Where Have All the Good Men Gone?

The recent revelations of the cost of Tony Blair to the taxpayer is the latest in a series of stories concerning eyebrow-raising amounts of public spending on controversial superfluities.

'It follows newspaper reports that Tony Blair's bodyguards are costing taxpayers £250,000 a year in expenses.'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10500996.stm

They have been other similar stories, such as the amount the Government spends on wine for state events, (£18,000 in one month following the election, although the state department says orders are only placed two or three times a year, a reassuringly cheap pricetag when you actually think about it) and these stories have led to huge public outrage both on the blogosphere and in various newspapers including several reputable ones.

Furthermore, the entire issue at stake here is the same as the anger at the expenses scandal. The point is not, as so many politicians seem to think it is, whether or not you break the expenses rules or are a downright crook (although this is demonstrably the case for several ex-MPs). The point is that public service is about giving yourself to the country and the people you represent, not about how much you can get out of the system for doing so. Perhaps my expecations of politicians are just unrealistic, romantic and outdated ideals; and in fact I need to bite the bullet and accept reality: we need to pay more to get better candidates. This probably is the case at the moment, which is not to say that this should be the case by any stretch of the imagination. What I want to say is that it would be a breath of fresh air to not have to see so many mediocre, reactionary, stale, selfish, unprincipled and ignorant politicians who seem never to think what someone struggling to get by would think about their actions-even if there is nothing inherently wrong or criminal about them.

It might be the case that there are honourable and even numerous exceptions to this (certainly Paul Burstow MP, who I work with, is a dedicated and hardworking public servant albeit somewhat worthy of his nickname 'Boring Burstow'). It is definitely the case that we, the public, want to read about scandal and not virtue and the state of much of our media is sickeningly poor (especially the right-wing press' performance during and after the General Election).

In time I may have to concede that the current system is inherently the best and that we can only realistically expect so much from our leaders, but if this is the case then I think Churchill's hackneyed addage of democracy being the least worst option probably rings true. However, until then I would like to echo FDR's call:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.