I've been struck by how the political class has become much more complacent in their arrogance. I can only assume that politicians and their coterie have been troughing since forever, but they were more discreet or had sufficient military power to justify egregiousness.
We've obviously had our own massive troughing scandal here, we've had Barrenness Scotland and "the laws do not apply to me". We've had Jacqui Smith and her pathetic "punishment" for stealing from the public purse, we've had duck ponds and all the rest.
A couple of days ago, Arnie's missus got "done" for phoning while driving. Bet nothing happens to her, or even more likely: any "fine" will actually come from the public purse -- she is a Kennedy, after all. I'm sure that she has more in common with Cherie Blair than with Jackie Onassis.
And today comes the news that the Irish Speaker has been forced out of office after blatantly treating the public purse as his own private property.
Now, I've never bought into that "serve the public" shit. Anybody who genuinely wants to "serve the public" is a fucking nutter. And that "serving the public", even if it starts off with genuine humility, always winds up becoming how the servant wants to serve, not how the public want to be served.
Most of the people who say they want to serve the public are (how can we put this?) "being economical with the actualité". They really just want what they can get out of it.
There used to be a deal here: they would take what they wanted in exchange for actually doing things that made stuff better for (at least some of) us. And they did their taking discreetly and subtly, usually only getting rumbled when someone was dissatisfied with their share of the take and grassed them out to Private Eye.
And when they were grassed out, they had the good grace to take their licks, leave public life and retire on their ill-gotten gains.
But as the size of the political class grew, it inevitably grew to include a worse, more shameless class of trougher. One who wasn't motivated by a long-term financial gain or patronage. Now, we have small-minded, petty and egregiously venal troughers. People who aren't happy with a long game, they want their financial rewards up front. They don't want discreet patronage, they want to bully and boss and hector and micromanage their serfs. They don't want to salt away huge wedge over decades, they want to take the huge wedge up front AND do the back-room dirty deals that sock money away in Swiss bank accounts.
All I can say is that it's been self-defeating. They have waved their cocks in our faces far too blatantly. Even the slumbering, bovine amoeba that the average Briton has become, is starting to become offended. It's going to be nasty for a couple of years, but I finally think that the tipping point is coming.
So, milk away, you troughers. Keep spying on the contents of our bins. Tell us what we are allowed to eat. Enjoy fucking with our lives.
Because you're going to find that eventually you will denormalise enough of us that you won't be able to keep the lid on the pot any more. You will reap the whirlwind and it will be bloody.
I've gone beyond the point where I feel that I "just" want the government out of my face. I want to see blood. I want heads on pikes. I want people to be too fucking scared to stand for political office for a hundred years -- I want people dragged screaming into a Parliament or Council, begging to be excused duty.
Enough, you motherfuckers, is enough.
8 comments:
Belting commentary sir, top drawer. I've been wondering recently whether the main troughers know they're on the way out and so don't give a shit, or if there has been a fundamental change in their attitudes à la what you describe. I fear it's the latter.
"the slumbering, bovine amoeba that the average Briton has become"
That's the main problem.
Tesco, the X-factor and benefit dependency have combined to produce a soma that keeps the majority quiet and pliant.
Even if you did stir them up enough to make them active you'd end up with a mob with whom you and I and others of a broadly similar political opinion might not have too much in common with.
Revolutions of all kinds seem to throw up a subsequent regime that is broadly socialist - at least ostensibly so.
I share your concerns but I'm not sure I'd be too happy with the aftermath of what you're advocating.
The shark is right, I fear.
So many have now been swept into the "so what - doesn't affect me and ... ooooo, Cheryl Cole!!" bucket, that there's not even enough people to vote the bastards out, let alone storm the palace gates.
There's not enough puff to get the whirlwind going...
I reluctantly concur with the others - apathy has taken over. High on the new opiates of reality TV and mindless competitions, the British public couldn't give a toss. So the ruling classes carry on as before, troughing away at the public purse. I bet the turnout at the next election is less than 30%.
They say you get the government you deserve. In our case, it'll be Simon Cowell for Prime Minister with a cabinet consisting of Strictly Come Dancing contestants.
Great post, Obo. Word perfect.
I remember sitting on the sofa with our mam, before she ran off with another woman.
"Turn the telly on, son," she said, "Make your mother proud."
It sometimes seems their ambition is more to "service" the people (in the agricultural usage of that word).
Do you ever wonder at the phrase Obnoxio that a certain footballer "has been a great servant to the club". A fucking servant getting £50k a week!
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