Ponderings on power

I've been prompted to ponder lately just what type of person it is that wants to run the country. Surely it is one of the most thankless tasks around? Yet huge amounts of money and effort are poured into electoral and party leadership campaigns as the various candidates clamour for media coverage. I'm not saying that I don't understand why one might want to enter into politics. No doubt the majority of MPs get into the game with the belief that they can make changes for the good to help both their constituents and the wider population.

I'd like to use my local MP as an example; Philip Hollobone is a Conservative MP. He doesn't hold a cabinet position or have any particular prominence in the House of Commons. He is truly a representative of his constituency. He has all of the advantages and disadvantages of being a member of the opposition; he can argue with the government and give them a piece of his mind without having to worry about upsetting his boss, but most likely struggles to implement much real change due to the lack of influence suffered by most opposition members. This year he received some national publicity having been revealed as the least expensive MP in the house. Efficiency is unusual in politics! I've never plumped for Tory so far in all my 5 years of voting. In the next election, I will stick to that. I won't be voting Tory, I'll be voting Philip!

My point is that I can get on board with these type of politicians. They make sense to me. It's the guys with the huge ambitions that confuse me. Some of them don't seem completely power hungry, so maybe they're just delusional.

Can you imagine being in charge of such a bureaucracy riddled government and civil service? A system where a mistake can be made a million miles away from you and yet you're the one who gets the blame? Where if you actually have a good idea it will take an age for it to get through and actually help people? At least if you're England football manager the fans cheer when you win (the money's a bit better too!). When was the last time the British government had a 'win'? It's a constant stream of losses punctuated by the odd draw.

Of course I'm glad that someone wants to do it. We'd be pretty stuffed if no-one aspired to the job. I'm just amazed at the sheer quantity that do.