Yes. I spent quite some years working with various governments.

Believe cock-up over conspiracy every time.

The other issue is the tribalism. Most Tories, Labourites and Liberals genuinely want to make the country better for everyone. They disagree on how that is best to be achieved; but the intention is generally good. I just despair at the "ah you're a c**t because you're in the other political party than the one I support" nature of what passes for political discourse. So if you're a Tory whatever you think on, say, literacy is drowned out by "....but Tory - WANKER!" and if you're in Labour it's similar. It'd be nice just to talk about things like literacy without all of that crap, honestly.

There is no money you could pay me to do the job of a backbench MP. Well maybe that's not quite true - I'm a bit skint post-divorce - but honestly it's a horrendous job. It's not really about the pay, though - they get enough imho - it's the excoriating personal attacks that come with the job and what your family as well as you have to go through in consequence. Takes quite the ego to look past that and want to do the job.

Most ministers - almost all - come into their job knowing nothing of their brief. Very many leave in a similar state of ignorance. The factors that go into appointing ministers are many and various. Competence doesn't really feature, other than for the big ones, and is not monopolised by any party: there have been a few brilliant ministers from all sides, and most ministers from all sides are not brilliant.

Posted By: Old Man, May 26, 19:16:35