Iron Clad Promises

In all honesty I certainly do not read the party's manifestos and consider them a fixed blueprint of promises. Does anyone? I read them as intentions and aspirations that give you broad idea of what sort of administration you would get if they won. I'd not suddenly defect if 'my' party did not keep a manifesto promise, not least one affected by external events. I'd be annoyed if they had a complete change of philosophy/ideals. Not a problem with New Labour of course as they appear to be without a coherent philosophy other than the pursuit and retention of power.

Bruce

Politician = liar.

Simple as that.

How can you tell when a politicians lying?
Their lips move.

It's easy to be cynical about politicians - but we (the voters) have a responsibility for their failings. We constantly, in polls for example, say we'd take higher taxes for better public services, but will never vote for a tax raising party. We get the politicians we deserve.

To rise in the hierarchy of a political party you have to compromise your views to follow the party line. Party politics means saying only what the public want to hear.

The only honest politicians are those who have no chance of real power. My partner was a green party councilor for a year. Even she was asked to support and back personally policies she didn’t actually agree with - which she couldn’t. She would never compromise her true principles and thus, could never become a ‘great’ politician. That’s why the Lib Dems have more freedom to be honest to their ‘true’ hearts; they currently have no realistic chance of reaching office. If this ever changes, I’d expect them to swing rapidly to more hard line ‘populist’ polices.

I was hopeful at the start of the Labour term. With people like Claire Short and Tony Banks as a foil to Blair/Brown camp and the Lib Dems on committees, I was hoping for a more consensual kind of politics.

That didn't last of course.

But we only have ourselves to blame for the politics we have.

The other problem is the media, whom the politicians feel they have to impress more than the ‘people’. The government we have in the UK is decided by Sun readers after all. Take the Lib Dems Local income tax policy; the media isn’t asking whether this would be an equitable replacement for council tax; they are asking if it will make people better or worse off, because the media and politicians know, this is all the public are really interested in.

But to answer the question, a government who didn’t modify their manifesto commitments in any way would be a failure. Conditions change, policies change.

Regards

Stephen

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Bennett:
We constantly, in polls for example, say we'd take higher taxes for better public services, but will never vote for a tax raising party.

Most of us would pay more tax for better public services, but perhaps most of us don't believe that if the taxes were increased we'd actually see significantly better services delivered.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Bennett:
It's easy to be cynical about politicians - but we (the voters) have a responsibility for their failings. We constantly, in polls for example, say we'd take higher taxes for better public services, but will never vote for a tax raising party.

*I* would - especially if they'd lose the sodding stealth taxes on everything, and make it harder for career job dodgers (including the current trend of teenagers to get up the duff to get the free house and lifestyle - and DON'T tell it it doesn't happen - I know of THREE examples in close-ish proximity to me) to keep spongeing. Of course, that's too un-PC though isn't it?

BTW - Steve G's right; more money for public services would probably be lost in waste-of-space ineffectual middle management (NHS, anyone?) and crappy management companies and quangos... If it REALLY delivered though - I'd go for it.

quote:

If it REALLY delivered though - I'd go for it.

Agreed sentiment but as likely as me becoming Saturday's lottery millionaire.

*I* would - especially if they'd lose the sodding stealth taxes on everything, and make it harder for career job dodgers (including the current trend of teenagers to get up the duff to get the free house and lifestyle - and DON'T tell it it doesn't happen - I know of THREE examples in close-ish proximity to me) to keep spongeing. Of course, that's too un-PC though isn't it?

By Current, can I assume you mean the last 25 Years old Son ?

Fritz Von Did you know the average British graduate leaves uniwersity with £16,000 of Debt to contend with ?

Does anyone know if you could, in theory, sue a politician/party for not sticking to an election pledge?

Just thinking there are laws that cover the sales of goods, i.e the label can't say one thing and the product do something different, so how is the "sales pitch" for votes different?

Paul

Jeremy Paxman justified his abrasiveness with politicians by saying that when he interviewed them he had to keep thinking to himself 'why is this lying bastard lying to me?'

bob

Well, the minister responsible for this "Iron Clad Committment" said he "briefly considered resigning."
I think he should be dismissed for having a momentary lapse of sanity.

quote:

Originally posted by Berlin Fritz:
By Current, can I assume you mean the last 25 Years old Son ?

I guess so - although it's waaaaay worse now under the new pinko laws! At least in the '70s when my mum had her little accident, it was less socially acceptable, so I was adopted to parents who cared for their young

Can anyone explain to me why parties aren't FORCED to deliver on their pre-election pledges? I mean, since when have Labour "been tough on the roots of crime"? Drugs are rife, street crime and yob culture is rife, yet the only thing Labour seem to have done is to make motorists pay for speeding.