Tueday, March 29th 2005

Editorial

With a UK General Election fast approaching, the choice for voters could not be worse.

This will no doubt become clear, because I predict a record low turnout on polling day - whenever that is. But somewhere around May 11th looks likely in my books.

Political correctness and the middle ground for all the major parties seems to be the order of the day - with all the parties attempting to play the 'usual' election card such as health care, crime, interest rates, council tax, jobs and now, even school meals. However, the British public aren't so easily fooled - especially when a politician states he can save £35 billion a year by cutting services.

We all know it's the civil service and quasi-government departments that run this country - it's the politicians who merely pay lip-service to the mandarins - and not the other way around!

Changing a Government in this day and age will not create any radical changes - their self-centered plutocratic short term political goals will not create a fertile ground for radicalism. But surely, radical changes are urgently needed both in this country and around the world if we're going to survive as a human race on this rather small and insignificant planet.

I'm talking about the BIG picture such as the millions dying from starvation and poor health, world poverty, the environment, global warming, US domination, the impending world energy crisis, and rogue countries such as North Korea.

So what ever happened to radicalism?

The original Radicals in the UK were a left wing political group in the early to mid-19th century. The Radical movement arose in the early 19th century to support parliamentary reform, Catholic emancipation, and free trade, and were instrumental in the founding of the Anti-Corn Law League in 1839. Their leading lights were Richard Cobden and John Bright. The radical movement was a distinctly middle class one; its radicalism consisted in its opposition to the political dominance and economic interests of the traditional British elites, rather than to any affinity to socialism. The Radicals joined with the Whigs and the Peelites to form the Liberal Party by 1859.

Voter apathy is a clear indication that a regime of 'new enlightenment' and radicalism is urgently required.

The beginning of the 21st century may seem rosy for a few, but unless radicalism is placed at the top of the political agenda, I predict we'll remain in the Political Wilderness for many decades to come - with dire consequences for all on the planet.