We can't afford cynicism

The BBC has been responsible for some excellent programming lately : Radio 4's 'Analysis' last week was a thorough piece on Green thinking (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00q3cnl) even if a bit too negative for my liking.

But there are times when I want to throw something at the TV or radio. If I hear one more time 'good news' that the 'economy is growing' I may not be responsible for my actions. If we really want the economy to 'grow' in this sense, the best thing would be to engineer thousands of deaths in multiple car pileups - because that will make money whizz round the system nicely. How long will it be before the BBC gets the message that 'economic growth' (as measured by GDP) means virtually nothing?

Last night's main TV news allowed us to wallow further in the MPs expenses scandal, without actually learning anything. The real scandal never got a mention. The real question that I've never heard anyone ask or answer is 'who set up the allowances system in the first place, and why?' There was a passing mention that the MPs themselves set it up. True up to a point : but as I understand it, that was back in the 1970s, i.e. virtually none of the MPs currently in Parliament were responsible. Sure they could have challenged it at any time since, and it is no credit to Parliament that no-one (so far as I know) did.

It's exasperating because it encourages cynicism about politics and politicians. It encourages people to imagine that the world would be a better place without politicians. A more stupid notion I can't imagine, given that politics is about how power is distributed and used. A world without politicians is complete anarchy. We can't afford cynicism.

Many years ago I chaired a Church Meeting in which we discussed a letter we'd received from Ken Livingstone's GLC. One lady said she'd not got any time for politicians - they were all a waste of space. Sitting next to her was her husband, recently out of hospital where he'd received life-saving heart surgery. I had to remind her that without politicians she'd have been a widow.