Dear All,
forgive me for inflicting yet again my views on the relationship between our rotten political system, the voting system and energy and other (health, environment, media, financial, tax, justice) vital policy issues.
In a nutshell, it seems blindingly obvious, ( to me anyway) that with our system, where the PM wields enormous power, (for our revolution was never finished properly) then no matter what policies are espoused at election time, and we are invited to vote on, the PM of the day (and his ministers and senior civil servants) can after election be subverted by powerful vested interests (trade unions, big energy, big pharma, big oil, big banks), and those policies put aside.
Examples of this manipulation of power are legion – a mere £1m bung to Tony Blair got Bernie Ecclestone exemption from the cigarette advertising ban.
Tony Blair, who went easy on the Banks, ( partly leading to today’s economic catastrophe) is on a massive post crime bung from JP Morgan
The PM of the day, and his cabinet colleagues and civil servants, know full well, if they toe the line of the big utilities, or other large interests, they will end up on a board on a nice fat sinecure when they retire.
(Witness the recent unedifying spectacle of 3 soon to be out of parliament ex ministers touting their influence to the highest bidder caught on camera)
We have the Scottish Ex Energy minister, Brian McAllister, who having pushed nuclear energy, is now on the Board of a nuclear energy company (not that I am anti nuclear – that is merely an example of how first past the post government can be manipulated)
We have the astonishing case reported in the Guardian recently where it appears that The Met failed to properly investigate illegal penetration of celebrity phone calls by a Murdoch newspaper, and the senior police officer concerned now has a job with…..a Murdoch company….
We have the case of ex 60’s transport minister, Ernest Marples who was complicit in closing the railways goods network, and who went on to the Board of Marples-Ridgeway Construction to build all the motorways.
Anyway my point is that in Germany, say, (or Denmark, Sweden Norway etc) with PR, vested interests can’t simply buy off the politicians and civil servants by tacitly offering them fat pay offs after they retire, (Post Crime http://www.claverton-energy.com/the-film-minority-report-pre-crime-and-pre-bribe.html) because in Germany with PR you have to nobble several different groups and that is harder than just the one party to nobble – and the Greens say aren’t as easy to nobble as some other groups.
It is this ability of the vested interests to have their sectional interest enacted in this country, that may not always align with broader societal interests, that have allowed this country to pursue many stupid policies (not just energy) – no CHP, no low energy buildings, the over pushing of private cars instead of efficient public transport, wasting of North Sea Gas for short term gain, etc that has so wrecked this country in my opinion.
(Its not just energy policy of course – where did that push for mega casinos come from? certainly not a manifesto pledge – must have been some heavy back handers on offer to our senior politicos)
It is simply not in the interest of the energy utilities say, to sell less energy, nor the house builders, who decimated and resisted any attempt to have proper energy saving standards leading to higher house costs and less profits, or the oil and motor industry to have less private travel, or the big utilities to push for investment in renewable energy, resulting in UK with the lowest proportion of renewable energy despite being the best situated, or the utilities to allow the government to force them to build ccs. It was the gas industry that wrecked the push for chp/dh in this countrys (Dr Clatworthy) becasue they knew they would sell less gas. Result – North Sea gas squandered)
Hence my belief is the best thing for this country is to get the Lib Dems in and PR and a proper electoral system. What Clegg’s stated policies are is as irrelevant as the Labs and the Cons policies – they will be changed in office by vested interest in an undemocratic and corrupt way anyway.
What is important is to get PR, and to make the second chamber elected, not full of party placemen and cronies who have bought there peerages with cash, and to reform this rotten system which allows whichever first past the post party gets in, to be given enormous power which is then manipulated by the vested interests for their own interests, not ours.
It is no coincidence that countries with proper PR systems have much better living standards, less personal transport, much better and efficient public transport, more chp, more efficiency buildings, more renewable energy.
This nonsense about a hung parliamant meaning no concerted action can be taken….well look at Greece which is still first past the post. I remember at the last German election the stupid BBC political commentators discussing how on earth Germany would get through the next few weeks and months without a proper government……words fail me.
Kind Regards
Dave A
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Well said, Dave, summed up the whole sorry mess in a few words. You could have commented on the Murdoch press (he owns 40% of our media) which is running scare stories about a hung parliament. Murdoch knows that this is the opportunity to get PR, and given that a majority of Brits are left of centre the right wing will never again rule, which means he wont get a big slice of OUR BBC! – Frank Holland
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Dave
could I post this email on eurotrib.com I find it highly relevant
Thanks, Jérôme
