Eurpoean Elections, and other elections ahead. Some thoughts on campaigns and policies
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2014-05-08 06:46:11 - Graham EllisWe're coming up to elections for the European Parliament, though looking up the streets you won't see (m)any election postsers. And looking a year ahead, there's a general election to happen with parties already tussling for position. Talk on the radio yesterday was of how civil servants in some departments are concerned at being pulled in different and political directions by their ministers, although some are ruefully reporting that this lot, with different parties, has been working together better than previous incumbents where all ministers were from the same party, but different wings.
I'm not an expert in many fields - but I can make comment on some of the public transport utterances being made.
I'm noting a support for popular but impractical cases, along with support for things that really could and should happen, and I ask whether it's the integrity, honesty, or lack of knowledge on the part of the candidates who support these way out projects that I should question, or if it's my own lack of farsighted vision and they could happen. I don't fell that sorting out the parking problem at station "x" really provides a good case for re-opening station "y" at the far side of a constituency, but it sure as heck attracts votes in the "x" and "y" areas! And "let's renationalise the railways" by parliamentarty candidates is a perfectly valid call for them to make - except that their previous government - one of the longest periods of government by a single party in recent times - didn't take the opportunity to do change the system in any major way.
I'm noting a keenness to find popular ground, even if it contravenes party or general ethos. A piece in the Telegraph about our Prime Minister suggesting that travel companies were profiteering by putting up prices during school holidays ... rewritten to replace "airlines" by "train operators", "school children" by "workers" and "holiday times" by "moning and evening peaks" reveal a spoof policy completely at variance with conservative policy, and left me wondering if a different set of principles for rail and air is an act of electoral convenience, or if there' some other explanation.
I'm noting a rush to support current, positive events - even if there's no history, or even a mixed or reversed history. Not entirely unexpected - it's called "joining the bandwagon" and we do (for our TransWilts service to succeed) need to have far more people using and promoting the service than we had during quieter times of the campaigning where the critical work was being done by a small group - including our current Liberal Democrat MP and our Conservative unitary council portfolio holder. Crossparty support is very welcome - however, I have far more time and respect for the person who's been on the train at 6 in the morning when we feared that we would get a substitute bus rather than a train back after a 10 day closure that I do for the person who three times made appointments to meet for a briefing and cancelled each time. And tops in respect are those who show their support by coming and using the service and meeting the users for themselves; then come those who arrive and depart by car without seeing the train; trailing at the back in the respect league are those who profess support in their electing pamphlets such as one that dropped through the door yesterday stating "Jxxxxx Cxxxxxxxx, photographed campaigning in Chippenham, has welcomed the new Trans-Wiltshire train service supported by Wiltshire Council, increasing services from Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury and through to Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury". Now I read around a bit, and the welcome's helpful publicity, but news to me. What increase is he referring to at at Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury, by the way?
It's my personal opinion that we have good crossparty support for the TransWilts and as such it should be, and perhaps is, above the political battel ground. Almost like everyone says "yes, it's working and we want to help it work". For those who have put in so much hard work over the years and been much more than loyal supporters, it must be frustrating to see others jumping on the bandwagon (such as that blatant example in the last paragraph), and we should not forget their proven positive trackrecord when we come to vote later this month and in a year's time.
Yet I will add that everyone has to start somewhere, and there *are* names that are new around who are true supporters with political position who are recent and welcome additions to the team, and there are names that the reader probably won't have come across who's names are currently in the ring for the European elections who have in fact been staunch supporters and I hope remain so.
At an earlier point in "TransWilts", an approach to one of my MEPs elicited the response that local train services are nothing to do with the Eurpoean Parliament, but that the member would be interested if an international service was involved. I think that was a brush-off and I'm not sure how accurate the designation of responsibiity was. Another was highly supportive, but effective only to the extend of confirming regional support from a political party not representing me at any other level.
All parties are made of individuals, and individuals have individual views. For a newer party with a specific agenda (be that Europe or sustainability) policies outside the specific area, where they exist, tend to have erratic support even from candidates. I note Julia Reid second on the UKIP list for the South West, and recall spending quite some time going through UKIP transport policy with her in the early TransWilts days; I'm not sure if that policy has changed, but I'm certainly aware that a Wiltshire Council UKIP candidate (defeated twice in unitary council election, then byelection) is actively opposed to provision of governmental public transport support to the extent of attempting to wreck provision for those who don't want to (or can't) drive.
Am I coming to any conclusion? Not really; I'm welcoming the all-round support for TransWilts, and these days celebrating that democracy allows some (as it turns out, a tiny minority) to take a differing view. I'm saddened at the dumbing down to populist but impactical and inconsistent policies which, whilst they aren't quite promises, seem unlikely to be able to taken to fruition. And I'm also saddened by the cheek of some in providing their support only by waving a flag of convenience to help them get elected. I have a great respect for old friends and new who have worked with us so hard, and / or who are really putting their shoulders to the grindstone now, and say we should not forget that respect, help, knowledge, loyalty and effectiveness when we come to vote. That'n not only for old times' sake. It's also for a future in which we know we will still have that active support for our joint, cross-party goals.