Popping the Question (About Popping the Pills)

There are those on opposite sides politically, who are in absolute agreement on the question of what counts as political fair game. Is there a line? Where does it fall? Or, is it a dynamic measure based on who is being asked, the current climate and what is 'hot' in the media?

So Andrew Marr asked Gordon Brown about prescription drug use.

He is a journalist.

It is his job to ask the questions that the public want answers to but would not get chance to ask for themselves. It is fair to say that this was a question some wanted asking and in the US, it would have been expected and prepared for.

Why exactly are people so outraged by it? When the rumours about Cameron's drug use were being passed around, Marr asked him about it. He has, in fact asked Cameron about drug use three times - and didn't receive anything like a full and frank answer - but surely that is the first point to consider in his defence. If a rumour or other unsubstantiated story regarding personal and private aspects of the interviewee's life is to be addressed, the subject can choose to dismiss it as such, (as Cameron has done) or to refute and rebut the claims.

The electorate are expressing a desire for our politicians to be more open and honest, it has been said that we need to stop expecting them to be anything other than merely human, just like you and me, to allow them to have normal lives and to occasionally make mistakes. I'm unsure as to how far this should go, personally I don't need nor want to know all about my MP and his private affairs; as long as he is doing the job he was elected for, that is what matters.

So that leads onto the second issue of whether a personal question should be asked because it is in the public interest to know. Most would agree that if the answer could call into question the ability or judgement of the individual it probably is in the public interest to know but as to who decides what IS in the public interest, that is an altogether more complicated question. We must accept that if we are to have a press that is able to challenge and confront on our behalf, as they claim to do, sometimes they may overstep the mark.

I watched the interview and felt that Marr was reasonably gentle in the lead up to "the question" and allowed Gordon Brown the time to answer as fully as he wished. Even Brown said he may well be right to ask it, although he expressed disappointment, saying that this type of question was "all too often entering the lexicon of British Politics." This is just one area in which British politics is becoming more like politics in the US. Blair embraced a more 'Presidential Style' during his tenure and it must be accepted that those in the periphery of Westminster would respond accordingly, including the press.

Ultimately, the biggest problem is not the question being asked, but the fact that the interviewee is unable to answer completely openly and honestly. Can you imagine if Brown had said, "Well, actually it has been a tough year and I was having a bit of back trouble, those co-codamol are the bomb!"

Political Pro's: Decision Time

Recently, I blogged about the political crossroads at which I find myself. If I visualise it, it is like a scene from that movie, with Ralph Macchio, where he meets the devil and sells his soul to play guitar. I've had to google it to find what it is called and of course, it's 'Crossroads'!

The particular crossroads I stand at has a number of roads that I could take, the one I have arrived from, that I have walked along for many years now, continues ahead of me. In recent years, it has been a much more arduous trek, (see my previous Blog) and I'm not sure if I can or even if I want to cope with the difficult journey ahead. To help me make up my mind, I think it is only fair, as I have written about why I am disillusioned, that I also consider what has kept me on this road for so long, and why I feel so attached to it, despite the disappointment and upset it has caused me of late.

I must also state, very clearly, that my issues are with the National Labour Party and absolutely not with my local Labour party. I am fortunate to live in a metropolitan borough that has been under Labour control for more years than I have lived here. They have made some monumental achievements and genuinely want and work towards ensuring the very best in services and standards for the people in our town.

So, I will get on with the articles for the defence. First on my list, without question, is something that Labour did way before I was even born, but is something that saw me brought into the world, has helped me at various times throughout my life, safely delivered my own children to my arms and fairly recently helped to make sure I will live to see them grow.

As you probably know, I am only here because of our wonderful NHS. I have no qualms about praising it to the highest degree. It has no equal, nothing that can beat it, it is the four aces in my poker game of political dilemma. I have absolutely no faith in the Conservatives or David Cameron as guardian of our health services. Under eighteen-years of Conservative rule, the NHS was abused and attacked, with ward closures being commonplace. In 1997, when this Labour government came to power, more than 50% of NHS buildings pre-dated the NHS; today more than 95% of NHS buildings are purpose-built for it. As we all shouted #welovetheNHS and celebrated its 60th birthday, Daniel Hannan and the Conservative Policy Team were drawing up plans to destroy the NHS as we know it and create a system that puts shareholders and profits before patients and health care.

The NHS was conceived, nurtured, protected and restored by Labour and I genuinely believe that only Labour will continue to ensure that our NHS provides care for all, free at the point of need.

So, that was the easy one. What next? As a woman and mother, I am proud of what Labour has done to ensure that women have equality in the workplace and equal opportunity and choice. There are a number of achievements that come under this banner, excuse me for rolling them all into this one ball. The provision of good quality, affordable childcare, Surestart, free nursery places for three and four year-olds and improvements to maternity leave and pay have enabled women to have more options in their work and home lives. Working families have benefited under Tax Credits and by far the largest percentage of those helped by the National Minimum Wage have been women.

Also under the banner of 'Equality' is the 2003 repeal of Section 28, which ended the Conservative Government's 1988 legislation permitting legal discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference. Interestingly, despite voting against the repealing of Section 28 in 2003, David Cameron has recently apologised for it; demonstrating yet another 'change of heart' over a vote-winning issue - but that is a list for another day!

Helping those who need it most is one of the basic aims that lead to the birth of Socialism. I am proud of every true socialist achievement of this Labour Government, helping those in need both at home and overseas. In travelling to some of the world's poorest areas, in South America and Africa, I have witnessed genuine poverty first-hand. This Labour government has worked to ensure that up to 100% of the debt of the world's poorest countries has been written off and has helped charities working for those in need, both here and abroad, by the introduction of Gift Aid. In real-terms this has added hundreds of millions of pounds to charitable donations each year and in particular, at a time when the economic downturn has caused a reduction in charitable donations, gift aid has provided a cushion to ease the fall in revenue.

I am not naive enough to think that anyone could join a political party and agree with absolutely everything they propose. What I have come to realise though is that, in much the same way that I fell in love, a relationship with a political party is like a marriage. You have disagreements, feel unappreciated sometimes, flirt with others now and then, but ultimately you have to remember what drew you to making the commitment in the first place.

Maybe that is what we need to do, something like the equivalent of Relate counselling for us and the electorate, make sure they remember why they voted Labour in the first place and help them to work through their feelings of anger and frustration. Admit that we have made mistakes, reassure them that we will listen in future and tell them that we understand why they strayed to Cameron. Ultimately we must remind people that the reasons they turned to Labour are still valid.

I hate using the 'lesser of two evils' argument when pushed into a corner but I had gotten into a rut of using it, (more as my own defence than anything!). Don't get me wrong, it stands up, I believe that Labour is the only viable option in light of the global situation we are currently facing and they are the only party who can take on and defeat the rise of the far right. I cannot imagine the damage David Cameron and his Cabinet of millionaires will do to our public services should we allow them to take charge. We must fight tooth and nail for a fourth term, we owe it to those who have stuck with the party, but most importantly we owe it to everyone who needs Labour fighting for them, for they will be abandoned and forgotten should Cameron ever achieve his Eton-bred birthright of becoming PM.

Right, will someone please pass me a pen?