Why politics?

 Yoosk is running a competition to find "Britain's best MP".  Half a dozen politicians on the short list get to explain why they stood for election in the first place. 

Me? I explain that I'm in politics to make sure that there's less of it.  Get politicians off people's backs - and out of their wallets.

Too many politicians are in politics to run / supervise / regulate / oversee things for us.  (When did we ask them?)  Stop the quango state running folks lives.  Let people run things for themselves, or locally in their communities.

Imagine if politicians ran supermarkets?  There'd be catchment areas for breakfast cereals and waiting lists for bananas.  Like they run education, in fact.

Have a listen, decide which answers you like best, then vote here.

Posted on 23 December 2009 by Douglas Carswell

Comments

You've got my vote. Slightly scared of Tom Harris now. He says "power" 4 times in about 8 seconds. Worrying.

Posted on 23 December 2009 15:04 by Tory Outcast

You have my vote Douglas!

Posted on 23 December 2009 17:46 by Irene

The MP for Colchester is disingenuous as usual in his reason for being an MP.

Accidential MP - balls. He makes it sound like Colchester seat was created so he decided to stand. Omits that he stood previously for Labour and for SDP.

Typical politicians answer and very typical from this politican in particular.

Posted on 23 December 2009 21:05 by Ian McCord

It was all about me. I want to make things better. Only one spoke about the empowerment of people by getting off their back, and thats for me.

Posted on 23 December 2009 23:10 by Johnny Norfolk

How did they come up with the shortlist - I'd go for none of the above. Actually I'd go Kerry McCarthy.

Re. your objection to "running education" - would you say that the introduction of the National Curriculum in state schools by a Conservative Government was a good thing or a bad thing ?

Posted on 24 December 2009 02:02 by Nils Boray

There is such an imbalance in British politics, such that there are seemingly only a few politicians who actually care about fiscal responsibility and limited government.

For example, the notion that we should have government controlling our healthcare is ridiculous! Yet even most of the so-called Conservative party is supportive of the NHS, for fear of being accused of hating poor people etc.

If healthcare is a basic human right, then surely food and clothing are too? Yet they are dealt with by the private sector. To follow the socialist's logic, we should have government controlling them too!

There's just no debate because the Left-wing media forbids it and Britain's choice of party is really just left-wing, far-left or extreme-left. Labour, "Conservatives", Lib Dems, BNP and Greens... they're all the same - socialist.

Except for a few, like Carswell and Hannan, I have to turn to America to hear common sense politicians who talk about getting the tyranny of government out of people's lives.

Things won't fundamentally change in Britain with Cameron. I just live in hope that the likes of Carswell and Hannan gain momentum and help awaken the British people.

Posted on 24 December 2009 13:42 by John

@Nils - Hi Nils - I'm co-founder of Yoosk - we came up with the shortlist by asking our users to submit their nominations.

Posted on 30 December 2009 14:04 by Keith Halstead

Ive always found little liebour creep Tom Harris a self indulgent, narcsissitic, egotist.

He reminds me of one of those Russian communist appartchiks in the 1950s.

He mentions '' power '' 4 times in 5 seconds and he's devoted to the liebour party. He's grassed himself.

This insight tells you all you need to know about Harris.

He doesnt mention the country or serving the people ONCE.

Happy New Year Douglas and I hope you win and well done for getting rid of Mick Martin, who was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, was he ?

Posted on 1 January 2010 15:50 by Wilhelm

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