Pissing on the public

Back in 2015, almost 9000 people signed a petition asking Parliament to investigate public attitudes towards assisted dying legislation. When the petition was sent to select committee, almost 22,000 people submitted on it, and nearly a thousand appeared before it.

Today that committee reported back to the House. And after all that effort, all that engagement in the democratic process, they make no recommendations. Not a one. Zip. Nada. In other words, all of those people, at least 22,000 of them, wasted their efforts. There was simply no point in their hard work, because when push came to shove, our politicians were more interested in covering their arses and avoiding having an opinion on a controversial topic than in fulfilling their duty as representatives (naturally, they all kept their fat parliamentary salaries for this year of not doing their jobs).

And then MP's wonder why people think they're lower than dogshit, and why people no longer engage in the democratic process. This is why: because when they do, politicians piss in our faces.

MP's have normally responded to calls for direct democracy by talking up the value of representatives. But that argument relies on them actually doing the job they're elected and paid to do. And if they're not, then we might as well cut out the middle-man, and legislate for ourselves directly.