Saturday 16 May 2009

Have We Cleansed Our Souls Yet?

The revelations on MPs' expenses have come thick and fast this week. Party leaders have wrought their fury on their MPs - many have paid back dodgy claims, some have lost whatever jobs they had.

Democracy is saved? No.

We have fought wars in other countries in order to impose 'democracy and the rule of law' on others we deem inferior to us. Young kids in the front lines are getting killed and horribly maimed by unseen enemies, because of the decisions made by corrupt people. Many die because of unclad fuel tanks on planes, improper armour plating on their vehicles, not enough protective clothing and others die just because they are there. The problem with democracy, which our MPs seem to not understand, is that our MPs are more concerned with claiming for every last bag of manure, every sink plug, every ice tray before they have the moral courage to pay to protect our armed forces or pay proper compensation for the injuries they suffer in the line of duty or their families for the deaths of their loved ones.

It's that basic. Our form of democracy has been exposed to be horribly flawed. Even last night, in the face of truthful criticism, MP Stephen Pound still defended his ruling class claiming, once again, that the newspapers were egging things up and getting facts wrong. Many MPs, some no less powerful than the Speaker himself, seem to think that there is some right that an MP is above the law and the scrutiny of the public as to how they spend their time and our money.

They forget - this is the whole point of democracy.

As Emma B, the broadcaster, said on TV last night, very eloquently, we entrusted them with our votes, our personal mandates. We entrusted them to make laws, decisions, make war, look after the ill, educate children, be ambassadors for our nation. What we got was an elite group who could wait to get their heads into the massive problem of how to make extra money.

It is good to see the long arm of the law reach out, but as we have seen this week, the worst that seems to happen is that someone resigns their role as an aide or a minister. We have yet to see a full expulsion from Parliament or a sacking as an MP. There is, of course, good reason for this. The PM is fighting on all sides for his political career now that he has been found out to have been grossly incompetent over the last 12 years when he painted the picture he was a saviour. Now he needs as many of the rotten eggs to support him as he can. They have him exactly where they want him. The same goes for the other rotten party members.

The one thing we can take away from all this is that the majority of MPs are more interested in themselves than the people who put them there.

This is merely the top of the pile. When we peel back the onion skin and look at the vast array of MEPs, Commissioners, Assembly Members, councillors and the armies of mandarins associated with governing at any level, we will find a systematic abuse of democracy at every level.

A Bad Example To The World

MPs bemoan our youth for not wanting to engage in the political process. Our kids are at each other's throats, literally, crime is not right, no matter what the statistics say. We save bankers rather than lives, we fail our sick by wangling budgets and targets, we fail our kids' education by dumbing down exams to make us feel good. We help people make more money than God, don't tax them and stifle innovation and new technology by not investing in it. All because our MPs' personal priorities are about self-preservation and personal gain. It makes governing more like a dictatorship with nodding dogs all around denying their consciences in order to keep their heads in the trough.

We then have the audacity, the gall, the sheer hypocrisy the foist this kind of system on others through violent means. No one says their systems are right but who are we, with our deep set corruption, our crime, our violent PC games, our all hours drinking and greed to think we are better than anyone?

Who are we to send armies to make others become like us? Iraq will get its Western-built infrastructure and McDonalds - welcome to the new world order.
Fill your boots, it's party time - democracy is here.

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