Expecting too much from people

The root cause of my dissatisfaction with politicians is that I take too little time to reflect on what motivates them.

If we consider how they become elected, it often isn't because they particularly wanted the job. It emerges, time and time again, that they became councillors by default.

Many start by being members of a party and are asked if they would represent it in an election that is coming up. They are flattered to be asked and  reluctingly agree even though they have fairly full lives already. They reason with themselves that there's a fair chance that they won't get elected.

It is we the electorate that are responsible for the next disastrous step. As we have a 'democracy' and have been brainwashed into thinking that this is a good thing - only primitive countries suffer from dictatorships and political manipulation - we in Britain are above that. We therefore that feel we should vote.

Sadly most of us give this task only a superficial thought or two. We'll vote for the party that is on top at the moment in the media. We don't stop and think that actually at the local level of politics one's party leanings are really irrelevant. What are really needed at this level are people with particular qualities of personality rather than what their political beliefs are. The kind of problems facing a local councillor have little to do with party politics.

Take car parking charges in Ulverston. Every Ulverston local politician is going to want the charges to be low so that local trade thrives.

No, which party is in power at local level will make little difference. What is decisive is what kind of personalities are leading the fight. What is needed are people who are emotionally strong but rational and determined fighters. People with a tough life experience who have succeeded over difficulties. The kind of person that leads a good family business. People unwilling to take the easy option. People with the  flair of persuation and leadership.

Politics is not a rational process, basically it depends on the emotions of the people involved.

We all know that a planning decision can be swayed if twenty people attend the meeting all voicing one opinion. The councillors for the most part are influenced by the emotions of the twenty. Sadly emotions are raised highest if people are against something and not if we are in favour. Thus time and time again a few negative individuals can summon up a lot of feeling amongst others to STOP something happening.

Thus we mostly vote at local elections on a superficial vague emotional level: we don't like what is going on at national government level so we vote against the party/ies in power. This time the Conservative-Liberal coalition is making unpopular cutbacks so we vote against them - it's not really that we favour the Labour view; we vote in a negative way for what we don't like.

We thus ignore, for the most part,  the personalities of the people we elect and find , surprise surprise, that we've elected people who didn't really want the job in the first place. There could be really good people with personalities we admire but if they're in the wrong party - they've had it.

Can you amagine anyone getting elected as a Liberal in Ulverston at the moment: no matter how superb their personalities and fighting drive is?

So what happens next?

Read my next episode!