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904   5 January 2003   

I understand Lord Saatchi...

I think I know what Saatchi is getting at, with his Credo Michaelis.  Saatchi has sensed voters' disillusionment with career politics and the political salariat. 

"Michael Howard", Saatchi is saying, "is different - he is an old-style leader, whose motives are not materialistic".  Howard is not "in  it for himself".  Saatchi's aim is to persuade us that Michael Howard really does believe in whatever he says - that he is not merely pursuing a career, exchanging Courtroom fees for a ministerial salary - he is a leader with a real mission to improve the lot of society.  It does not matter what he believes in - the Credo after all, is quite absurd in its emptiness.  But it has successfully claimed the news-space for over twenty-four hours (itself a key strategic objective...).  And it certainly does address a central element in prevailing public disillusionment.
  • What matters is the constant repetition of the term "believe" - that is the subliminal message.   Read the text with this in mind...

"I believe it is natural for men and women to want health, wealth and happiness for their families and themselves

I believe it is the duty of every politician to serve the people by removing the obstacles in the way of these ambitions

I believe people are most likely to be happy when they are masters of their own lives, when they are not nannied or over-governed

I believe that the people should be big. That the state should be small

I believe red tape, bureaucracy, regulations, inspectorates, commissions, quangos, 'czars', 'units' and 'targets' came to help and protect us, but now we need protection from them. Armies of interferers don't contribute to human happiness

I believe that people must have every opportunity to fulfil their potential

I believe there is no freedom without responsibility. It is our duty to look after those who cannot help themselves

I believe in equality of opportunity. Injustice makes us angry

I believe every parent wants their child to have a better education than they had

I believe every child wants security for their parents in their old age

I do not believe that one person's poverty is caused by another's wealth

I do not believe that one person's ignorance is caused by another's knowledge and education

I do not believe that one person's sickness is made worse by another's health

I believe the British people are only happy when they are free

I believe that Britain should defend her freedom at any time, against all comers, however mighty

I believe that by good fortune, hard work, natural talent and rich diversity, these islands are home to a great people with a noble past and exciting future."

I rest my case.

What is your view of this phenomenon?  Drop me a line

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905  25 December 2003  

Sikhism
Lesson in civilisation

We all share the shame of the tragic Christmas Eve murder of 78-year-old Sikh pensioner Sohan Singh, who was staying with his relatives in the UK, and working as a volunteer at the Guru Nanak Temple in Wolverhampton.  Intruders murdered him, as he tended the Temple overnight.  This was a heinous crime.

A Sikh Temple is a remarkable place.  Sikhism holds that it should be open 24 hours every day, with four entrances open to all points of the compass, and with food always available to those who come. That is a powerful symbol of the kind of society I want to live in - open, warm, welcoming, liberal, optimistic about human nature.  The brilliant Swansea mechanic who services my Mercedes, Tajinda Singh, tells me of the merits of Sikh philosophy, its openness and universality.  And just before Christmas in London I had a chance meeting with an eloquent young Sikh Gurpal Singh, also from Wolverhampton, who was on a study-tour of Westminster, planning to become a lawyer.

  • My ideal society would adopt the model of the Sikh Temple as a secular institution, a welcoming hearth where all newcomers to our communities would be honoured and made welcome - 24/7.

What do you think?  Drop me a line

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