Democracy: driving and drinking
Some people in this country, me included, believe there’s something pretty wrong with ‘democracy’ in the UK. It’s blown a gasket. It’s belching stinking pollution. It rattles and it bangs and threatens to seize up altogether at any moment.
Most people just stand around it, kicking the tyres and exclaiming, ‘nah, it’s alright, it’ll go round the clock another couple of times no bother.’ Jack Straw thinks it just needs another coat of paint and it’ll be sorted.
You get the impression that he knows what’s going on under the bonnet but doesn’t want to admit it to himself let alone those of us risking our lives by riding along in the death trap. It needs rebuilding or trading in, if we’re honest.
The old girl’s starting misfiring again, this time when ex-cabinet minister Jack Cunningham was taking it out for a spin:
Jack Cunningham, now in the House of Lords, is paid £36,000 a year - for an estimated three hours’ work a week - by the City of London Corporation to give political advice.
The corporation said that as part of his consultancy, he calls ministers to arrange meetings with the authority when it is having difficulty securing one.
Is that how it works? What’s the difference between a minister not wanting a meeting and a minister wanting a meeting? A phone call from Jack Cunningham. Why aren’t we all doing this?
The chances of getting a democracy that doesn’t revolve around who knows who and favours from and for mates is slim. We should therefore play the system. Thirty-six thousand pounds is not a lot of money in the greater scheme of things. That’s how cheaply democracy can be bought these days which should be good news for everybody.
Let’s all go on a binge-democracy bender if it’s so cheap. We should club together and buy our own ex-Cabinet minister. I can see the headlines now: ‘Minister’s fear cheap democracy is undermining society’.
Of course, that’ll only be because us proles can now afford to get our hands on the stuff. But hey, if they’re going to sell democracy cheaper than corruption, is it any wonder people are going to buy it and abuse it?
Sign the pledge, spread the word, be all you can be in this great democracy of ours:
(Cross-posted at Liberal Conspiracy)
Posted on February 14th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Less than the cost of a new game for my XBox 360. I’ll have me some of that.
Three days a week?
If somebody will dob me thirty-six grand a year I promise I’ll do four.
Hours. Not days. Hours. Sorry about that. I lost touch with unreality for a moment.
[...] Democracy has never been cheaper. [...]
Done. And with my real name and everything (truculent devious person that I am). I’ve even counted out the cash but tonight it may have to go towards a nice dinner.
Let me get this right. Someone in local government cannot speak to someone in central government unless it is arranged through someone who used to work for central government, and is now in a retirement home called the House of Lords, and is paid a bribe of £36,000 per year, for 3 hours of work per week? I think the taxpayers should be asking why the connection charge in this case is far greater than the cost of a local call under BT.
Anyone found a menu? I wonder how much Charles Clarke costs.
@ Jherad - 50p?
They say there’s a dsquared post for every occasion. I don’t know who they are, or why they’d say something so obviously untrue, but as it happens they’re right about this one.
36 grand for 156 hours “work” a year? What a laughing stock this shower is. If you look at all levels of government there is a perfectly legal and “legitimate” trough our representatives can (and do!) stick their snouts in. Corruption in our political system is low compared with other liberal democracies because it is institutionalised in the system of perks, allowances, monies for committees, and so on. If transparent government is going to be a reality in this country there needs to be more democracy, more pubic scrutiny, making our representatives accountable, and demanding they live on no more than the average wage of the people they represent. In short - a sea change in our political culture.
That should have been *public* scrutiny, obviously.
I much prefer your original version.