So, Dave and Ed got into an argument again yesterday and it was a reminder of why I hate politics!
I am passionate about this country and I want to see it grow and develop and I want to see it well led. Too often though what we see in the houses of parliament looks like kids in a playground having a fight.
Dave says he is not taking part in the election debates unless the Green party are invited. In principle I agree with Dave on this one, I think the Greens should be taking part but this isn’t the best way to achieve that. Let’s face it, everyone hates the kid who in the middle of the game when it’s not going the way they want says ‘I’m going home and I’m taking my ball with me’.
Ed decides this is a great opportunity to try to make Dave look stupid and so he asks him why he is pulling out of the debates that he previously said are so important. There is always a kid who will have a go at the kid who is taking his ball home in the middle of the game. He might make us laugh, but it would be better if he just organized a new game rather than having a go at someone else.
I hate the kind of political points scoring that we saw yesterday and what I saw makes me want to pray for our country even more passionately. We REALLY, REALLY need it! I don’t mind that they disagreed and argued, we all want to see politicians who believe in their policies, I just wish that they had been passionate about real issues that people are facing.
I hate the way politics is done but I will be voting in the elections in May. If we don’t engage then we are like the other kids in the playground who just walk away and sulk because the game is over rather than trying to intervene to stop the other kids arguing.
The especially sad thing about point scoring is that it happens everyday throughout the world. Whether it’s in the office, school or at a social gathering there are often people who want to put others down so they can look better. People who want to do anything they can to make themselves seem more important.
How do we treat other people?
Jesus said that we should treat others the way we want to be treated. No one likes being put down, so why should we do it to others?
Let’s treat one another well today and where we see bullying taking place let’s take a stand and speak up for the person being badly treated.
Dave, you can’t just go home with your ball. It’s not a mature way to behave.
Ed, having a go at Dave and trying to humiliate him isn’t going to solve anything.
Let’s all grow up and treat one another with respect.
Honest about my faith 
This is a great piece and resonates entirely with my own views. I am working with a small group of Christians to explore how we might provide a way into political decision making for those outside the political parties that focuses first on the issues that should be what our leaders are tussling over. Called Integrate some of us believe Parties have had their day and it is time to find a new paradigm (a complementary one, not expecting to replace the parties entirely) and some of us still believe that parties are vital but believe the only way to regenerate them is by drawing in new members who are engaged first with the issues and then with whatever party they believe best fits their ideas and concerns.
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What I despise most about politics is the increase lately of the old “You don’t wanna do it like that” mudslinging. Unlike Harry Enfield’s character though, they don’t even have a “You wanna do it like this” come back, they just prefer to humiliate and tell the other party what they’ve done wrong/they’re doing wrong. It’s a stupid stupid way to behave – if you think one side is doing it wrong *come back with an alternative*. Yes, I will probably vote at the next General Election, for sure. But it will probably be an Independent I believe in. He/she will probably not win the seat. But at least I will vote with my heart and conscience.
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Fiona if you are fortunate enough to have a Independent candidate you have confidence in, do consider offering to help them campaign. I stood as an Independent in the PCC elections in November 2012 and it is very lonely process, but the potential for just a few people sending emails or using twitter or even blogging to change the voting outcome is far easier than you might imagine. I had almost no budget (Conservatives spent 100 times what I did) and all 4 parties had far more organisational capacity than anything I had. Despite this I cam 3rd with 39,000 votes, less than 2000 behind Labour and although the Conservatives were the clear winner I know just a bit more support could have changed the outcome (Lib Dem and UKIP both got around 20,000 votes!). If you want to contact me I would be delighted to hear from you.
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Thanks Ian your perspective is really helpful 🙂
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