This Politics Crap…

Recent legislative events – specifically the whole smoking ban issue – have prompted a lot of discussion into the whys and wherefores of the situation, the implications etc, but also have revealed (yet again) how ‘anti-politics’ everyone thinks they are. “Stop me smoking!” they angrily cry, “politics is shit!”, whilst the other side of the village hall (just far enough to avoid the waft of cigarette smoke) mutter, “we’ve to wait until 2007?! Ineffectual politics wankathon.” Meanwhile the WRVS ladies in the corner arranging fairy-cakes into the shapes of penises laugh off the 22% in fuel bills they’ll have to suffer by ritually chanting “Tony Blair – Tony Blair – Like’s to wear women’s underwear – The big Jessie…”

But are people ‘anti-politics’? No, of course not – man is a political animal, and to be anti-politics is comparable to being anti-oxygen. What people actually are is frustrated by the political system, feeling as if they don’t have a say or contribution. But what worries me is that, rather than acting upon this fear, getting together to set the agenda at whatever level they can influence, it leads to apathy, cynicism, negativity. Suddenly (or at least in the last half decade) it seems cool to have given in the fight…

“Not happy?”
“No man”
“Why not?”
“Well, the whole administrative system that this country relies upon is built up around secrecy and misinformation. We have an electoral system which encourages politicians to aim for quick solutions to problems, therefore neglecting to tackle the roots of the real big issues of the day like terrorism and health with far reaching policies. And we’re living in an age where to elected representatives of our democracy are actually underlings to a new ruling class, the CEO’s and shareholders of corporations, who in themselves are more powerful than most countries now.”
“… heavy dude… what we gonna do?”
“Eh?! DO?! HA!! I’m not into any of that politics shit!”

Petros Petros Pisco