And The Answer Is

Writing in today's Sunday Telegraph, Janet Daley is sad that all the passion in our politics has passed away. She also makes the point that in the past much discussion was held between ordinary people about whether socialist values were likely to deliver a decent society, or whether Thatcherism was the answer. She also states, in her opinion, that it is not ideology that is lacking but conviction and intellect.

"What knocked the stuffing out of Left-wing conviction, of course, was the collapse of the socialist dream, both in its totalitarian Soviet incarnation and its less disciplined but pestilential home-grown form.........the Big Argument, it is often said, was over. All that the two main parties could offer now was various brands of managerialism – a smidgen more regulation here, a hint of lower taxation there. The major disagreement was finished. What was there left to dispute? You didn't need a political literature or a historical hinterland any longer: you just needed a slightly novel way of twiddling the basic mechanisms, which were not themselves in question."

One can immediately agree with Janet Daley that conviction and intellect are needed by our politicians. Conviction of those who have broken the rules on expenses and in so doing broken accepted levels of morality and principle; and most definitely intellect, which is noticable by its absence. Whilst one can question that the collapse of the Left-wing conviction for totalitarian discipline has not withered, the important point of the quotation above is the one which is missing.

Of course all that Labour, Conservative and LibDem politicians can offer is differing brands of management - and why? Because it does not take a 'D' pass in GCSE logic to realise that as they are all wedded to the idea of EU membership, from whence most of our laws originate.  What is there left for our politicians to do?

Come on Janet - get a bloody grip girl, please!