Want To Make Politicians Like You? Here’s A Novel Idea

May 6, 2010

R.F.Wilson writes: Have you noticed how politicians change when a general election approaches? Like it has happened in Britain.

There they were, just a few weeks before, not giving a shit, if you pardon the political lingo, about their electorate and then, all of a sudden, when the horns of the approaching campaign blew within their respective headquarters, a miraculous transformation took place. A sense of deep concern for the welfare of millions of compatriots developed among the servants of the British people. Commonsensical ideas were no longer seen as outrageous and money was prposed to be spent on things that mattered to most ‘ordinary people’, as they are called amongst politicians.

All of a sudden fighting crime became an urgent necessity. Weeks before that criminals were mostly treated as victims of social injustice and then, bang! They were no longer victims but culprits and who should be caught, tried and banged up in jail. No more pussyfooting with that lot, we heard politicians saying. Law abiding citizens came first all of a sudden.

To be fair to British politicians it happens al over the world. In all countries ’servants of the people’ become kind and caring when general elections are in the air. Improving healthcare becomes a subject that politicians want to talk about a lot. Better medical treatment for all, is the battle cry, more doctors and nurses and less red tape. No expense should be spared to get the people healthy. You want a trillion on healthcare? No problem, a trillion you’ll get. You want more? You’ll get more.

Fighting poverty is another great subject for the period leading to the general election. No effort would be spared to look after the weak, the destitute and the vulnerable, voters are told. Even pensioners are promised all sorts of benefits, though, as you know, pensioners are very rarely looked after properly by governments and it is only in the wake of elections that they become important – as voters.

Promises are made to improve the economy, to pump billions into education, to repair existing roads and build new ones, to make public transport the envy of the whole world, to build affordable housing and, sometimes, in a slightly shy and awkward way, hints are given that immigration would be curbed. Oh yes, in the wake of general elections political correctness goes out of the window, on some occasions. Even marriage and family life are taken out of the closet and the dust is blown off them, to champion the nucleus of society. Immigration, a subject never discussed in other times, becomes an issue of concern when elections approach.

What else? Well, basically you can ask politicians for anything when they are on pre-election heat. They would gladly share their last shirt with you, they love you to bits, they care for you, they lose their sleep thinking how best they can improve the lives of people. Not bankers and the big boys of business, but little, irrelevant people, like you and me.

And after they win the election, politicians keep on going for a bit in the ‘I love you mode’, fulfilling some of the easiest promises they have made, to prove to everyone that they are not some bullshitters, as so many people seem to think that they are. But as time passes by, they obviously forget about their voters and start looking after themselves once again, sucking up to the people who really matter to them – the money men mostly – and doing them all sorts of favours. Handshakes are made, backs are scratched, wars are started and laws are passed that mean nothing to the outsiders but help some very serious people make a lot of money. In other words, politicians make sure that they future is secure. Financially, that is.

And only when another election approaches do they turn back into the caring people that they were before the previous big occasion. And once again, it’s all smiles and promises.

So here is the deal: why don’t we introduce general elections every year, or even every six months? That would be just about right for our leaders to love us and look after us most of the time.

– End –

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