LETTER: Career politicians keep party bosses happy rather than focus on interests of constituents
I READ with interest the letters concerning the attitude of Nick Boles the local MP.
However we need to be clear that concerns expressed by readers are actually symptomatic of a much wider problem.
Over the last 30 years we have created a ‘political class’ of full-time politicians. Not just in central government but also in local government. They have political careers and their careers do not depend upon doing the best for their constituents but on keeping their party bosses, particularly those in London, happy.
Many of them wish to progress in the party hierarchy to become a more senior councillor, MP, minister or beyond. That is not achieved by standing up for their local communities and clashing with party bosses.
Indeed there is so much money in politics and elections these days that they need their political party election machine to get re-elected. I can well recall a conversation with a senior Lincolnshire politician when he explained why he was backing something he was very uncomfortable with saying “you cannot bite the hand that feeds you”.
We need a radical change in party and election funding if we are to reverse this trend of ‘career politicians’ disconnected from their communities.
The degree to which political parties want to control those in public positions can be starkly demonstrated over the border in Cambridgeshire where the conservative party were originally going to back an independent candidate for the post of Police Commissioner. When they realised that when the candidate said he would not join the party he meant it, he was promptly deselected.
DAVID BOWLES
Independent Candidate for Police Commissioner
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Grantham
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 13 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
