Ashcroft my Foot

There’s been strong praise for Michael Foot’s oratory skills today and a general lament that such skills are no longer in abundance within modern Politics. It is certainly regrettable that the last truly great UK political speech (that I can think of anyway) is Robin Cook’s resignation statement in the House of Commons, Robin being another old-skool politician who is no longer with us but also clearly found New Labour wanting in his time.
 
Contrasting Michael Foot’s style of politics with that of Michael Ashcroft’s is not difficult. The non-dom Lord is helping to finance a new generation of young Tory MPs who, although I am sure are educated, pleasant and world-aware, probably do not possess that classic political talent of being able to merely open their mouths and raise the hopes and dreams of their constituents with words alone. Foot led from the front, Ashcroft is trying to lead from a shadowy back. As far back as Belize infact. The remarkable rate of Tory leaflets that are being sent out on Ashcroft’s dime is certainly evidence that these same virgin candidates are backing money rather than oratory to get themselves into Westminster.
 
Those who defend the 21st century style of Politics bemoan the expense that is now involved; the leaflets, the paid canvassers, the social events but at what point did we collectively factor these in as necessary elements of election campaigns and no longer view them as the indulgences and campaign trinkets that they clearly are? It may seem misty-eyed, simplistic and even a little bit hokey but all we should really need to let people judge their prospective political representatives at election time is a big barn hall. Failing that, a school auditorium, a local theatre or a church hall would do. Heck, even a local meadow while we’re at it. Gordon is waiting till the balmy late Spring before calling the contest so let’s take advantage with ‘Politics in the Park’.
 
Old-fashioned hustings with local candidates making their case to the local people should never be seen as a poorer option to glossy expensive leaflets, wordlessly posted through letterboxes by way of introducing ‘your next MP’, a polished, grinning youngster that you’ve never even heard of. The romance of General Elections should be harnessed, not cynically frittered away by a small pool of rich individuals who can buy their way to nationwide influence.
 
Election counts long into polling day night, over-sized rosettes on sleep-deprived candidates still sporting rictus-like grins, local campaigns ramping up their concerns to win promises from each candidate before any of them can backtrack once elected and hustings upon hustings upon hustings with every party or independent on the ballot slip having an equal say. That’s what it should be all about and thankfully, albeit to a waning extent, it still just about is.
 
We should be persuaded by the strength of our politicians’ arguments, not the size of their bank accounts. No more ‘top down’ electioneering with silent audiences obediently watching ‘Prime Ministerial debates’ with its blatant disregard for how parliamentary democracy should work in this country, we need rowdy ‘bottom up’ campaigns where every last person feels like they play an equal part of this joyous process and each constituent values his/her vote in accordance with the very real power that every X on a ballot slip contains.
 
It’s up to us though and I daresay most of the political candidates out there that do not enjoy the good fortune of the Tory millionaire’s protective wing are already doing more than their fair share in reaching out to the voters and hearing their local concerns. If the apathetic masses merely wait at home to be bombarded with leaflets and don’t choose to fill those barn halls then they miss the golden chance to rewind the clock and put pressure on candidates to increase their chances of gracing Westminster’s fine Chamber through delivery of passionate speeches and display of heartfelt concern.
 
Let’s keep political oratory alive and ensure the future is more Foot than Ashcroft.