Friday, December 11, 2009

Thoughts from the Train: star light, star bright...

One of the key differences between living in a big city and a countryside village is the diminished level of light pollution. On the sort of evening we had last night, cloudless and crisp, the sky over Creeting St Peter is an explosion of pin-sharp stars, and even galaxies. You can see the constellations clearly, which reminds me of one of the other pleasures of escaping the big city, the seeming ability to see things that are further away more clearly...

National politics tends to be the politics of the big cities, and dominated by London. The 'choice agenda', for example, rather depends on having a critical population density. If an area 10 miles by 10 miles has a population of 10,000, there is only so much scope for schools, or surgeries or the other underpinnings of a liberal society.

But perhaps the biggest problem of national politics is that, like cities, the pace is comparatively frenetic. The combination of 24/7 news media, and the increasingly aggressive nature of political discourse, drives politicians into action, any action, in order to give the impression that something is being done. It tends to generate short-term thinking, with little analysis and a shaky grasp of the long-term implications.

In my tiny parish, I find myself grappling with decisions that are not big, and not very complex, but require a sense of long-erm planning. There may only be ten street lights, but they need to be renewed - eventually. I need to ensure that I make provision for their replacement, whilst ensuring that we can fund ongoing activities. In short, I need to think about where we might be in 2020, not just next year.

Oh yes, I accept that running a country is far more complex than running a village. However, that's what civil servants and political advisors are for. And perhaps a little time in a rural setting might give them the opportunity to kick back, watch the stars and think beyond the distractions and the glare of a big city...

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