In today’s world the notion of having a servant is somewhat frowned upon perhaps because of the harsh treatment we see of servants throughout history and perhaps also because people who have servants are seen with suspicion perhaps relating to how they acquired the wealth to do so. However, in the UK we have had for some time the notion of Public Service, and public servants such as Politicians and the Police.
It’s interesting to note that in this general election campaign, the three main parties have 3 different approaches to Brexit, which actually shouldn’t really be about Brexit, but because the manipulation of our political system by people who try to force non binding declarations on people through binding constitutional process, it has been wedged into the general election as a devisive trigger to help a failing political parties disorderly plans. However, my point is, we can see Boris Johnson and the Conservatives pledged to leave the European Union, Jo Swinson and the Liberal Democrats pledged to remain, and Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party pledged to hold another referendum, this time making it binding and abiding by the decision. This BBC article holds further details.
I would argue that people not only dislike the notion of others having servants, but that people dislike the notion of being servants themselves, because in today’s especially, and arguably the prevailing opinion in the world is that the currency that makes people feel valuable is power. Our democracy is run according to a constitution, and our democracy should reflect the will of the people.
Jo Swinson said it partially right, with all the fractured opinion within Parliament, she doesn’t believe there is a clear path forward for those supporting “Leave” that will hold the majority opinion even in Parliament, let alone the wider country. In this case the Jo Swinson isn’t even prepared to put to the county, on whom our democracy relies the chance, now that more is known about Brexit and its implications, the chance to express their opinion – this is a case of the servant leading the served, that is us, the general public whom politicians are asked to represent.
Boris Johnson represents another case of the servant leading the served, his party has an ideological desire to leave the European Union, and they have chose not to recognise the flaws in the democratic process leading up to the initial vote, including the arguably binary yes/no option that didn’t reflect the complexity of the decision, along with the misinformation and potential flouting of funding rules; that this, has potentially put a minority opinion on the verge of becoming something that affects everybody. The Conservatives have made the brexit debate toxic and divisive by there mismanagement right from the original referendum, through David Cameron’s resignation, to Theresa May’s mistaken re-election bid with delay and dither in trying to push a deal nobody wanted through Parliament, the Boris Johnson and is prorogation and even more attempts to hide the facts, right up to his divisive decisions to sack members from his party at a time when he really needed the votes and then to call an election.
The reality is that Jeremy Corbyn’s labour party is the only party that wants to correct the flaw pertaining to Brexit by holding a legally binding referendum, now that we are all more aware of the facts surrounding Brexit, and not only that, Labour are pledged to find a credible deal and offer that to the people to vote on, taking it out of the hands of Parliament who have not performed well at this over the past 3 years. This is where the policy of a leader adopts the nature of a servant. Many politicians do not realise, that to truly lead, you have to serve, and serve not just who you prefer, but as a public servant, for everybody.
The media polarises issues and wants people to be at one end of the spectrum, leave or remain – if your persuasion puts you in the middle of that spectrum, then you are seen as having no plan, no conviction – but again this is where the single issue divisiveness of the election plays out. It’s clear that Jeremy Corbyn’s dedication is to democracy as a whole, not one specific issue. Many people will place their vote for a party based on their stance on Brexit, forgetting that this is in fact a general election with a multitude of other issues to be considered.
I only hope that the British public is mature enough to realise just how divisive this election really is, and rather than be strung along by manipulative politicians and the media which doesn’t fully realise that how it handles political issues is part of the problem, people can exercise good judgement and use common sense to arrive at a clear minded decision.