Poo and politics

I have a mate, let’s call him Peter because that’s his name. He is wont to repeat the trendy polemic mantra that “… all politicians are corrupt, lazy and greedy…” and variations on the same theme.

I believe that he is wrong; that this is a lazy judgment.

Politicians, on the whole, are the same as us. They make the same errors and mistakes, albeit under more intense public scrutiny. We get the politicians we deserve because they are the ones, not us, who step up to the plate to manage the stuff we happily delegate to them. Asserting that only corrupt/lazy/greedy people become politicians is specious and plain wrong.

This came to mind because I received in the post something rather wonderful: the opportunity to, ahem, collect samples and send them to be tested for bowel cancer.

Why wonderful? Because until recently, three top killer cancers for blokes were testicular, bowel and prostate. All below the waist and all in areas we fastidiously avoid having checked. This proactive programme will help some, possibly many, live longer.

Politicians enacted the plan that led to my postal delivery.

Some months ago another mate, let’s call this one Mike, had a free check for prostate cancer. He was found to have it and through the magnificence that is the NHS (free healthcare at the point of delivery is, unquestionably, magnificent) is now well on the way to full recovery.

The NHS is a political creation, along with just about everything else that we take for granted: roads, law and order, free schools, defence of the realm and working drains for starters. None of it is perfect but then, what is?

Certainly not the way that politicians’ work is communicated. Poor communication is arguably their great failure and is the root cause of Peter’s confusion. He could do more to search out the facts but would it not be easier all round if these were more easily available and presented unwrapped, and unadorned?

This article was originally published on LinkedIn on 19 April