As a rule I am in favour of clear thinking, quick decision
making and decisive action, give me Patton rather than Montgomery every
time. Great commanders know that it’s
always better to act, indecision is the opening blast of ‘the Retreat’. As my mother used to say ‘don’t just stand
there – do something’
In public life it’s also become fashionable to want our
leaders to be straight talking conviction types, bring on Thatcher, Foot, and
countless other fundamentalist. The ire
of the right and hard left is reserved for flip-floppers who want to skipper
the ship but aren’t interested in the course – out with Blair, Wilson, Heath,
Obama and all. I can support this view,
but only to some degree as rigidly held views can be very damaging, witness
George W on Iraq, Maggie and the poll tax and Charles 1 on everything.
The risk of damage is heightened when this conviction is
focused on a single issue. UKIP presents
us with a case in point. The Party has a
well-defined course and probably good convictions. The problem is that by simplifying the
problems we face into a single issue they provide a focus for people who are
too lazy to grapple with the complexity of our Island’s challenges.
UKIP provide a home and voice for
intellectually lazy people who, apart from getting the Europe issue wrong, are
able to command a sizable share of voice on issues where they should have no
credible opinion. We are treated to Nige
on Question Time answering questions on Schooling and Health – this makes me
ill. I feel patronised by the existence
of this single issue Party and irritated that their carping and scratching
around on the fringes of what is important, is likely to make good debate and
decision making more difficult.
So what to do?
Well, its over to you Dave, you need to step up and put them out of
their misery, if you don’t it’s quite possible that Miliband will, as he is
proving to be one of the most opportunistic politicians in living memory. You don’t need to do a deal with UKIP, you
just need to have a clear and well executed plan for our continued membership
of the EU on improved terms.
UKIP not so much a Party - more of a Hangover!
