Political Blame Game: A Debate in the House of Commons

After waiting in the biting cold for about 45 minutes outside the Houses of Parliament in London, I witnessed a Treasury Departmental Debate on cuts, which nourished my own interest in political science. This debate was over a bill about the spending cuts in Britain. Debate was between Tory MP, the Chancellor exchequer Mr George Osborne and Shadow Chancellor Mr Ed Balls of Labour party. I was lucky enough to get a close glimpse of the whole debacle between Tories and Labour MP’s because I had a special guest ticket from my Local MP Hammond. Debate was presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons. The place I was sitting was called ‘Strangers Gallery’. This sounded so strange to me, for we were strangers in our own land and this is another debate for me indeed. Whole House of Commons looked grim in the beginning as the bill was read without any interruptions. It was rather boring to hear a lengthy report as to what the party planned to do in the area of finance which was rather stale for me for I read it in the new papers every day.

The actual debate began only once the Speaker gave a go signal. MP’s concerned raised several concerns as regards to the spending cuts. Let me warn you, this word “spending cuts” has become so cliché in Britain, no one seems to be taking it very seriously accept for the fact that government would do as it pleases irrespective of the public opinion. The Labour MP’s were up in arms against the ruling Party to accuse and question about the spending cuts that is introduced in order to cut the deficit that country is facing at the moment. They asked several questions to trap and hold responsible for the damage that the ruling party is creating to the public. They made their voice heard with several data and statistics that were very well available online or data collected by some people who would think with them. In response to the Labour party queries and accusations, Mr Osborne re-accused the Labours by saying that they just clearing the mess created by the previous government for the last thirteen years. They asserted that they had left the country with enormous deficit and debt that present government had to bear. They also produced a detailed data and statistics ditto done by the Labours. I was absolutely lost at the end of the debate and I was mesmerised by the fact that the politicians are the best actors in the world who act in order to get people’s votes. This is normal for a politician if I am say.

The real issue lies in the fact that the blame game is everywhere in the world. I am numb to politics because I have seen and witness enough politicians’ empty promises in India. Indian politics is rather like a child play. In this child play politicians dance according to the tune of the people until they are elected, once they are elected to the parliament they just disappear and keep themselves occupied with filling their own barns with fat bank accounts. But here in Westminster I had rather positive opinion than India regards to politics. Having studies political science for my first degree myself, I do feel that need for leaders chosen by the people and for the people. I am pro-debate on any bills but I am anti-blame game. Can we see politics without this blame game in democratic countries? I think this is possible only if the political leaders just do the work as a service to the people not with the intention to secure their position for the next elections namely vote mongering beggars. We all have to live with this as long as the society continues to elect their leaders based on some personal interests. As Rene Girard, a well known philosopher used the term “ultimate authority” to control the violence and seek harmony and prosperity, we have to have this ultimate authority in the form of political leaders who work for harmony and prosperity of the people, particularly needy, poor, homeless, prisoners, beggars, unemployed, physically crippled, elderly, children and all vulnerable people of our country.