The Referendum, that is …
For what it’s worth, after a few days of feeling totally confused, shell-shocked and angry – my thoughts on the Referendum:
We pay our MPs to know as much as possible about issues, then vote in Parliament, according to what they think is best, once they know the facts. I am angry because we lay people should never have been put in this position. Of course we can have opinions, even very strong opinions, but it’s like being asked to make a decision about our medical treatment. We can find out as much as we can, make an informed and educated choice, based on consultation with experts and our own feelings, but we are usually fairly content to trust in the expertise of clinicians. The difference in that case is that, hopefully, those experts do not deliberately withold information or lie (apparently now a synonym for “extrapolate” – having just seen Ian Duncan Smith’s defence of the false promise of £350m for the NHS).
The whole system of Parliament needs examining. It’s totally ridiculous, for example, that someone can be in charge of Health today, then Education tomorrow – a decision which seems to be based on who is in favour with the Prime Minister. Surely that means decisions are made which will further their careers, rather than what they think is best for the electorate. Arguably it’s not their fault; they work within a system which actively encourages self-interest.
We need MPs who know what they are talking about, give us the information we need, even if we disagree with them, but the ultimate decision should be able to be safely left to them. Is it naive to hope for a little bit of honour and integrity?
We are now in a complete and utter mess, dominated by strong personalities who can’t be trusted to sort it out, because they are more interested in their own image, than doing the best for the country. Both our major parties are in disarray, unsurprisingly and I am very worried for the future. The door is wide open for those who can appeal to the insecurity being felt by the electorate, irrespective of their extreme and/or populist views.
Representative, well-informed and unbiased democracy – that’s what I want. Is that a hopeless dream?
As I was about to post this, a friend made me aware of this article on the Independent website. At best it’s interesting reading; at worst it just adds to the muddle and confusion surrounding this issue.
Retroladyretires 