion has gone missing?  Is the population really going to accept the rise in national insurance contributions and not hold this government to account?  

 

As a sometime tax payer I can ask, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH OUR MONEY? As a voter? I don’t know if my vote makes any difference whatsoever. I live in a strong labour constituency. My MP is new to Parliament and is just finding her feet. My local authority is a one party dictatorship, my complaints and comments are ignored.

 

In a column in the Guardian, Simon Jenkins begins:

I have no position to resign from. I am just resigned.