Tag Archive for 'politics'

Secret ballot?

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bcg
on 3 May 2008
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I voted with my wife in the local elections on Thursday.  Imagine my shock when I realised that the so-called 'secret' ballot is the exact opposite.  While my ballot paper doesn't have my name written on, it may as well do.

I walked in, and gave my voter number, which was written down on a piece of paper, next to my ballot number.  I was given the corresponding ballot paper, and voted.  How in the world is that 'secret'?!  I can understand they want to keep a record of who's voted, but to record our individual voter number next to our ballot number means someone could identify exactly who everyone voted for.

I almost spoilt my ballot paper in protest - perhaps I will in future elections when faced with a choice of near-identical candidates who I know next to nothing about.

Surely democracy should be more exciting than this?  Is it just me?  I feel like we need to reform our political system completely, away from the party system.  The parties used to have major ideological differences.  Thanks to New Labour, and the move to the centre-right of all the major parties, they are all pretty much the same, except for the people in charge.

Perhaps we should go for a system where we vote for positions in government as well as local MPs.  I don't know, but there must be a better way.  And while we're at it, let's make the ballot really secret, and not just pretend it is.

Politics

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bcg
on 6 March 2008
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The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'.

Larry Hardiman

Change

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bcg
on 20 February 2008
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Along with many others (I suspect) I have been following with interest the race for the Democratic presidential candidate in America.  It seems that Obama is building momentum - although Clinton is only a few delegates behind him, and wins in Texas and Ohio would put her back in front.  Rarely is democracy actually exciting!

Obama's main policy seems to be 'change'.  'Under me things won't be like they've been before.'  As a political weapon it is potent indeed: he's running against the wife of a former president, and looks like he will battle it out with McCain, who has run before.

We have seen a similar thing in this country with David Cameron and the Conservatives.  They have long been claiming to be 'fresh' and 'new', that they will change things.  But when the dust settles from the excitement they generate, the question is begged: what are they going to change, and to what are they going to change it?!

To be fair, the Conservatives in this country have been suggesting some policies recently.  Obama would do well to learn their lesson; Labour spent two years hammering Cameron and his Conservatives, even casting him as a chameleon, because his message of change had little substance.

If he hasn't already, I hope that Obama is coming up with some concrete policy changes, which he will be able to go into detail on if (possibly when) he wins the Democratic nomination and goes head-to-head with McCain.

Here we go again..

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bcg
on 17 December 2007
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Millions of drivers' data 'lost'

The government has done it again - this time it's 'the details of 3 million candidates for the driving theory test.' There is currently a report being researched - 'A full version of the report is expected by spring 2008.' And not a moment too soon, this data loss is getting to be ridiculous.

Data Unprotection

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bcg
on 11 December 2007
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Thousands of driver details lost

Another government agency, more details lost by CDs containing unencrypted data being sent through the post. I genuinely don't believe how it is possible for people to be this stupid - sending private and confidential information on a CD-ROM through the post. Ridiculous. Encrypting data is SO easy, I don't understand why they don't do it as a matter of course.

At the risk of sounding like the Daily Mail... we trust the government with our private and confidential information - they are clearly not taking it seriously enough. Why not? And when are they going to start doing so?

Blair the Nutter?

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bcg
on 26 November 2007
in Church and Culture
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The Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, said:

I am sorry that Tony Blair feels he could not talk about his faith in case people thought he was a nutter.

A Christian vision underlies all that is important about Britain: its laws, institutions and values.

If Blair had been able to relate this vision to his policies, we would have had more constructive social policy at home and principled policies abroad.

Blair 'nutter' fear angers bishop

This is a fascinating question. In America there is a strict separation between Church and State, yet politicians freely talk about their faith - indeed, it is rare to succeed to the highest levels of government without such (Christian) faith. In the UK we have an established Church, yet our politics has little or no religion in it. At any whiff of 'the God thing' there there comes the cry of fundamentalism.

I think that Bishop Michael is unfairly criticizing Tony Blair. I always admired the fact that Blair was up front and honest about his Christian convictions. I was sometimes disappointed at his government's policies, but I recognized that 1) he was leader of a party, the majority of whose members are probably not Christians, and 2) he was the Prime Minister of a country the majority of whose citizens are not Christians.

The fact that Blair felt he would be ridiculed in the press if he made more of his faith in his leadership is not his fault, but an accurate reading of the British press (so, for example, the treatment of George Bush when he made the unfortunate comment about the 'crusade' against terror, etc). Bishop Michael should instead be angered at the intolerance shown in the media towards religion, especially Christianity.

Somehow this century the Church of England has become something to be patronised, little more than the caretaker of flower shows and most of the country's oldest buildings, a kind of National Trust with weekly meetings. There is little or no sense that religion affects the way we live our lives. Ironically, one of the contributions of Richard Dawkins et al is the realisation that religion does affect the way we live - it cannot be dismissed simply as ineffective.

The question therefore is, what is its effect, and do we want it as a society?

Naked Tony

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bcg
on 4 June 2007
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Naked Blair at centre of art show

I have to confess I don't quite understand the strength of animosity towards Tony Blair in this country. He has made some unpopular decisions, but lots of politicians do. That's part of their job, after all.

Perhaps it is because expectations were impossibly high when he swept into office. He himself said as much in his resignation speech. Perhaps it is because he used the media to such great effect in opposition, and the legacy of that, the 'spin' and the aggressive media tactics, have taken their revenge.

Or perhaps it is because he professes to be a Christian. He has been the subject of many jokes about his faith. But when it comes to Iraq, and the comments he has made about answering ultimately to God, the jokes turn sour. One of the most common themes in the press at the moment is that he has a 'Messiah complex', as evidenced by his current world tour. (I think the tour is much less sinister - getting out of the way for the expected Labour leadership election.)

I wonder if he wouldn't be hated so much if he had been less open about his faith. That is, I suppose, one of the costs of being a public figure and a believer at the same time.