He's Right - It Is Time

Autonomous Mind has hit the nail on the head today.

In his critique of a piece in the mainstream media, AM like many of us has identified that there's a lot of moaning going on but that the time for it has passed. It is time for a change. One in which the people take back the ownership of their democratic rights.  At the end of his post he concludes:

But it will only germinate and take root if people who care are prepared to help nurture it and play a part in tending it to maturity and strength.  The time for complaining is over.  The time for positive and constructive action is at hand.


I agree totally with this sentiment.  There has been more griping than you can shake a stick at, yet each passing day brings more of the same.  Nothing will change whilst the electorate sit on their hands.

Something needs to happen.

On a positive note, there seems to be more of a widespread commentary even in the MSM that all parties seem to be getting ever more detached from their electorate and that all, regardless of their leaning are heading down a similar path.

I share the opinion of Autonomous Mind when he writes:

What is needed is a new settlement.  What is needed is a constructive blueprint for the future that empowers people and makes them want to support it for positive reasons.  What is needed is something that is borne from the grassroots and evolves and grows, rather than something imposed from on high.


I have written my viewpoint on this before with this post in which I suggest a concept similar to that of the Tea Party movement in the US.  Despite the name, the Tea Party isn't a party but a movement and although it has a national profile, it is the collective power of local chapters.

What the Tea Party learned in the US was that the idea of Washington as a power base for politicians is an illusion.  Whilst politicians look all powerful and untouchable in Washington it does in fact have an Achilles heel.  That Achilles heel is the local voting district.

It is precisely the same for us in Britain with our constituencies.  Local is where its at people. No MP in the UK gets to Westminster without the say so of the people of a constituency.  Every time there is an election they have to come here to market themselves to the electorate.  They need you to vote for their place at what is currently a trough for greedy snouts.  They cannot do it without you.

That is a simple truth they hope you never really work out, because once you do, the dawning realisation is you are the one who holds the power.

Now what we have in Westminster right now is because we are not exercising that power.  Each time there is an election they come here with their marketing machine.  We vote for our favourite coloured rosette and one of them wins.  It is quite easy for them because they know that we're asleep at the wheel and that locally there is no collective voice to hold them to account. We're out there and we're angry, but we're atomised - all standing alone, thinking that we're alone.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  A local chapter can watch politicians and done right can create a local power bloc.  In the US, the Tea Party shopped for a candidate.  They had simple messages - we want a smaller government and a return to a genuine opportunity to thrive and we've got the local votes for any candidate who will work for that. But they had something else - they also told any candidates they were watching and that paying lip service and reneging on the deal once in Washington wasn't going to cut it.

That's what is needed in the UK.  Forget what you've heard about the Tea Party being racists or crackpots. The Tea Party was a game changer in the US and that terrified the so called progressive left.  The progressive left have for decades been aware of the power of organised voting blocs.  It had been a cornerstone of their activity and a reason for their major successes.  They also knew the principle was politically neutral - that is the strategy works for anyone that uses it.  The progressive left needed to therefore retain ownership of that technique and deny it for their opponents.  As a result they had to engage in mud slinging when the Tea Party came along because for the first time, they were under real threat and so the racist narrative was borne.

Why do I keep talking about the Tea Party?  I'll explain why.

The movement to restore Britain needs to begin so that we can get back to an honest decent democracy amongst other things.  That however is a numbers game.  Angry comments in relevant newspaper stories will not do it.  Nodding in agreement at blogs will not do it.  Bloggers cannot do it because we are too few and we are not in every locale.  It needs the people to do it in their own locality.  Many however may not know where to start.  That is why I point to the Tea Party.  They are a modern phenomenon and as such they are easy to find on the web.  They can be researched and so can the tools that show how they got their local chapters started.

Start it you must if you want anything to change.  Although you might feel alone, there will be many more like you just waiting for someone to put their hand up.  Remember each local Tea Party chapter was one person once.  Whatever you do, keep it legal honest and act with integrity at all times.  As I mentioned back with my original post on the subject, I'm going to identify what I can to help you grow and post it here.

It is time - Britain needs you!