The pursuit of power seems to be dominating our headlines as never before as various factions of British society vie with each other for their taste of this precious commodity. I always thought tobacco, alcohol, sugar and drugs were addictive but it seems as though power is the most addictive of them all.
Last night saw the first of the televised debates between UKIP and the Liberal Party over our continued membership of the EU. I listened yesterday to a programme looking back at the first of these televised debates way back in 1960 during the US presidential campaign. That debate took place between the rising star of John F Kennedy and the establishment conservative Richard Nixon. In due course both would meet their fates in rather different ways. When the US public was asked for their opinion of the debates though, the results were rather surprising. For the few who watched them on the television, Kennedy came out on top. For the majority who listened to the debates on the radio, the rather less photogenic Nixon won the day. But that debate set the precedent for the X Factor formula now embraced by the marketing men to choose our next Government.
The clash between Farage and Clegg last night was little more than a side show in many ways but it did have huge relevance in other areas. The issue of Europe will not go away so it was refreshing to see a debate between the two opposite poles of the argument. Although neither has a hope in hell of securing a majority at the next election, this debate does need to happen. After the politicians have finished with their carefully choreographed posturing, it would be nice to think that after 39 years the rest of us might have a say but it appears that the power still rests firmly with the political classes.
In 1989, I was living in student accomodation in the Anfield area of Liverpool on the day of the Hillsborough tragedy. It is nothing short of a disgrace that as we approach the 25th anniversary of that appalling tragedy, we are still seeking the truth from the police. As I write, the parents of Stephen Lawrence are still seeking the whole truth in the matter of the murder of their late son. In both instances, the police have been shown to be culpable of hiding evidence which would not flatter them if it was in the public domain. The erstwhile Tory Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell is still trying to get to the whole truth in respect of allegations made against him which have effectively cost him his career. Once again, the police have been found wanting in the truth department. It is instructive to consider the role of the police and the people to whom they are ultimately accountable. Theirs is to serve the public trust with integrity and impartiality. It seems that power is preventing them from doing so unless there is another less obvious explanation.
The headlines have once more been dominated by revelations that the British are increasingly viewing obesity as the cultural norm. It would be difficult to contend with that assertion. The strains on our hospitals are also well documented which is not entirely surprising given the current lifestyle crisis. As if the hospitals didn't have enough of a challenge in trying to meet the extra demands being placed upon them, it is today revealed that the body charged with the allocation of the NHS budget has been found guilty of diverting funds for their own use. The hospital where you live receives it's funding from your local council.
In an article published in the British Medical Journal, a Freedom of Information request has revealed that 45 councils have been guilty of diverting local NHS funds for public services such as smoking cessation, substance misuse, sexual health and obesity. It was thought that the councils had a duty to ensure that the allocated health budget for their local area went to the local health service as intended. Instead, they have defended their actions citing housing and planning as being just as important as the public health services mentioned. Be that as it may, theirs is not to decide. They are taking it upon themselves to decide how to spend you local health budget. So the next time you hear a horror story pertaining to your local health service, remember that your local NHS is dependent upon the local council to allocate their funds as intended. That they are not choosing to do so is about as glaring an illustration of the power of local government as I have yet seen - and that really is saying something.
In Wales where I live, our local councils have paid out £32 million in "Gagging orders" over the last 10 years. It seems a bit rich then to consider that the local health services are helping to pay that price at a time when they have seldom been more stretched. If your local health budget was properly ring fenced as we are constantly promised, such deviation would not be possible. Only power makes it possible.
But back to Clegg and Farage. Neither will achieve power in their own right but both would do a deal to gain a share of the big prize. Clegg has already intimated his openness to form a future coalition with either Cameron or Miliband. Clegg's principles appear to be in retreat. Farage by contrast appears to be more realistic and pragmatic. Give him a vote on our membership of the EU and he will probably fade away in to the sunset. He could scarcely be more clear. The announcement by Miliband that he has no intention to offer such a vote will make a vote for Farage compelling for a lot of people at the next election in 2015.
The concept of democracy has been questioned many times in recent weeks. The 100% vote with which North Korea re-elected their leader was about as farcical as is humanly possible. That said, President Putin came a close second when he secured an impressive 97.5% of the vote in the Crimea recently. Clearly both elections were an utter nonsense and made a nonsense of democracy. To complete the rout of the dictator over the people, the Egyptian general Abdul Fattah al-Sissi has announced his intention to stand for the presidency. Having seen so many lives lost to dispense with the military man Mubarak, the Egyptians had a free vote and elected the Muslim Brotherhood. Had the latter complied with the requirements of the Egyptian army, they might have survived as puppets. The mad cycle of events is therefore about to enter it's latest chapter by appointing another version of Mubarak - and all in the name of power.
With Russia having taken the Crimea, the issue of power has once more come to the fore. Not power in the political sense (although that is now beyond question) but domestic power in terms of how we heat and light our homes. Although the UK is only marginally dependent on Russia for it's power, it has certainly sent shock waves through our energy markets. One of our Big Six energy companies yesterday pledged to freeze it's prices for 18 months. Theirs was the biggest price rise in the autumn and the wholesale price of energy has actually come down quite a lot over the same time period. Quite how impressive this "freeze" really is I don't know but I feel copious amounts of wool being pulled over our eyes as the powerful Big Six seek to continue their grip on power - quite literally.
So 12 months hence, you and I will have the opportunity to see Cameron, Miliband et al performing for the cameras in a last gasp attempt to secure our vote. For my part I will be concentrating on the facts. In the golden era of Yorkshire cricket when the county side was expected to win the championship every year, their choice of captain was as relevant to politics as it was to cricket. "Tha' picks a captain to laike (play) cricket - not make pretty speeches". My vote won't go to the prettiest speech either. Give me substance over style every time.
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