A different view

It was rather sobering this morning to listen to the news and reflect on the reaction of the Polish nation to the loss of 95 of its most influential politicians in the tragic aeroplane crash. Seemingly, candles are being lit in large nubers and adorn the pavements adjacent to the Presidential palace in Warsaw. Either this is attention seeking on a completely new level or the Poles really do value the lives of those lost and their contribution to Polish society. As I lay in bed I mulled over what the British reaction would be if 95 of our top politicians died in the same way. I don't know if political corruption exists in Poland, but here in the UK we have apparently been leading the world with expense claims and so forth. We are led to believe that the festering public anger over the MP's expenses revelations will have a major bearing in the forthcoming General Election. So I suppose that a similar plane crash here would depend more on whose lives were lost. As for candles lining the pavements. Well really. Street parties perhaps. A week of national mourning? I think not.

In my twelve years in sales I encountered a plethora of cliches with seemingly one for every occasion. One said "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got". This I feel should be the mantra of the Liberal Democrats. I see the choices facing us as being akin to tossing a coin; Heads for labour or tails for conservative. But of course there is always that third rather less obvious option. The coin lands on its side for the Liberal Democrats. Well, I can but hope. I remember fondly the time I spent in Barnsley when I was younger. Preparing to go out to a few pubs with a friend, he being local gave me the following advice: Don't mention Geoff Boycott or cricket, don't mention Arthur Scargill or the miner's strike and for God's sake don't mention politics. Why, I asked? Well they're passionately divided about Boycott, they revere Scargill above all else and politics is a dead end. What can you mean I asked? Well, if there was a candidate with a blue rosette, a candidate with a yellow rosette and a donkey with a red rosette, they'd vote for the chuffing donkey. You can't argue with that can you? In the years since I have come to realise that the attitudes to voting have not really changed much. Rather than make people change their voting choice, I fear that the expenses scandal will merely persuade more people to just not bother.