An Election Without Reflection And A Road To Nowhere

Electoral Paralysis; no cures, no green pill, no orange pill, but some symptomatic relief can be gained through the D’hondt process whose objective is to keep bipolar symptoms in check, allowing for an occasional lucid political intervention, unfortunately, clinical trials conducted over 22 years have proven fruitless.

This mandatory coalition is a busted flush, no matter how much Naomi, Michelle, Conor and Doug moan about getting back into government. What must be clear to all the electorate except for those who are on another political planet is that the achievements of this oxymoron of a mandatory coalition can be best described as, modest. This dysfunctional structure has cost taxpayers some £200m on MLA salaries and expenses alone and any future election will cost the taxpayer an additional £7m. For those who have the privilege of representing their constituents, this was never seen as a job but as a political welfare system, in effect a kleptocracy.

 The new Secretary of State is not joking, when he says that, he will announce an election after October 27^th, if the parties fail to start doing some work. If our political mediocrity does not understand what that means, let me explain. The role of politics and politicians, in short, is to try and improve the human condition. Jeffery’s choice is whether to sit alongside Michelle and many families’ choice is, whether to eat or heat.  Poor Jeffery!

By the way, guess where John Finucane MP is, not in his North Belfast constituency supporting and giving solace to his constituents in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis but swanning across Canada on a Cross-Canada Irish Unity roadshow honouring the Belfast Agreement. As one great intellectual once said, “You cannot be serious”. I would call this an expensive and unnecessary jolly, likely on the back of taxpayers. This trip alone highlights Sein Fein’s arrogance and lack of political common sense. In addition, shows Finucane’s utter contempt for those who elected him and who as we speak, are making choices between eating and heating.

So, in the coming weeks, we will see played out our very own Game of Thrones, for who will have the right to sit on the Iron Throne, otherwise known as the seat of the First Minister. Well, we all know the answer to that, it won’t be Jeffery. Look, I have some sympathy for the vagaries around the implementation of the protocol and can understand the frustration with how Coveney and the Irish Government have failed to act as honest brokers, in bridging the gap between the UK and the EU. However, the DUP putting the whole community over a barrel in the middle of a health and cost of living crisis is engaging in political self-harm at a local level, never mind the broader GB electorate. So, the last thing the people need is an election, as the Tories shoehorn in Rishi Sunak as the third PM in as many months.

Let’s look at our choices again:

1. Alliance Party: All things to all people, all the time. 
2. SDLP: Church-going conservatives whose understanding of liberal is, extra salt on your chips.
3. UUP:  Utterly Useless Party.
4. DUP: The Death of the Union Party.
5. TUV: The Lost Tribe of Ulster.
6. People Before Profit: Selling Utopias.
7. Sein Fein: Loads of money, political domination and a border poll.

Tragically, nothing will be mentioned about the future challenges facing our kids, nothing about the hard choices around reforming public services, nothing about failed governments structures both locally and on the hill, nothing about an education system that fails to meet the needs of all our children’s needs, nothing about our failing health system, nothing about the future of work, nothing about how our public services will be funded, certainly nothing about what’s happening in the rest of the world and on and on, you get the drift.

Our political parties will be doling out uninspiring booklets known as manifestos, whose only use is as fuel. They produce posters that show smug faces which is the equivalent of giving the electorate the middle finger. Our public representatives are blessed by the indifference of the electorate, though occasionally, a cry goes out “we’re fed up and want something different and better” but what do you do, the same thing you have done in every election, vote in the same nutcases to run the same asylum.

Change is coming and pigs will fly.

Let me know what you think in the comments below 👇

Suneil Sharma