Thursday 24 September 2015

Honest, trustworthy politicians.

Or is this a contradiction in terms?

Friends who live in America came for coffee this morning and we got to talking about politics.  About the sad demise of the Liberal Party, about Jeremy Corbyn and the absolute certainty that he could never be contemplated as P M (can YOU imagine him charge in a real war/peace crisis without Trident?) and the Conservative Party and the 'they don't make them like Churchill any more'.

And then we talked about American politics and the run up to the Presidential election and how unimaginable amounts of money were spent by some of the candidates on their campaign.

And we asked ourselves - what motivates individuals to go into politics?  Are any of their motives altruistic?

There are times - and this is one of them - when I despair of the world and the way it is going; when I look at the whole of the Middle East in turmoil, with thousands dying and thousands more on the move to countries which don't really want them;  when we have lost the true values of a good life and I really am quite pleased that I am old (ish) and won't live to see the eventual outcome of it all.

End of dismal post.   Sorry - it is a breezy day outside with bright sunshine and sharp showers so I can't blame the weather.

 

15 comments:

Mac n' Janet said...

It takes an incredible amount of ego to be a politiian, that's not always a bad thing, but not necessarily good either. I use to really get involved in politics, I've been a Republican, a Democrat and now Independent. That's probably the biggest growing group

Heather said...

I feel exactly as you do Pat and in the run up to our own elections I have to persuade myself to use my vote as it was so hard won for me by the Suffragettes. Past senior MPs were all much older than today's and I wonder if that makes a difference. Winston Churchill was in his 60s when he became Prime Minister and had led a life of dedication to his country in various capacities. He had gained so much experience throughout his life and was a great leader. I am not really interested in politics and would vote for a man or woman who I felt was honest, strong and right for the job, regardless of their party, if such a person existed. As it is, I vote for the best of a poor bunch.

John Going Gently said...

Perhaps politicians should be interviewed as well as being elected?

Rachel Phillips said...

We have become so diluted we all think we are right, we have no respect for each other, right across the board, we can trust nobody and at least half the population of the UK are ignorant and don't know it and think they are possessed of all the facts. We look up to nobody and have no humility. This includes all politicians. I don't see any way out of this for many generations.

A Heron's View said...

Politicians are as Janet said Ego driven.
What use is in having Trident and other nuclear weapons when you cannot actually use them. Well you could of course, but the effects would snowball back on the user
doubly: first would be retaliation with nuclear warheads and secondly the winds and rain would bring contamination to all of the world. For an example Chernobyl disaster the dust from it reached UK and Ireland, now just imagine what effect actual warheads would bring.
Corbyn is correct! It is joe public who looks no further than the end of their nose who is out of touch with reality.

Dawn said...

I had to do a double take on your title not a combination of words I would have expect to see together, I struggle with voting as I never like any of them, but its my vote and I make sure it is used even if its just to spoil the ballot paper usually with none of the above :-)

Trudie said...

I've always thought that politicians are only there to line their own pocket - they don't have a genuine thought or care for anyone else - just themselves and how much money they can make - I've always said that they should only earn the national average wage, (like the rest of us) i bet the ones in Westminster now would run a mile at that!. They're all just plain greedy and want to live in a world of 'look at me aren't I important'

I cant work out how Corbyn can be the leader of a party that is supposed to represent the working class - a proper hard days graft would see him flat on his back with exhaustion! xxx

Gwil W said...


In Austria we are entering the final stages of mid-term election campaigning. Politicians not seen or heard from for years are popping up all over the place to give us their 'expert' opinions on everything from refugees to bad banks, almost as if the bell has been rung for them to have their "15 minutes of fame" as Andy Warhol called it.

Politicians may be honest for a little while but when they taste power they seem to forget their promises very quickly and turn into raptors, often with an eye for some juicy 'employment' later, and also they are servants of lobbyists. Far too many politicians put the interest of their party before the interests of the people they are supposed to serve.





jinxxxygirl said...

My husband and i often say the same thing while shaking our head... what will become of this world..? And we are glad we are as old as what we are... We hope that when it really falls apart we are dead and gone... The younger generations really can't see it coming i think as they do not have the benefit of our eyes that can look further into the past and see where we've been and therefor can see clearer where we are headed.. and it is not a pretty sight. I cannot help but wonder if except for the civil war has there been any other time in Americas history where we have been so torn in half as a nation other than right now??? Perhaps the Vietnam War... ? We are so split 50/50 on so many issues from abortion, to immigration to healthcare... you name it... Hugs! deb

sonia said...

Bernie Sanders has given me hope again. He's a truly altruistic person and has never waffled on his progressive views. I wonder, is any media space devoted to him in Europe?

Jennifer said...

I also really like Bernie Sanders, and if he had Elizabeth Warren for a running mate that would be my dream ticket. They're both true progressives, and could do so much good for the country. And I wish Jon Stewart would run for some sort of public office!

The Conservatives in the U.S. have lost their damn minds. And don't even get me started on the Conservative Evangelicals, they're in a class all their own. Our country is so deeply divided I'm not sure there's any fixing it anymore. I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of civil war breaking out in my lifetime. And should that happen, I'll have to move. The part of the country I live in isn't friendly to my way of thinking.

Joanne Noragon said...

I don't know any answer. Our collective moral core seems to be shot off to Mars or the Moon and we are hostage to amoral, if not immoral "representatives" of the people. Bright, bright sunshinny days don't help, either.

Cro Magnon said...

England has changed so much since I lived there (43 years). You are living in the right spot, i.e. well away from most of it.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Sonia - I have never heard of Sanders if that answers your question.

At least we all seem to be agreed on the state of things, but I do wonder if that is because we are all of a fairly similar age.

And yes, Gwil, I can't remember who said 'power corrupts.........' but whoever it was, he was right.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

What worries me most about the politics here in America is the irony of the uproar for change being met with the stark reality people prefer the old comforts of the familiar. Trump and Sanders are the (some) faces of change. Biden and Clinton are faces of the same old, same old.