A POLITICIAN'S GUIDE

To paraphrase Shakespeare, some seek it, others achieve it, a few are born to it, and a handful have it thrust upon them. Such are the paths open to an aspiring politician. Politicians often start out with good intentions. Represent the community. Address constituency issues. Review legislation and amend laws. Enact new laws to meet evolving circumstances. Provide government oversight. Debate and formulate policy. Deal with emergencies. Anticipate and prepare for change.Their first hurdle? Meet the demands of their sponsors and earliest supporters. Voters next. Set out a manifesto which must include the wish list of the target voter pool. Benefits that voters have not earned, will never earn and have no intention of earning. Reality sets in once in government.Paraphrasing Haile Selassie - Authority demands responsibility. Heed Macbeth’s warning. Few truly appreciate the dangers of vaulting, unchecked ambition. Especially when personal preferment is coupled with human weaknesses – stupidity, greed, sloth, cowardice and ego. The outcome will be catastrophic.Fertile ground for the lobbyist. A skilled trader in the market for unearned benefits. He promises support for securing approvals for benefits sought by others, in return for their support in return. As an active participant in this circular exchange a politician feels entitled to a reward. He initially accepts what he is offered but soon demands much more. He seeks promotion. He wants to become a more significant player in the political pool.Ambition is addictive.Payment? First exploit all available resources. Once done, sell national assets. Then raise debt until lenders turn their backs. Finally raise taxes until constituents’ revolt. Mired in debt and deficit, watch costs spiral, living standards collapse and unemployment explode. A champion? No one wants to captain the ship of state after it hits an iceberg. It may take years if not decades to engineer a recovery.These thirty two poems, each of thirty two lines, attempt to colour the reality of politics. At once a noble profession for the virtuous, but a lethal trap for those who succumb to ambition and human weaknesses. Whereas the VOTER’S GUIDE looked at politics through the lens of a voter, this POLITICIAN’S GUIDE has empathy for the politician. Read more