Election address, Normanton 2005.

ELECTION ADDRESS Independent Candidate
NORMANTON CONSTITUENCY. Mark Harrop

With falling interest in politics now seems to be an odd time to be offering another ‘alternative to all the others’. But this is not a manifesto, program for social change or management. There are no promises of funds or resources to any particular group. It is more to do with promoting ideas.

Disengagement in social and political life is a huge problem. In times past people have fought and died for ideas – including the right to vote. Such things have driven society forwards. But today cynicism is rife - ‘they’re all the same’ being one of the most widespread and annoying claims to be heard of politicians, although to some extent excusable. Perhaps worse than being all the same mainstream parties appear to have abandoned their traditional principles and now opt for the ‘special offer’ approach. ‘There is no alternative’ – once the battle cry of the last great Tory warrior, and now everyone seems to agree.

The end of the Soviet Union as a model to be defined against has had destabilising effects –in both international and domestic politics. Absent are any competing notions of how a society can best be organised. The ‘left’ is more disorientated than most having never been able to advance an independent program of credibility.
There are limited ideas of a grand vision and a decline in the belief that people can make any positive difference. Instead, there is a deep rooted pessimism about the human condition and a clamour for victim status, special need or single issue.

Are we approaching the endgame of ‘traditional’ politics? The stasis in political life would seem to suggest so. However it would be foolish to expect that things carry on as they are and just hope that we won’t be one of the losers as society faces up to the challenges of the 21st century.

What are the challenges?

The issue likeliest to affect international politics is the rise of eastern economies.
Huge reserves of cheap labour and the dynamism of new growth will be something the west finds hard to deal with. Despite efforts to maintain economic stability, the pull of the Chinese economy already has a significant impact and this is likely to increase in years to come. On this footing alone global politics will change. Alarmist perhaps, speculative? - yes. But history does reveal a habit of change.

Domestically change is already happening as more efforts are made to cohere a cynical and disaffected public around a set of values – any values. Nearly every aspect of our daily lives comes with a recommendation or regulation as to best practice and the bulk of this informed by prejudice if not anxiety on the part of our current leadership.

ASBOs and discipline. There are many aspects to anti-social behavioural orders. On one hand, kids are being hassled for just being themselves – mischievous, exuberant, testing. Adolescence, the transition from child to adult is a clumsy and often difficult period as a child questions much of the fairytale nonsense of their early years and begins to face the realities of the adult world.
On the other hand, there is ever greater state interference in normal activities that used to be worked out within the confines of the family or neighbourhood. The whole notion of parental control has been undermined by overplayed notions of abuse. Unruly kids who may previously have had a ‘clip around the ear’ or be put in their place by a stern word from an adult now no little of such things. Now, discipline is enforced by authorities.
ASBOs are bad enough for kids and, even worse, they infantilise adults and question decision making. They are a symptom of a society lacking direction.



Environmentalism is the scourge of progress. It places human development beneath a sentimentalised view of nature and denigrates our achievements. Alarmist views concerning man’s impact on the planet are nothing new but strike more of a chord in these apolitical times. Indeed there are better ways to run things but they will be harder to determine until people are seen not as the problem but the solution.
Behind all this lies the notion of running down aspirations, or paying ‘guilt’ taxes over non-issues. It depends what kind of world we want to live in.

Immigration tends to be discussed in superficial or alarmist terms. Much discussion is made over the supposed drain on resources that immigration causes yet the contribution made is actually greater per head - £112 goes to the exchequer for every £100 contributed by a UK citizen (2003-4 figures).
Many areas of the UK labour market would collapse without the contributions of immigrants, other areas have seen economic regeneration and attracted more business.
Many British workers see immigrants as a competitive element that holds down wages. There is a kernel of truth in this but such a mechanism exists regardless of immigration and labelling foreign workers as the problem distorts the truth. It is more the case that workers have no mechanism to fight for their interests and the immigrant ‘scare’ becomes a convenient excuse for disillusion. The problem is not one of immigration but down to the fact that society as it exists cannot organise its labour time. Given that capitalism is uneven in its development any notion of immigration controls is pure ideology.

Multiculturalism does nothing but alienate people from one another, setting out an agenda where individuals are viewed as distinct and separate groups in relation to race, culture or religion. The divisive effect of multiculturalism fragments societies further into national, regional, local or the single issue as each becomes promoted as a special need.
Promoting ‘Diversity’ actually does the opposite – it promotes a social code, a barrier. By not challenging ideas that we find odd undermines individual identity. How can anyone respect a viewpoint if all others are equally relevant? Being politically correct is akin to intellectual and moral cowardice – a refusal to challenge the constraints of the norm and acceptance of evermore stifling regulation as to what can be said or done. A dumbing down of culture and relativising of experiences as being of equal worth – you are what you are and shouldn’t expect anymore. In effect, it is a gift to be simple, work hard and don’t get ideas above your station.
Innovation ought to be a basic art but loses out as regulation becomes the norm. A progressive view in art, technology, medical science and humanities – the understanding of that which separates us from everything else, is threatened. Isn’t this a retreat from science, reason and commonsense?

Foolish to predict the future but trends and events prove that it is the actions or inactions of individuals that shape events. A positive outlook will only arise when we begin to question the conventions of the day.
Choose whoever wins the election there will be challenges ahead.


Public meetings-

Normanton: Environment - do we have a problem? Sat. 30th April, 12 –2.00 pm
Normanton Community Centre, Market St. (01924) 302525

Stanley: ASBOs and discipline. Tues. 3rd May, 7.30 – 9.30pm
Stanley Library and Community Centre. (01924) 303130

Ossett: Multiculturalism. Wed.4th May, 7 – 9pm
Ossett Town Hall. (01924) 305573


(1st. edition 28/04/05. Printed at 17 industrial st.)