SPEAKING, AS ONE DOES, OF POLITICS. WHERE ARE WE GOING AND WHO ARE WE GOING WITH? Now that we are in the run up to the local elections it surely is the time to consider not only our local elections but also what affect the outcome will have on the national scene. All my early years in local and national politics, I always found that no matter what political persuasion a candidate, standing for local or national election was, or which party they belonged to that, generally, they were always sincere in wanting to do well for their locality or the country. I also consider that when it gets right down to the nitty gritty, politics is a straight consideration between Capital and Labour Which political thoughts of the individual candidates and which party can generally bring about employment and financial benefits to the local individual and society as a whole, are paramount. Whilst the Labour Party, in my view, always have generally good and grandiose schemes both locally and nationally they have always failed to really consider that it requires money to pay for them. In addition there is the tendency to think it a good idea to have things like a new Baths Hall that it should be the taxpayers who provide the money to build it. I consider that if there was a genuine desire to have new expensive buildings or suchlike schemes that the private sector should and would provide them if there were clear indications that there was a national and local demand for them Local authorities, in my opinion, should not get involved in money spending activities which should be left to the private sector that will provide them if there is a demand and local authorities should stick in the main to items like bin collection and the like. Even that should probably be carried out by the private sector and why not? We live in a free secular society and individuals should be encouraged both locally and nationally to set up businesses of all kinds and types free from local and national bureaucracy to provide jobs and incomes by production and services of all kinds. This is the province of The Conservative Party that encourages entrepreneurs to provide these jobs and not too generally put tax and pension burdens on the ordinary workers that we have currently. 2 To my thinking, The Conservative Party is the only party that has the broad outline of political thought, warts and all, to take generally the financial implications of the UK and also at local level into full consideration. Whilst The Labour Party has dreams of local and national politics they are, in my opinion, only dreams for dreamers and if we must continue to have thoughts of socialism they should only be confined to opposition on a permanent basis.