A Few Stray Thoughts on Politics

This is a site largely about code, and I'd like to keep it like that for the most part. But I thought it worth writing about my politics, my time in politics and my general interest in it.

My interest in politics is about the policy aspect of it. I start from the point that the world is a bad place and we should probably make it better. What I'm interested in is how to change things to make a better world, what policies need to be pursued so that everyone has what they need.

The problem I have is that politics, as it is discussed on the television, the papers and the radio is utterly divorced from the simple need to improve people's lives.

As I write this, housing in many parts of the country, especially London is unaffordable. There are people who are facing the distinct possibility that they will not ever be able to retire as they are stuck in expensive private rented accomodation. In addition to this it is very difficult to get an appointment with a doctor and next to impossible to get one with an NHS dentist. And in addition to these problems, everyone is also facing rising energy costs and rising food costs and of course there's also the issue of climate change, something that could end up destroying humanity as a species.

As the country faces this myriad of problems, the UK's two main political parties are ignoring these issues and arguing about which of them has the nastiest punishments for criminals. It just feels like an utter charade, the serious issues are being ignored in favour of an issue that's of far less importance.