[BBC News] Disappointment over poll response

[Newsbot]

The Minister for Local Government says he is disappointed by the number of local election candidates.

 

Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/...man/7334927.stm

[WTF]

ofcourse he is, there is no new blood that can push the useless tossers out.

[%age]

Give him his due for being honest.

 

Whatever the news our teflon coated MHKs usually put on a smile and say all is well and how lucky we are to live in a democracy and blah, blah, blah,

[thebees]

Is it because no-one gives a monkeys anymore? I used to think politicians were quite great but now, I see them as being worse than people 'on the dole' - they are the lowest of the low, passing stupid ideas about while others make decisions.

[Albert Tatlock]

Personally, I think much of the blame for this lies firmly with MHKs themselves. People tend to get on with their lives and are less interested in politics these days - apathy is prevalent - much of which is down to the standards, behaviour and media-obsession of those elected. Like the UK, we now have a bunch of career politicians who don't deliver what they say they would, and whose daily lives and activities are usually far removed from their original mandates, and whose spin ability could make Laxey woollen mills the most productive in the world. You only see politicians or potential politicians at election time, and there is little if no feedback presented back to the electorate on progress made v mandate.

 

Add to that, people are generally more selfish these days, arguably, a result of the economic and family environment and general dog-eat-dog system much created by politicians themselves, so little wonder less of us devote our time to community activities, save for the odd charity event often just to lessen our guilt. With plenty of money in the system at present and taxes relatively low, people tend to let others get on with things, including letting career civil servants (often with their own agenda) get away with far too much, and not worrying too much about spending - though I think that could soon become very different if things such as health and education spending suddenly got tight, and more people suddenly took notice of what an over-staffed beaurocracy the Manx system represents. If you look at the scale of government v what's actually delivered, I think we all get a pretty poor deal.

 

Local elections are actually important. They give wannabe and up and coming politicians the opportunity to learn the system by cutting their teeth on the smaller local and borough elections, with a view to moving up the food chain to national politics - providing new blood. If you don't get new blood in the system such as at these elections, then you can pretty much guarantee how much more stale the system will be in another ten years.

[Lonan3]

At least part of the problem lies in the fact that local government officials have less to manage than previously - so many of their traditional tasks having been taken over by the (largely inefficient) central government.

[Skeddan]

Personally, I think much of the blame for this lies firmly with MHKs themselves. People tend to get on with their lives and are less interested in politics these days - apathy is prevalent - much of which is down to the standards, behaviour and media-obsession of those elected.

...

Is it? Isn't that a cop-out?

 

You could say much of the blame lies firmly with the people of IoM themselves. There's a lot of whingeing and gripeing, but often that seems to be a favourite pastime - with people being reluctant to lose that by actually doing anything constructive.

 

'can't change it' etc. What a load of tosh. Even in places which are totalitarian and undemocratic, people are able to bring about 'velvet revolutions', tear down walls and oust authoritarian regimes. 'Oh no, not that bad'. Well get out and vote, or organise an opposition group and stand for election. 'No point, can't be bothered'. Then it is just apathetic whingeing about it all. Now it is blaming the politicians for that! Be honest and blame yourselves for a change.

 

You're not helpless. It's like the Wagoner wailing in the mire in Aesop's Fables - 'the gods help those who help themselves'. If you don't get up and put your shoulder to the wheel you only have yourselves to blame for being stuck in the mire. The impression it gives it that that's were people want to be - wallowing in it, and 'longtailing' - shooting down any suggestion which might change that.

 

Jeeze - sounds like the old timer whingeing Pommies who grumble in restaurants and then tell the waiter it's all very nice thank you. Worse than that - the kind who then carry on grumbling, saying there was no point raising it with the waiter as nothing would come of it, but giving everyone else an earful. If the customers are all like that, it's no wonder the place is crap.

 

Personally, I think much of the blame for this lies with these longtailers - the minority who make it unpleasant for anyone who might get involved in any meaningful way; the ones who create a climate where only people of low calibre or motive choose to get involved in politics.

[keyboarder]

WHAT DO WE WANT?...................................mmm, not sure really

 

WHEN DO WE WANT IT?...............................uuh, whenever.....