My blood pressure had the misfortune of catching Channel 4's "The Politics Slot" this evening. A Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Labour, Toby Perkins, attempted to show how good the government had been for his local area, Chesterfield.
I could only bring my anger levels back under control by writing him a stern email:
Dear Toby,
I happened to catch your broadcast on Channel 4 just now. I wanted
you to know how profoundly depressing I found it. In the space of
barely two minutes you managed to highlight so much that is wrong with
our current government.Examples:
* Somehow you think it is admirable to state that unemployment is
never a price worth paying. You would have more credibility if you
accepted that there are tradeoffs in public policy. If the
alternatives are worse, as they tragically sometimes can be, then even
something as unpalatable as increasing unemployment can be the lesser
of two evils. You patronise your audience by pretending otherwise.* Your claim that the Labour government paid for the community project
you showed was deeply unpleasant. The Labour government did not pay
for it; the current and future taxpayers of this country paid for it.
If you're going to claim credit for this project, at least be honest:
the government's primary act was to take money away from individuals
who would have been free to spend it as they chose so that you could
spend it as you chose. There is nothing particularly admirable about
this.I respect those who seek to make a positive impact on their
communities and I wish you good luck in your efforts to make a
difference to Chesterfield. But I'm sure you'll understand that, on
the basis of your broadcast, I can't yet wish you success in your
Parliamentary ambitions.Yours sincerely,
Richard Brown.
London, E1W.
I feel better now. But I can't help thinking I should have written it in green ink.
[UPDATE 2008-12-04 Toby was good enough to respond to this email, and with some humour. See the comments section]
2 comments:
Dear Mr Brown,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write, I am sorry if I depressed you.
Having read your email and indeed seen a few items on your blog, it would appear our view of the world is so diametrically opposed that it is unlikely I will ever win your good wishes for my parliamentary ambitions, a
disappointment that I fear I will have to learn to live with.
You are right that I do think it is admirable that the Government should make every effort to protect jobs and see people through difficult times.
You on the other hand appear to resent the whole principle of paying for services the Government provide. I have to say to you that for the last three elections the general public have had the option between a party that will invest their tax revenue in improvement of public services and a party
that will cut back on those public services in exchange for the promise of tax cuts tomorrow. People have chosen the former option on three occasions
by a substantial margin, a choice that I think reflects very well on
Britain.
Thank you for your respect and good wishes, I am proud of my home town and do want to make it a better place and see Government as having an important but not solitary role in doing that.
Yours sincerely,
Toby Perkins
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate For Chesterfield Labour Party,
UPDATE: Toby was good enough to respond my email. See post above.
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