George Osborne and the Adventure of the Billionaire

There is something about George Osborne that reminds me of Harry Potter. Seriously, stick some glasses on his boyish face, scratch a bizarre birthmark on his forehead, and Osborne becomes Harry Potter. Just a boy, with powers he can’t understand or use effectively, desperately trying to make sense of a dizzying world. I don’t rate George Osborne – the Tories I know who have met him don’t either – but somehow he projects this image of innocent, feckless charm which means that he’d be one of the last politicians to be involved in a donations scandal.

Just goes to show how much I know, eh?

I don’t care about who said what at any given point of time. The tedious, playground level of this debate infuriates me, and I don’t really want to acknowledge it, let alone dissect it. What I will say about it is this: if Osborne really did meet a billionaire and didn’t try to solicit money by any means necessary, then he has a lot to learn about modern politics. He should have ignored the legalities and been begging for that loan. After all, that does seem to be the done thing…

What really does get on my tits is this attempt by the Tories to position themselves as the party of the people – more in touch with the man or woman walking down the street than their counterparts. Seriously, what a lot of big hairy bollocks. Osborne is in this position because he was invited onto a billionaire’s yacht. Maybe I just have the wrong sort of friends, but I have yet to meet anyone who has a private yacht and wants to invite me onto it. Osborne can do what the fuck he likes on his holidays; but he can’t then expect us to follow the Tory line that they understand the lives and concerns of the vast majority of people in this country. Frankly, a lot of the concerns in this country at the moment are about keeping jobs and homes. Not what went down on a billionaire’s yacht over an opulent summer holiday.

And before any Labour types start clapping their hands and gleefully shouting “class war!” like the guest speaker at a moron convention, let’s remind ourselves that a senior Labour party figure – and now government minister – was there as well. And this is the same senior Labour party figure who has had issues – resigning issues – with rich people before. And apparently this isn’t his first visit to a billionaire’s yacht under dubious circumstances. I’m sure that there are genuine working class people in the Labour party; those who want to fight for social justice and fairness in British society. To them I say this – look at Mandelson. He is – and pretty much always has been – at the very heart of the Labour party leadership. Look at him, as he swans around on the yachts of the exceedingly wealthy. He is indicative of the Nu Labour leadership, and has precisely fuck all to do with and in common with any socialists in the Labour party.

Oh, and before any Liberal Democrats get excited and start pointing out that their leader wasn’t on the yacht, let me point out that there is not a hope in hell of your boy being invited onto a billionaire’s yacht. He simply isn’t important enough.

This whole shabby incident, that has gone from Osborne gossiping about Mandelson to Osborne being asked serious questions about his conduct, shows just how rancidly corrupt and outrageously self-serving our political class is. Seriously, Osborne isn’t in power because he wants to change the world for the better. If that happens, it is a happy accident. Osborne – and Mandelson, and the vast majority of the turds in the Houses of Parliament – are there for one reason, and one reason alone. Naked self-interest. And this incident should stand as a stunning rebuke to anyone who argues that the Tories will be better than Labour. Ultimately, the Shadow Chancellor was on the same yacht as Mandelson. They are all cut from the same cloth, and their arguments are just a smokescreen for their real intentions. Which is to live off you and me as much as possible, for as long as possible.

There is an alternative; an alternative that has such a long journey to go on and needs as much support as possible. But if you are sickened by the behaviour of all parties in the self-perpetuating oligarchy that rules this nation, then I urge you – I absolutely urge you – to take a look at the Libertarian party. Yes, they will be tested on their bold claims if they ever attain political power, but at least they are willing to start from an open and honest standpoint that seems to be an anathema to any of the major political parties in this country:

“...they (LPUK politicians) will not accept offers of hospitality, travel junkets or similar freebies, which could be seen as an attempt by any individual or organisation to gain influence or favour”

I’m not just using this issue as a plug for LPUK as I am a member; rather, I am sick to the back teeth of the opulent corruption of the ruling class, and I know that change will only come from a new party committed to fighting that corruption. If you are waiting for the main parties to put their own house in order, then you are going to be waiting in perpetuity. It ain’t gonna happen.