Everyone is talking 'change' for the Westminster election when they should be talking 'Public Service', Westminster and Holyrood must change first

Dear All

As I previously posted the theme pretty well trotted out by political parties is ‘change’.

I would say ‘change’ is needed but that is subjective based on how a political party views change.

What is really needed to come back into fashion is public service; this has been mooted by various think tanks and political parties in one shape or another.

But they all missed the point.

Sonia Sodha trotted a report from Demos a think tank which was entitled ‘Service Nation’

Under Demos’ idea people would be forced to do ‘public’ service or face penalties, it was the wrong approach and never engaged the public, in fact I would go further and say she never even managed to get the title right.

People should be encouraged to do public service not by the stick but by the carrot.

Why?

Because a little kindness goes a long way and beyond the act of public service there is the change in attitude.

We want people to be good citizens but we cannot force them to be.

Volunteering brings its own rewards but there is a role for the state to reward people in some meaningful way for their help whether that is helping them gain qualifications or social opportunities to improve their lives.

Public service is wide open and can take many forms; surely the best way to encourage it is to have a clear strategy that engages with the public.

Hope should be backed up with action.

We need to have a system in place that allows people from different backgrounds the ability to try out new things and not be penalised by government because of personal circumstances.

To get a better society, we need change but we also need something more commitment.

I find it funny and pathetic that the politicians talk about rights and responsibilities when people know they can’t access their rights and government won’t even uphold their own responsibilities.

Change needs to start from Westminster and Holyrood.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University