A defector from the Tories to UKIP has said that the voters feel that all the established politicians are the same, and that they do not deliver. He was right, but should have added that they cannot deliver. The problems facing this country - and indeed the world - are not capable of solutions.......it is only that they have to be managed as efficiently as possible. As a result the electorate is presented daily with a constant series of difficulties, the impact of which is exacerbated by the media's concentration on bad news, the probing of good news for weaknesses and the over - dramatising of events.As regards the economy, no one knows what are the solutions to economic problems on a theoretical level to more than a limited extent - one result of which is that many commentators will select the theories that fit their social preferences. Discussions on this level are therefore a waste of time. But practical experience since the Second War has supplied evidence that certain ways of proceeding work and others to not.This evidence points to the success of careful management of the market economy ( see my entry on The Financial Crisis - Solved) . And this entails unpopular policies, such as keeping government spending under control
The demands on the National Health Service can never be met, as we get older, and more medicines and techniques are developed. So there are always complaints, and any attempt to rationalise the existing set-up is met with foolish accusations that the NHS is under attack
As for the benefits budget, it is in practice certain that much is wasted on claims in marginal cases. But attempts to cut out the waste are met by shouts of horror that the weakest are being attacked. The various charities are disgracefully irresponsible in these discussions, as they always bring forward the most severe cases as being under review. If I were a minister I would ask the main charities and pressure groups to propose cuts in their budgets of 20% - after all they are the experts. If they refused I could conclude that they were not worth listening to
And who can solve the questions of immigration? Hundreds of thousands of non-EU citizens have arrived in this country in recent years and far fewer have left. David Cameron's 20 000 asylum seekers should not be judged without these others. They all have to be fitted in. And millions and millions are out there, desperate for tragic or for economic reasons to get in. This is another problem that will run for ever.which no one can solve. ( See my entry on A real Pandora's Box)
In such an environment one has to choose politicians who can handle these difficulties and crises best. The relevant candidates are the traditional parties - Tories, Social Democrats, and New Labour ( which threw over socialism). But because they cannot deliver there is an attraction in those who claim to be able to provide solutions - such as Mr Corbyn, a throw back to failed philosophies, and relying on party activists, who from whichever party should never have more than marginal influence. And in the US we can see the same foolishness in the support for Trump.
Join the established parties and ridicule the deluded followers of Corbyn
'Foolish accusations that the NHS is under attack', and that's that? I think not. If you're not going to delve into that particular issue, best to delete 'foolish'.
ReplyDeleteAs you write, all these are complex issues which need blogs to themselves. But the fact remains that Lebanon, a country less than the size of Devon and Cornwall, has one million refugees. We can take more. Then, you argue, where do we stop? Well, we enforce limitations, but still - we can take more.
Many accusations are foolish since they are based on the assumption that attempts to rationalise are an attack on the NHS. But it is essential to close some hospitals, privatise some services. maintain charges etc. Some of these changes can be questioned, and most will bring disadvantages, but to object to all of them is indefensible ( and often comes from those who would like a completely free NHS etc etc)
ReplyDeleteYes, we should enforce limitations - or try to - but the influx of all refugees there are millions and millions - would destroy the civilisations of Western Europe. So there has to be a limit. And the economic refugees would keep on coming, from poor countries. Lebanon has established camps which need support as Cameron has said and done, but if the people in the camps spill out into the whole of Lebanon the result would not be good. In the meantime the UK has taken in hundreds of thousands of non-EU immigrants which should be added to the headline number of 20 000.