Blogathon 2/14 – a political maxim

The late Sir John Harvey Jones (no relation), was one of the most far-sighted industrialists this country has ever produced.

His business accumen is legendary; how – on more than one occasion – he worked with dysfunctional corporate entities, how he made critical (sometimes painful) decisions, how he would cut away dead wood and nurture, through long-term plans, the potential of new strands of research, development and – ultimately – consumer-based products.

I was fortunate, when I was studying for my Masters, to be able to spend a considerable amount of time with Sir John. His ability to think outside the box was inspiring.

Although some political parties favoured (and even fawned over) Sir John more than others, his distrust of politicians of all hues kept his political thinking fiercely independent.

We were talking about strong v weak majorities, one day, when he gave me this maximum which redirected my own political thinking:

If you openly criticise the party you voted for less than the party you didn’t vote for, if you choose to overlook the sins and mistakes that the party you did vote for regularly commit, you are not part of the solution, you are the problem. Party politics, along with single-issue politcians, will kill democracy. Party politics will kill accountability. Party politics will turn the people away from voting. If you are unable to recognise the losses that the party you voted for regularly inflicts upon this country, you are not suitable to have a say in how this country is run.