No Pain No Gain

Politics, the theatre of war, as it has been described, I've often thought it was more like a school playground full of squabbling little brats. You see them running around ineffectually blaming each other for the situation we are now in---

'It's his fault sir!' 

'No it's not, he started it' 

'Did not' 

'Did too!' 

add infinitum, add nausium. 

Where as I'm sure some of the blame can be levelled at one or other of the incompetents from the previous administration--- some idiotic, wet-behind-the-ears MP with illusions of a cabinet post who listened to a pressure group with its own agenda, no doubt made a huge faux pas and was quickly consigned forever to the chain ridden stench of the back benches. But what really gets me is when, as we all stand on the precipice of financial ruin---when we look into the abyss and see only a bleak future, that was neither of our making or our fault, we all happily allow ourselves to be pushed in like good little lemmings by these over grown school boys and girls as punishment for what they did, but they blame us for, and we say nothing.

We are told that the world financial crisis, that was started by the banks and sanctioned by just about every world government, was our fault. The debt crisis in Portugal, Greece, Ireland and now, more worryingly, America; all our fault. The Germans, who have bailed out more Euro countries than anyone have had enough and are about to say: 'Ich bin ein gettin' outta here!' And lets face it, when it comes to financial stability, Germany has to be about the best--- First out of the recession, first to show growth and now looking over their shoulders and wondering what's keeping us. Now I hear they're thinking seriously about dumping the Euro.

But above all this, the government keep on putting up taxes, cutting budgets, axing jobs, slashing benefits, while big business continues to up their wages, while freezing that of their employees, putting up our fuel costs, hammering us with increased food bills and then looking surprised when we go to the wall  faster than a convention of crash test dummies.

But through out it all, the one thing that yanks my stick more than anything is when the Politicians  look sycophantically  sorrowful and chastened as they say 'We're all in this together...WE ALL HAVE TO SUFFER, SHOULDER TO SHOULDER'

But where, exactly are they suffering? They have guaranteed employment for at least three more years, not one of them has lost their jobs; you'll never hear them say 'We're heavily over manned  so we're making the right honorable members for East Kilbride, South Coulsdon, Ipswich North and Market Harborough redundant. But why not? Let's just look at the numbers for a while shall we:

MP's wages: 

Backbenchers---£65,738 plus expenses. 

Cabinet ministers---£144,000  

Prime Minister--- £197,000. 

Add to that the average expense claim by an MP as being £2,500 and then the extra curricular activity for these busy little spending bees of ours to include such extravagances as £40,000 on pot plants, to make their work environment more pleasant. £8,000 on a marque at New market and £4,000 on complimentary bagels, and all this paid out by the audit commission, a body set up by the government to regulate MP's expenditure, which costs us, the tax payer a massive £200 Billion a year. Now that, in any one's books is a lot of Bagels and potted plants

So, lets just look at it, we have. 650 elected members. Does that seem like an excessive amount of chiefs to you? It sure does to me. Shall we see how I think we can save the country a lot of money? Oh lets, I hear you cry

First off how many counties do we have in the UK? At last count. Actually there are 83 counties, but they are 'Political' county boundaries and were brought into force around 1965, but the actual counties we have are what are referred to as the 48 postal counties..

So I propose we have one elected member of parliament for each county---I see no reason for any more and they can amply speak up for their people, especially if they actually came from the area in the first place. So if we keep 48 members that means 602 MP's can 'share our pain' and get something other than 'leech' on their CV's. That would be a salary saving of £39,574,276.00 plus their expenses of £1,505,000. That would give the UK tax payer a saving of £41,79,276 and seeing as we probably wouldn't need the audit commission, that would make it £200,39,574,276--- and if we got rid of the other Quangos, which, lets face it are only in place for parliaments entertainment and private bank accounts, we would save a staggering £700,39,574,276. In two years folks, we'd not only be a debt free country, but we'd be in credit and taking over the Germans, Americans, and the Tiger Economies as the worlds leading economy. 

And none of this even starts to take into account what we'd save on furnishing the Houses of Parliament and other governmental buildings, because we could house our 48 MP's in one of the many office complexes that are laying vacant due to their miss management of the economy. In fact, the Houses of Parliament could be opened as a tourist attraction and, for the first time in its bloody and evil history, actually make the tax payer money.

Mind you, we'd be short a few worthless MP's, but hey, as they say, we're all in this together, so what's a bit of mutual suffering  


CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU KNOW ITS THE ONLY ANSWER