Time to step up to the electoral plate!

The recent revelations concerning former British ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson''s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have brought the political class into further disrepute. The decision of the Prime Minister to give Mandelson the ambassador's job in the first place raised big questions over his judgement. It is not the first scandal in recent times, bringing politicians into disrepute. Things have not gone well going back to the days of the expenses scandal in 2009. There have been many abuses highlighted, since. However, it is important not to throw the baby out with the bath water. Branding all politicians as incompetent, corrupt or whatever can then help those who would like to do away with democracy altogether. There are plenty who would like to remove people's right to choose who governs. The world is increasingly being ruled by authoritarian figures, with no time for democracy. The hostile attitude to politicians, often manifests on the doorstep with comments like "they are all as bad as each other" followed by "I don't vote," as though it is some sort of badge of honour. This disillusionment is often born of parties in power who fail to deliver for the mass of people. The media also play a role, providing political coverage that has more in common with the soap opera genre, than the realities of people's lives. Not voting is nothing to be proud of, it is a total cop out. It is also massively disrespectful to all those people who fought and died down the centuries to get the vote. If the vote is pointless, why did the suffragettes and others give their lives to win that right? The vote is a very basic way to have some say in the way the country and our lives are run. Not voting means you become a bystander or onlooker on your own life - ultimate disempowerment. The vote allows people, come election time, to kick out those they deem to not be serving the people. It is no answer to say I'm having nothing to do with it. If decent people, who represent their communities, leave the political sphere then others will take their place. What is needed now is not to walk away but support and encourage committed people to come forward. In the main, the elected politicians are decent people. There are bad apples, so to speak, but the mass of MPs, councillors etc are good people doing the job for the right reasons. They seek to serve their communities. There is though always room for improvement. There are local elections coming up and a general election after that. A time for people to think about putting themselves forward for election. This can be as a member of a party or an independent. Good people are always needed, so think about coming forward to represent your community, come May. These are tough times but people need to be ready to stand up.