About the interminably awful governance of this country

This isn't going to be a long tirade; I reckon more or less everyone who reads these pages is just about as fed up with the current incumbents in the corridors of power as I am, so I'd be leaning on an open door. Possibly for different reasons, but that's of little import.

For a long while now, I've been muttering about having to spoil my ballot paper next time a general election comes around (so that'll be May 2010, then). Who on earth is there to vote for?

In this fair constituency of South-East Cornwall we've had the estimable and pretty decent Colin Breed for some years now traipsing to and from the Palace of Westminster and doing his utmost to look after the interests of us Millbrookians and the rest of his constituents. On the whole his voting record has been on the right side as far as I'm concerned (although his record on gay rights leaves a fair bit to be desired and his lay-preaching always grates with a born-again atheist such a me).

Mr Breed is retiring at the next election, leaving us ostensibly with two options when we squeeze into the voting booth. The first doesn't even bear thinking about.



She's local, she lives in Millbrook. She's Sheryll Murray, Conservative candidate elect for the next general election. Mrs Murray is a godawful district councillor who self-aggrandises at the least opportunity, puts more peoples' backs up than is easily imaginable and plays the party political game constantly; even at parish level she misses no oppportunity to dis her perceived opponents and all we do is sort out stuff like litter bins and grass cutting for chrissakes.


The second option will be Colin Breed's replacement, whom we met briefly at the skate park opening last week. I haven't got a photo of her and can't find one on the interweb in the limited time available as I write this piece. She's a pleasant enough lady with an eager-to-please manner and claims to have an active interest in "getting things done". I don't know if her chosen profession is as a lawyer, but from the short conversation we had I guess that to be the case. Just what this country needs, another lawyer in parliament.


There might be some other candidates too by election time but until everyone declares; that's it.

**********

No! Wait!


Who's this cresting the horizon on a shining white charger bearing no party political allegiance whatever. Offering himself on the "none-of-the-above", Integrity with a capital "I", I'm-not-in-or-bound-to-any-party-political-agenda, I-believe-in-politics-being-about-ideas-and-ideals ticket?


It's me.

This isn't the start of the campaign, this is just the first public announcement. I've got a small but select team of campaigners and campaign management in place. I've got absolutely no funding (apart my own personal pledge of the deposit) and we're going to have a ball trying to get me sent to the Palace of Westminster. This isn't some "Monster Raving Loony" joke candidacy, though. We're serious and we're going to do our damndest to give the people of South East Cornwall a genuine alternative to the usual party political knockabout. (Although, I expect there'll be a bit of non-party political knockabout...).

Keep looking out for stuff; I think I'll start up another website for this particular issue and put up links to it from here.

Yes....The Honourable The Millbrooker MP. Sounds good to me.