Liberal Scotland

The defeat of X-Factor winner Joe McElderry in the race for the Christmas number 1 was amusing in its own right, but could it be the first sign that people are ready for a more liberal Government?

The estblished all-conquering two nights of prime time telly a week machine created by Cowell for the specific purpose of selling 500,000 records at Christmas was defeated by a couple on Facebook in their bedroom urging people to buy what they believed in, not what they were told to. If we apply the same logic to politics then is it so unreasonable to expect that people faced with increased taxes, failing public services, mountainous National debt, rising unemployment, dying soldiers and a resurgence of spin will vote not for the free spending and legislation happy political parties, but rather for individuals who have become frustrated with the size and ineptitude of the Governmant and want to see its role cut? In this scenario all the main political parties would get  bloody noses as the electorate make it clear that the centre (Cameron, Brown, Clegg, Salmond) cannot act in an oligarchic  and must instead respect the underlying priciple of a representative democracy that local MPs will vote in the best interests of their constituents and not just how they are told.

The main political parties have consistently peddled the idea that it is the Government’s role to solve any problems in the economy, but maybe the defeat of another seemingly invincible foe (Cowell – not Joe) can convince the public that any solution lies with them and that any political party advertising a cure-all driven by the state in the next few months is pushing nothing better or more helpfull than a Hannah Montana cover.

If my dream scenario of local MPs having to take a stand against their party does not materialise in the run-up to the election then lets hope that the Rage campaign has at least shown Brown et al that they must first ask the people of the UK what it is they want, rather than telling us.

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