Otto Von Bismarck, the German statesman, once said: “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable”. I agree.
I also I like to think that politics is also the art of inspiration, the music of hope, the poetic achievement of ideas.
Sadly, so much of our politics today is filled with soundbites of hope, the image of inspiration but actually is devoid of either, leaving millions disillusioned with our political system.
Elites within political parties also profess to support and protect the democratic desires of the people whilst in practice entrenching their own power within the same political framework.
Having constantly harassed @Nigel_Farage #UKIP NEC did the same to @NathanGillMEP. Who is next in their sights?? https://t.co/E5gHuNe6Go
— Steven Woolfe MEP (@Steven_Woolfe) August 18, 2016
In this light it is even more spectacular that in the Brexit campaign the majority of the people voted the against political, business and academic elites who fought for the status quo.
Parties treat their own members the same way. Calls for change by UKIP members demanding an Extraordinary General Meeting to scrap our National Executive Committee have been met with contempt.
UKIP’s leaders and senior party figures have said an EGM would achieve nothing, would be too expensive, is not democratic and would leave the party weaker.
Meanwhile the Labour Party, faced with huge support its leader, used the mechanisms of the National Executive Committee to change the rules or ignore common sense interpretations to undermine Jeremy Corbyn.
They can purge, insult and patronise us but today's @YouGov poll makes it clear they can't beat us! #VoteCorbyn pic.twitter.com/x4KSwVpg6a
— Red Labour (@Redlabour2016) August 30, 2016
Other politicians in the same party or their proxies have sought to undermine their own leader by briefing negative stories to the press.
These strategies are about keeping the same people in power, influence or highly-paid jobs – not about recognising that a system maybe fundamentally flawed, or that a party’s message should tie in with its members or voters.
When entrenched positions in parties face defeat, rather than gracefully embracing change, they unleash the ugly, divisive side of politics.
They undermine or remove those arguments for change. This has always been the case: those seeking reform, those seeking increasing democratic influence from the little person against the machine are challenged initially as outsiders. They are marginalised and eventually have their reputations destroyed or get kicked out.
Disgusted that Lisa Duffy's team feel the need to lie about me
— Bill Etheridge (@BillDudleyNorth) August 12, 2016
The people who mount these actions fail to realise how much it darkens their own soul and transforms who they are. Ultimately, it leaves them blighted by ignominy and becomes entrenched in who they are.
For some, the patina of indecency is into their personality, words, and nature. Some remain successful, rebuild careers or live comfortably. The majority are not trusted.
People look at Blair or the Clintons as prime examples of that phenomenon, but lesser politicians qualify too.
Hillary Clinton's popularity over a quarter century of politics https://t.co/5Zj01TpkER pic.twitter.com/coj9SbPzir
— Post Polls (@PostPolls) August 31, 2016
Another memorable phrase is that all political lives end in failure – perhaps inevitable when the only joy they have is by heaping misery on others doing better than them.
The British people deserve better. We deserve politicians who embrace the positives of political change, embrace Brexit and its opportunities to bring hope and inspiration.
We deserve politicians who don’t seek to undermine democracy, attack the grassroots or destroy colleagues, but those whose smiles are real, who actually like serving the electorate.
When we achieve that, Bismarck’s vision will be more than achievable.
