Carpe Diem!

In a few days, Prime Minister Gordon Brown will visit the Queen and ask for a dissolution of Parliament, thereby signalling the official start of the 2010 General Election. All the posturing will be over, and the people of Britain will spend a few weeks being bombarded with leaflets, party political broadcasts, canvassers, and phone calls from the parties seeking their vote.

But in the political climate of 2010, does anybody really deserve our vote? Over the last year politics has been dominated by scandals involving members of the two Houses of Parliament. There was the scandal of the MP's expenses, although this also encompassed members of the House of Lords. Then just the other week, a number were caught in a trap when a team from Channel Four's Dispatches programme, convinced a number of of members leaving the House, that they could make money working for lobbying firms.

Three MP's and a member of the upper house are now facing fraud charges, because of expenses, and there is a possibility of more to follow. The issue of 'flipping' houses in order to get the most out of the second home allowances, has caused astonishment amongst ordinary members of the public, and some of the practises must have been virtually fraudulent in themselves. In the expenses scandal itself, ridiculous claims were made, and sometimes granted, duck houses, moats, trouser presses, sandwiches, mars bars. It defied normal logic!

Yet, mostly what was happening was not actually illegal. However, our MP's and seemed to have lost all sense of reality, and it was as if they had completely lost whatever moral compass they had. Politicians have never been the most popular of people anyway, and often came very low in public opinion, usually down amongst estate agents and journalists. The public is now firmly convinced that the only reason anybody enters politics is to get as much out of it as they can.

But these events were only really the final nail in the coffin of politician's reputations. The claims and counter claims that emerge from the parties, truth, half-truth and stretching the meaning of 'economic with the truth' to breaking point. Perhaps it is ironic that it is Robert Armstrong's birthday today, when once again his famous phrase is used. But the public have had enough, and unless this election campaign is able to rise itself above the mire, then it could be the lowest turnout in an election since any records were kept.

The public are impatient with the negative campaigning, as the posters have been going up for months now. Labour saying how bad the Tories will be, and the Conservatives vice versa. The personal way they are targeted as Gordon Brown's and David Cameron's pictures loom over us. This has always been a part of our politics, but now people want to hear what the parties will do, not just how awful the other lot will be

With politician's held in such disrepute, and with the prospect of them dominating our television screens for the next few weeks, their stock is not likely to increase. Even more than in previous elections, people, if they bother, will be voting for who they dislike the least. This election could be where minor parties will make the greatest impact, but more than anything it should be the Liberal Democrats golden chance to get in with the big boys.

If our political leaders had any sense, they would realise that more than ever, this is the time to be straight with the public. The economic situation is such that everybody knows that a price has to be paid, but the main parties seem reluctant to really seize the day, and be totally open about what they would do. On the Chancellor's debate last night, no one was really coming out with any detail as to where cuts would be made. All sorts of excuses can be made, that they will be announced in the autumn spending round, or that we haven't got the figures yet. But, the public are fed up with this sort of evasion.

They want to see changes in British politics. They want to believe that those who represent us really are listening, and are putting their needs first. The culture of greed must not only be seen to end, but they want to see evidence. There are many changes that will come into force in the new parliament, and members will be much more restricted in what they can claim for. But these sorts of changes are merely superficial, what the public really wants, is a total turn around in the attitude politicians display.

They want the parties to be honest about where they will cut if elected. They want numbers, and they want it explained in a manner they can understand. Those of you who read this will know what is meant by deficit, national debt, GDP, IMF INS, but that doesn't mean the general public will. And it would be patronising to assume it's because they are uneducated or not smart enough to understand.

It should not be beyond the wit of the parties to put all this into terms that reaches out to the general public. An explanation as why they think cutting should be postponed, or why it should start immediately should be made readily available. The other issues regarding care for the elderly, unemployment, cuts to services, NHS and education funding, these should be clearly defined, and how the economic situation affects each of these.

All the parties will campaign on the agenda of change, but it is the usual changes politicians talk about, and are just designed to gain or hold onto power. What the public want to see is real change in and of politics. They want to feel that the politicians are looking out for their interests, and working as the public servants they are elected to be. They want them to be more accountable, and whichever party, or parties, are in government following the election, will need to implement reform, not only in word, but in deed.

The post-election world could well be very different, whichever party wins. The public will expect real changes in behaviour, and these will need to be concrete not superficial. So our political masters have a choice this time. Be honest and really change, or forget any thoughts of being trusted ever again!