The truth behind the spin

The New Party was launched in 2002 to offer a fresh approach to our growing problems. We warned, “our economy is built on sand and our apparent prosperity has not come from increased output or technical advance, but from fast breeding the public sector and loading up on debt.” 

The Uk has been brought to its knees by a series of well intentioned mistakes.  It was a mistake to introduce an open-ended welfare system, forgetting that future generations would take its hand-outs for granted.  It was a mistake to scrap unwaged local councils but allow a gold-plated public sector to grow unchecked.  It was a mistake to depend heavily on the service sector, neglect manufacturing and to binge on credit.   It was also a mistake to put rights ahead of responsibilities and to devalue our democracy by surrendering so much power to the EU.  Individually, these mistakes all brought problems we struggle to cope with, however, collectively they threaten our very existence.

Seldom in a democratic country have politicians been held in such contempt.  We say that ‘they are all the same’ but have so far resisted the temptation to run them out of town.  It is said that, in a democracy you get the government you deserve and we are now paying the price for listening to fairytales.  New Labour was a collection of the unqualified and the unelectable brought to power by schemers and spin merchants.  Even now, twelve years later, with our economy in tatters, their illusion persists.  Are we now so gullible that we will simply keep on voting for the best storyteller until we finally go bust?

Unfortunately, it is not just New Labour, none of the main parties now have the philosophy or the skills that the country needs.  Worse still, they are equally prepared to indebt future generations to save their own skins.  Although it is more than a hundred years since the last successful launch of a new party, with the existing ones so inadequate and our MPs so compromised, a fresh start represents the best available option

We do still have the means to turn things around.  We are an island nation with many natural resources.  We have manufacturing skills and an abundance of clever and well educated people.  We also have the priceless example of an older generation who live by a sound moral code.  Moreover, the economic crisis has focused minds, as seldom before, presenting us with a rare opportunity to legislate for the common good rather than the vocal minority.    The most effective way to rebuild our economy and reform our society will be to cut waste and harness the massive resource of our collective will.  We must stimulate community spirit by tackling inequality and re-structuring the welfare system.  We must drive up standards by making health services work for the patient, not the government, and by giving parents vouchers to access the best schools for their children.  We must also return the machinery of state to affordable levels by letting people get on with their lives and trusting them to act responsibly.  Our generation has caused major problems and it is up to us to fix them.  Blaming others, especially those we elect, will get us nowhere.

We can bury our heads in the sand, in the forlorn hope that someone else will sort it out. Alternatively, we can return to being a progressive country where high standards of education, scientific advance, opportunity and enterprise are a matter of course.  A country to be proud of, where people are happy and confident yet mindful of others; and where the strong help the weak, rather than being weakened themselves.   

The New Party has spent the last seven years developing solutions to problems which are now becoming critical.  The road ahead may be narrow, however, if we have the courage to face down the selfish, educate the ignorant and promote the positive, then success will follow.  Of course there are global issues, however, we will only find lasting solutions once we fix the self-inflicted problems in our own backyard.