WHERE HAS ALL THE POLITICS GONE?

I have many decades of political awareness behind me. I remember some real ideological battles in the British Parliament. The political agenda was always full, with plenty for the philosopher and the barman to argue about.

That was the good thing about the British confrontational style of politics. It really brought out the issues – yet at the end of the day, policy seemed to be watered down at every stage, good old British compromise always winning in the end.

It seems that the more Parliament argues, the more sensible are the laws that they pass. So I look forward to good old political arguments in Parliament. But something strange has happened this year.

 I find myself asking: where has all the politics gone? We could say New Labour is wanting a calm for the anointing of Brown when Blair goes. But if so, why isn’t Cameron and the Tories screaming loud to fill in the political vacuum?

Bearing in mind my above words about much argument leading to sensible policy, we must ask, if debate is dead, as it appears to be, is it inevitable that policy will get more dictatorial and extreme?

Bring back the political argument. I don’t want to live in a country where politics is dead, and policy surrenders my freedom to the state.

© Anthony North, Feb 2007

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