It's nearly Christmas, let's lose the cynicism...

£3 well spent!

On the way into work today, I bought a Big Issue. I was holding out the usual £2, when the vendor said, “It’s three quid this week, sir.”

“Christmas bonus is it?” I laughed, still offering out the £2.

“No it is, look,” He insisted, this time pointing to the £3 Bumper Issue flash on the front cover.

I felt awful, and rooted around for the extra quid.

My assumption, even after working with rough sleepers and the vulnerably housed for years, is that – given half a chance – they will always try and get one over on me. When did I get so cynical?

Last week, this same dynamic was played out nationally with the public sector strikes. Radio phone-ins, social media, newspaper letters pages and internet message boards were full of polarised, adversarial debate between those that work in the public sector and those that work in the private. The mutual cynicism and suspicion was worrying and showed how divisive the debate could be.

At their worst the arguments seemed to be that those working in the public sector are ungrateful, lazy, work-shy whingers hell-bent on class warfare on the tax-payers’ time; and those that work in the private sector are amoral money-grabbing fat-cat tax-dodgers or ignorant lackeys blindly doing the bidding of those thereof. The truth, of course, is that we need a vibrant, productive and socially-responsible private sector and an efficient, dedicated public sector that delivers the quality universal services that we all rely on. 

Like me with my Big Issue friend, we have all become suspicious of “the other” – the assumption that everyone is after something at our expense. We have lost a community sense of mutual interest and cooperation, and instead bought into “everyone for him / herself”. The truth, of course, is that we need a vibrant, productive and socially-responsible private sector to help fund an equally productive, reliable and consistent public sector that delivers the quality universal services we all rely on.

I see this same cynicism sometimes on the doorstep. “Ah, politicians – you’re all the same…” is usually followed by a list of perceived faults, flaws and episodes of recent political shame. We are all, I am told, in it for the money, the power, the expenses, the “back-handers”, the networks, or whatever. In 8 years as a councillor, I have received one free perk. Let me publicly declare: a curry. My local balti house made it into the top 50 best curry houses list, and to celebrate, the owner invited the local MP, business leaders and councillors to a free curry night. That’s it.

I have to say, in all my time as a councillor, the people I have met are by and large in it because they care, because they feel they have something to offer their communities, because they have a vision (however mistaken, in some cases!) of a better community that is sincerely held.

Now, I am certainly not a perfect councillor. I don’t always agree with everything that my consituents tell me, or do everything they ask, because sometimes I think we have to stand up for what we think and believe, even if it loses us votes. I don’t always remember to get back to people, but that is occasional forgetfulness, not arrogance. And I can be a nightmare with names! However, I’m not interested in the money (it really isn’t very much!), the position or the perceived perks of being a councillor. What I am interested in is being part of the decision-making processes that means I can involve the residents of Pinhoe in making our community better, and working with other councillors to make our city better.

Exeter has proven to be very resilient in the latest Tory recession. A busy Labour MP and equally hard-working and visionary Labour councillors means Exeter has not seen the devastating levels of business closure that other areas have seen. While some towns are boarding up retail units, and seeing their public spaces deteriorating, Exeter has seen investment and regeneration.

Out on the doorsteps of Pinhoe with former
councillor Val Dixon and Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw

Throughout this winter, and up to next May’s elections you will be hearing from your local Labour candidates, councillors and activists as we will be phoning you and calling on you. It would be so easy to think “another politician”, and to fall into the trap of being cynical about local politics, but please take time to talk to us, and you will see that we are genuinely here for you.

Yes, I want your vote – like my friend from the Big Issue wanted £3 not £2 this week. But the fact that I seek your support is not something to be suspicious of – it is a sign that I want to see a great ward and a great city be even better, and I can only do that with you. I look forward to hearing your ideas, concerns and questions, and if on a frosty or rainy Saturday morning there’s a cup of tea going spare, that’d be great. (And I promise to declare it…)