A general election is looming in the not too distant future. I was highly disappointed with the commitments made and the messages sent out at the party conferences this summer, so, if any politicians are reading, here’s what you need to do to win my vote:
- Something radical on climate change. Let’s stop messing around and take this seriously. Creating a future UK sustainable energy infrastructure is going to take time and we need to start investing in it now. Not only will this reduce our carbon emissions, but it will give us energy security and, in the long term, cheap, electricity. We can’t not do something about this. We need emissions cuts, we need investment in sustainables, we need to provide aid to the developing world who are fighting the effects now, and we need to incentives for individuals and businesses to make changes too. And yes, I am willing to pay for this out of my taxes (as long as you MP’s start taking your jobs, and the electorate seriously and stop blatently and flagrantly wasting our money on your own luxuries and then trying to defend yourselves).
- Stop bickering and tell me what you’re going to do. In the run up to the last local elections, the leaflets that Labour and the Conservatives were sending us were just being nasty to each other. I don’t want my MP to be nasty. I want him to be positive, encouraging, honest and wholehearted. I’d like the parties to work together for the common good, so if a policy of the other party is good, say so. I don’t want to hear why everyone is rubbish – I end up with the impression that all politicians, regardless of party, are rubbish. Tell me why you are good! Oh, and if you’re a smaller party or an independant, please send me something or you won’t stand a chance either!
- Be like Robin Hood. Yeah, seriously, take from the rich and give to the poor. The CEO of my employer earned something like 9 million quid this year. HOW MUCH?! Yeah, that’s right, no one should earn that much when people in the world are homeless, starving, without sanitation, lacking health facilities, dying from HIV and AIDS. It’s obscene. So come up with some creative ways to share the wealth around. And stop those dishonest people tax-dodging too – they work and do business in this country so they should pay like everyone else. I do my bit – they need to do theirs. And in case you’re wondering, I count myself as rich, so…as long as you’re going to do something good – I mean, ethical, generous, caring, clever, or just – with it, I don’t mind paying some extra.
Of course, any attempts you make to improve the cycling infrastructure, sort out our crappy, overcrowded and expensive trains, and get people out of their cars and using sustainable transport will help too…particularly the cycling infrastructure bits.
So, it’s up to you. The Honourable Michael Wills MP is going and you might be next. Do you want me hassling you with pleading letters, or telling all my friends to vote for you because you’re fantastic?