Another Level

With the furore over MPs expenses taking centre stage for the Telegraph for a matter of weeks now, those of us in the political sphere are understandably quite nervous about what is next. Expenses, per say, are an inevitable part of being a servant and spending money in the course of doing one's job, presumably though not by investing in skin products and other cosmetics.
The expenses of local councillors have not been similarly unboxed, because presumably they are not on the same scale. However, local councillors are quite costly workers considering that it is largely a part-time job dealing with hands on issues, and committees designed to engage the local community into civic transformation. I fear it will not be long before the expenses of this level of governance are unearthed, but what they spend their money on is the most interesting part. We know that MP is a full-time and variously demanding position. I do hope that the Commons will dedicate some time to reviewing whether soft touch expenses are acceptable, and if so address whether Parliament is to be commercial and leave access to luxuries open, transparent and be honest or close it down altogether. Either way, this will open up office to genuine careerists interested in their constituency or wealth seekers who are/ are not prepared to pull the stops out and we know how fragile political careers can be given the willingess of the press to rip the heart out of the Westmonster at crucial moments.
On a lighter note, it is delightful to see Somerset at the centre of the universe for a weekend, with the Glastonbury festival keeping the locals awake for a few days. Long live this wonderful festival and may I commend the excellent Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen as well as the effervescent Blur and Doves for bringing some cheer to our lives.

Economy

I'm going to post a link to this article until I can think of something to say about it:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/23/inequality-unfair-britain-poor

Why is inequality unfair? This is quite complex. Feeling poor in relation to others and being angry about it is an issue to consider. Poverty as a birthright is unfair, and I do not see why an able, polite and resilient child need tolerate a life of poverty. Maybe if you consider the amount of suffering a child has endured through the poverty struggle in relation to their outstanding educational achievement, then as an admissions tutor at a university I would happily award a place at the highest institutions in the land. This is not so much correcting injustice but rewarding the most difficult struggle against the odds. The difficulty here is knowing about their background. The role of state can be increased, teachers and state youth workers play a big role in helping people up the ladder, but to an extent the poor do help themselves and they deserve the breaks they get. In a sense, this refutes communism because it is so closed, and endorses a society of positive actors and managers to try and correct some of the issues of morality and open up some doors.

Iraq Inquiry

This is a difficult one to call because it has been planned, implemented and for all intents and purposes completed. The only thing one can hope to achieve from an inquiry to prove that the philosophy behind the action was morally wrong; but according to who? I do not find Iraq to be simple or easy to analyse because the rationale and reasons for going in appear to be unclear. The Hutton Inquiry proved that (a) the evidence of 'womd' was limited and (b) the link between Britain and Iraq is historical and runs back to th Gulf war but (c) primarily, that we know very little about why we are in Iraq. An Inquiry is worthwhile because before we can begin to condemn the actions of government, we must understand why they have taken a course of action and taken lives and spent money. It is interesting to find out stuff about government secrets, motivations and precisely why the cabinet obscured the truth about its Wars. Anyone interested in this need have a look at Nick Clegg's campaign for a public inquiry, and watch intently, this one maybe a good runner in the next two years. One question, we can ask is what was morally wrong about the invasion if we are unsure about our motivations and in this course of action how did we impinge the rights of Iraq civilians, whilst also rescuing them from a troubled and unstable regime? This judgement can only be made with a full inquiry, and is the reason why the British public might be happy to support it.

Ugly Moment Of Self-Loathing

In today's post I am going to try and explain the linkages between the rise of the far-right in Europe and the growth of a surveillance state in Britain. The invasion of public space by the private sector and private space by pther private forces is a disruption to the peaceful enjoyment of British life, ontologically, due I suspect, to an increasing pressure to open up markets on the demand side and expose humanity to a uncomfortable nakedness never felt before. Not all of us are born actors, not all of us are born politicians, and there is something of a lack of sensitivity and humility in modern Britain, largely due to a life of excess, rather than inwardness or nationalism. The far right cannot quite articulate themselves in simple terms, there are no real solid policy statements on which to articultate their frustration. What they are finding, is an increasing modernisation and exposure through information technologies in all areas of life is an increasing diversification of the population, and movement of populations. They are feeling uncomfortable and insecure, and Labour has encouraged this rapid change leading to an increase in competition in the jobs market. Life ain't so easy as it was in my day. Surveillance plays a big part in increasing the pressure in everyday living, and adds to the increasing sense that we are subject to state and market manipulation. The Far Right BNP are a response to the lunacy of post-modernity, in a desperate attempt to take control and dominate society by reversing these changes, rather than adapting to them. Life has become rather difficult, I admit but it is more tangible and sensible to take a reformist tact, from centrist-left perspectives on how the corporation can address these issues with government, without allowing the BNP through the back door.
I must state that this in an interpretation of the electorate's view of political change. The BNP themselves, and I am sure they will deny it, contain some nasties who use organised violence to target fascist favourites such as ethnic minorities and alternative sexual orientations. The success of the BNP puts Britain at the centre of organised neo-nazi politics, for possibly the first time in living memory.

Ideology

The local council election results are demonstrating the electorate's expansive punishment of the Labour government. This is based on perceptions of corrupted, secretive systems of departmental governance, or precisely expenses fiddles. The global crunch, is a systems issue, again, we are seeing polarised social mobility and disaffection with the tax system. Everyone could do with a bit more money. However, it is a lack of information on details relating to the precise origins of the present crisis, that deludes the majority. Sure, major parties have bought into the lending economy, but ideologically, human error is written into conservatism. The idea of 'original sin', as seen in exploitative capitalist systems is based on conservative ideas that the boss has a responsibility for the workers and the low wages are based on the ability of the business to thrive and remain in existence. Sure, this makes perfect sense, but the surplus is kept from the worker, and channelled elsewhere. Therefore, if you are satisfied with this entirely, and you are a conservative worker, then I assume you agree with the foundations of conservatism, and that you are living in the hope that you can change your role in relation to the means of production. Either that, or you are a discontented lefty, who would like to see a little more in your wage packet by attaching yourself to the ideology of the unions, or more syndicalised forms of progress through wage increases.
The voter projection cannot be laying the blame for the crunch entirely at the door of the government. The conditions leading up to the explosion of the bubble are new, in so much sustained growth as we have witnessed can only result in a large bust. The conservative worker sees the profit motive as a phased process of progression, that they work their way into different positions. From this, we might gather that the majority are looking for a quick fix using neo-conservative spend-thrift principles, to reestablish the economy as it was, through tax cuts, to restore confidence and mobility. Where this will leave us in terms of ideology is perplexing, because a difficult crisis is likely to be mended through a harsh regime of cuts and a shrinkage in the public sector as well as a minor shrinkage in service sector expertise.
The work of Professor Shiller (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/article6346115.ece) on the potential of a second wave of recession may prove all the more alarming as the government's core pillars disintegrate. Let us not forget, Labour have delivered on economic growth offering dramatic expansion of the finance sector from which we have all benefited. It was in 2005, when the shoots of Tory revival became apparent, based notionally on an increase in affluence through the housing bubble and a desire to reduce taxes even further. A careful consideration of ideological thrust, must account for Cameron's alliance with radical/ far right parties in Europe. Is this really what modern Britain needs now?
I think we can all agree that the economy would benefit from personal household debt being reduced considerably, and that national debt can afford to be reduced in stages. The time for change has arrived, clealry, as the indicators have afforded - but the ideological battle has been suspended concurrently by economic concerns. Why do the Liberal Democrats perform poorly when conservative ideology has led to reckless lack of accountability and secrecy? Why do we seem to believe that a move to the next centre-right party is going to restore our fortunes, when the existing one has followed their example? I feel that a visit to the 'iron law of oligarchy' in this case is appropriate. There is always the chance, however that the Conservatives will surprise us with a radical programme of reform. Only time will tell.