Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

BUSH

Since George Bush’s historic victory in the US polls, accredited to the votes of the religious right, a debate had been raging whether religion could realize the same kind of impact on elections in the United Kingdom.
I don’t think so.

We live in a completely different culture. Over 40% of Americans consider themselves “born again” and church attendance is vast, (almost compulsory!) Even though 76% of Brits claimed to be Christians in the 2001 census, UK church attendance is a mere 7%. Nor do we have the same kind of focus on 3 or 4 defining issues (gay marriage, abortion etc) as our cousins across the pond.

I cannot see pure religion crashing into our political arena in anything like the same way.

But that said, surely we cannot go on as we are.

We have entered a period of moral confusion thanks largely to the rampant secularism of our times and the legacy of “post-modernism”, the philosophy that has increasingly dominated European thinking for the past two decades. It holds that there are no external absolutes, no finite rights or wrongs, that one person’s views and values are as valid as anybody else’s. Above all we must be tolerant of the lifestyle and rights of others, no matter how bizarre or damaging. The worst possible crime is to be judgemental.

Which is why we are in such a mess. We no longer know what we are supposed to believe in. We no longer have a clear set of values to guide us. We have thrown our compass over board and are wandering around in a swamp of moral relativism!

There are some things that are right and should be rewarded: working hard, showing respect to others, caring for your family and community, being faithful, volunteering, doing your best and being honest. But do our benefit and legal systems currently underpin these virtues?

There are some things that are wrong and should be discouraged: walking out on your children, claiming benefits when you don’t really need to, binge drinking and drug taking, disrespecting the police and abusing positions of authority. Do we condemn such things?

We don’t need more laws, we need clearer boundaries.
But who will decide in the twenty-first century what our values should be? Richard and Judy? OK magazine?
I would prefer to trust in universal truths that have shaped countless generations before us. If not the church, then who? If not now, when?

posted by Nigel on Thursday, November 25, 2004

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

RESPONSIBILITY

What are we responsible for? Most of us would embrace accountability for our own lives. The majority of us accept responsibility for our children and wider family, although you would be surprised at how many men I have met over the years who seem happy for the taxpayer to raise their children for them. Those of us who own our own properties know that if we don’t maintain them, nobody else will.

But what about the street in which we live, are we responsible for that? The state of our community, our village, our town, is that anything to do with us?

The welfare system in our great country has many plus sides to it. It is good to know that when we fall, there is a safety net to catch us. It is helpful to have professional services delivered by the local authority. But there is a downside too. We have created a climate in which we have sub-contracted our sense of responsibility for our community to others. If there is a problem, someone else will sort it out: the council, the government, the professionals, anybody but me.

A fellow MP tells the story of a constituent who kept contacting his office about some weeds growing at the top of his drive, just inches away from the end of his private property. He would dutifully contact the council to no avail and the criticism from the homeowner increased. My friend decided to act. Armed with bucket and trowel, he swooped on the street in question, and spent the two minutes necessary to remove the offending dandelion leaves from the roadside. He reported to the constituent that the problem was no more.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” gasped the astonished resident, “that’s the council’s responsibility.”
Well, it in one sense it is. It is what we pay our council tax for, isn’t it? But when there is a small problem we can easily solve, shouldn’t we step forward? Haven’t we lost something when we so strictly restrict ourselves to our own boundaries?
There are some notable exceptions. There is a valiant band of troopers out there who lead the scouts and guides, run youth clubs, raise money for charity and help out with needy neighbours.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, November 18, 2004

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

GAMBLING

On Monday I voted against the Gambling Bill. I decided to do this several weeks ago whatever position my party took on it, but as it happened we all voted en bloc. It sailed through of course thanks to the sheer volume of government MPs, but I hope there will be a re-think.

I am not wholly against gambling. I have the occasional flutter on the Grand National and have bought a few lottery tickets although I have never won anything. But I am against the proposals for up to 40 new mega-casinos in highly accessible locations with unlimited cash prizes on slot machines.

There are nearly 400,000 problem gamblers already in the UK (people who are addicted to gambling and can’t afford it. Experts predict this Bill will significantly increase that figure.

There is an argument, a strong argument, that every adult should have a completely free choice how he or she spend their lives and if that means punting the week’s housekeeping on Seventeen Rouge, that’s completely a matter for them.

But there are two arguments against that. First, it is always the most vulnerable who get hit the hardest, especially children. Lots of people already buy lottery tickets in the dream of winning the jackpot when they cannot really afford it. The lure of a million pound payout on slot machines right next door to Tesco may just be too irresistible for some.

Second, there are some measures that are unhelpful for society as a whole and should be opposed. There has been an explosion of individual opportunity in recent years, not all of it for the good. Already binge drinking is a huge social problem and we are about to allow pubs to stay open 24/7. Already young people experimenting with drugs is a massive problem, yet cannabis has just been re-classified (downwards). Many teenagers spend hours in Internet chat rooms, but we have seen in recent high profile cases some of the tragic consequences.

I do not want to create yet more gateways to self-harm or further undermine social cohesion.
There are many things in the Gambling Bill that are to be welcomed. But let the government bring it back without the mega-casinos and the unlimited prizes.
If, as I believe, the greatest need for our country is a stronger framework of order and stability, it is time not just to wish the ends, but to will the means.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, November 11, 2004

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

TRAFFIC

78% of households in this area have at least one car, many having two or more and the impact on our roads is becoming dramatic. I realised on Friday when I drove Jan to the station (nobody warned me granny was going to volunteer to baby sit for our grandson 110 miles away!) that in my mind I now allow half an hour to get from our house to the station. Just a few years ago, I only used to allow fifteen minutes.

St. Mary’s Bridge roundabout and Marsh Mills are regular bottlenecks, likewise Laira bridge and the ever busier Pomphlett junction. Both the A379 and the A38 get snarled up at rush hour. What it will be like when the new developments at the Blue Circle site and Sherford have come on stream I dread to think. Never mind spaghetti junction, we will be gridlock county.

So why don’t we all take the bus when we go shopping? Or get to work by hopping on a train from the little used Ivybridge station? Or buy a bike and pedal like mad to get around town? Or all use park and ride? Or walk everywhere?

Just what can the policy makers do to get us all out of our zippy hatchbacks and onto Citybus? The London congestion charge has been quite a success, is that the only answer?

Naturally, there are some things that can be done. More regular bus services (there is a particular problem in the Ivybridge area at the moment) and more weather resistant shelters would be a start. More cycle tracks and a train timetable that corresponded to the working day would be also help.

But no matter how hard highway gurus work on this they can’t stop it from raining or level the many hills that grace our landscape. They can’t alter the fact that my car is warm and comfortable and the bus shelter is not. They can’t dispute that my Rover leaves when I want it to and never has standing room only.
Which is why the vast majority of us have chosen the car.
Which is why we have a problem, namely ever more congested roads, together with a steady increase in greenhouse gases.
Some say the solution is to clobber the motorist and force us onto public transport. Some say accept the choice people have made and focus on better traffic systems and anti-pollutant technology.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, November 04, 2004