As 646 copies of Orwell's dystopian classic wing their way to our elected representatives, it seems an appropriate time to repost the below.
The 646 People Responsible For All Of Britain's Woes
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have
you ever wondered why, if both the Conservative and Labour parties are
against national debt, we have a national debt? Have you ever wondered
why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we
have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a budget.
The Chancellor does. You and I don't have the authority to vote on
Government spending plans. Members of Parliament do. You and I don't
write the tax code. Members of Parliament do. You and I don't set
fiscal policy. Members of Parliament do. You and I don't control
monetary policy. The Chancellor does, and the Bank of England follows
his instructions.
646 Members of Parliament — 646 human beings
out of our 60 million population — are directly, legally, morally and
individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this
country.
I've excluded the House of Lords for a sound reason.
They don't originate legislation, and any suggestions that they make
can be overruled by the House of Commons. Members of Parliament, and
Members of Parliament alone, are responsible for legislation.
I've
excluded all of the special interest groups and lobbyists for a sound
reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a
Member of Parliament to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if
they offer an MP one million pounds in cold, hard cash. The MP has the
power to accept or reject it.
No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Don't
you see how the con game is played on the people by the politicians?
Those 646 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that
what they did is not their fault. They co-operate in this timeless con
regardless of party.
When a politician speaks of honour, it's
the kind that's only found amongst thieves. When they speak of trust,
you know it's yours that they will be taking advantage of.
It
seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 60 million cannot replace
646 people who stand convicted — on a daily basis — of gross
incompetence and irresponsibility.
When you fully grasp the
plain truth that 646 people exercise the power of our national
government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to
exist.
If the tax system is unfair, it's because they want it
unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the
red. If our troops are in Iraq, it's because they want them in Iraq.
There
are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 646 people shift
the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can
abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to
regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they
can take it.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief
that there exist disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,”
“inflation” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they took
an oath to do.
These 646 people and they alone are responsible.
They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held
accountable by the people who are their bosses. These 646 people are
employed by us, to work for us, but have miserably failed us at every
turn.
It's time to sack every last one of them.
—
Adapted from a piece in the Orlando Sentinel Star by Charley Reese, date unknown
