POLITICS

My answer is “The Issues Party. If there were an actual Independent Party it would be that.”

Although I now hold some strong “left wing” views, I am not a socialist – never have been and am probably unlikely to ever be such. For me they are too narrow in their agreed collective views, and as a result they can never see into the future, are locked into “class”, and are highly bigoted. They survive on political polemics, hollow hype, and failed promises, and as a result are never likely to achieve anything significant on the broader national issues.

I have been right of centre, but have now learnt the error of my ways and today regard capitalism as it now operates as being enjoyable but fatal.

So on some issues therefore, I am to the left of Marx and Engles, and on others to the right of Genghis Khan.

I would like a J.E.P. party – Justice, Equality, and Pragmatism, but not one that puts The Rights of the Individual, before responsibilities to society and to the future.

I am fundamentally opposed to “democratically” governed, official run, bureaucracies; but equally wholly aagainst the idea of running utilities for the profit of wealthy shareholders, and particularly when they are owned by large, foreign, commercial organisations.

I am absolutely convinced by the figures (produced independently of any political party) that show that continuous growth in the economy (currently the aim of all parties) IS totally unsustainable. If governments continue to pursue growth aims they will destroy our world. Armageddon is an appropriate word.

The discrepancy between rich and poor I find abhorrent, nationally and internationally, and think it unquestionably evil that many should starve, while we, even the poorer members of our nation should live off the fat of the land – many lands.

Why should we be able to fly to the other side of the world to gawp at their game reserves only to see the locals walking miles to fetch a gallon or two of water?

Why should we be allowed to feed our pets while they have to eat theirs?

There are signs that an increasing number of people are now following similar thought patterns. They lean towards a mixed economy with some public entities – utilities, health and transport etc. They, we, want some extremely tightly constrained operations in banking and the financial sector generally, together with the penal taxing of bonuses and golden handshakes, and the criminalisation of all short selling and currency speculation. There needs to be a complete rationalisation of the whole credit “industry.”

At the moment we are in favour of competitive trading in industry and manufacture, but are now keeping an interested eye on the Chinese model.

And I will vote for any party – whatever its name - who has these elements in its next manifesto.

Living within our means, financial and resource wise, must become City and government policy. It is to be hoped that this can be achieved by clear policies and sound management, but we do not see signs of this emerging from any of the established political parties. If we do not get this, and in the near future, we may eventually have to resort to draconian systems of allocations, controls, and even rationing – possibly right across the board.