Why we must all act responsibly when we vote
May 26 2009 by Kevin Rowan, The Journal
IT IS never a good sign when we collectively spend more time talking about politicians than we do about politics. Much as I respect and appreciate the commitment and dedication of most of the local, national and international parliamentarians I encounter in my day job, it is consistently the issues of the day that come out ahead of personal issues of these individuals. There are, clearly, significant concerns regarding the capacity for morality of a whole swathe of elected representatives, from right across the political spectrum.
There are within these ranks a number of politicians who have not exploited and abused the allowance system, but such is the clamour for blood by the baying mob, actively led by an unconscientious media, that all are being tarred with the same brush as the worst offenders. That it is unfair is a staid observation but an ill-considered reaction will have a significant impact is of greater concern.
The polling evidence ahead of the European Parliamentary Elections, as much as it can be relied upon, would indicate that the ‘non-traditional’ parties are set to enjoy a significant bounce from this anti-politician mood. The Green Party and the UK Independence Party being the main beneficiaries, with the BNP also hoping to capitalise.
Voters ought to take a step back and consider their actions carefully.
UKIP, for example, hardly have a strong record on corruption or high standards of public office; one of their South West representatives was recently jailed for benefit fraud while another was sacked from their post office job for flatly refusing to serve an individual for the sole reason that they did not have full command of the English language.
The TUC stance on the BNP has been consistent. I received one of their offensive leaflets this week. It links themselves with the campaign to defeat the Nazis in World War Two, ignoring the fact that their own leader has denied the Holocaust happened and their regional spokesperson described Auschwitz as a “holiday camp”; it condemns migrants using the health service without acknowledging the fact that our NHS would collapse without the thousands of migrant workers employed by it.
Of course voters will and should consider the personal morality of the people who seek to represent them. Public office is a privilege and characteristics of decency and morality, however subjective they inevitably will be, are legitimate and necessary attributes people should expect to see in those ascribed the authority to represent others. The plague on all houses, however, catches all and there is a real risk of replacing decent, hard-working and committed public servants with individuals who would have a much more dramatic, much more divisive impact on our communities and on the region as a whole.
The mainstream political parties clearly have a responsibility to act, strongly and quickly, to deal with the individuals who have let down the people who elected them, to seek to cauterise this dreadful period in political history. The public have a responsibility to act responsibly with their vote.
Kevin Rowan is regional secretary of Northern TUC
