Gradually, all things become clear.

How many still believe in the integrity of modern British politics? How many still think that Labour have a core policy and stand for something distinct from the Tories, both of whom are different from the Liberal Democrats? If you do you aren't alone, many people think that way. Many have also become disillusioned with politics altogether and have completely disconnected (cognitive dissonance) choosing not to vote or even consider political issues at all these days. Others, growing in number, see the whole thing in a different light and see our career politicians as one homogeneous whole a single party almost - we could accurately call them Gradualists, but what have they done for the UK over 40 years?

To help follow the UK Gradualist Party, let's look at something we all know plenty about, Europe. Over the last 40 years "Europe" has gained ever more influence in our social structuring, political decision making, economic policy, defense and even our legal rulings. Now I can imagine that there are some people who think it's always been this way. They can be forgiven for thinking there have always been European commissioners tasked with tackling the thorny issues such as what weights and measures must be used, how straight bananas must be and precisely what town an Eccles cake can be baked in. Directives are very important, you may think, where would we be without EU commissioners and directives! Well that's an understandable perspective if you were born in the 80s maybe, but how did this all start you may also ask? You may think the British public asked to vote to have commissioners enforce EU directives? No. Did our political representatives at the time look at this European policy, consult the electorate and then represent our views? Again the answer's no.

Actually this state that now looms over our nation pouring in rules that our MPs slavishly obey and draining away billions in silent taxation was never voted in. Instead it was slipped into the British consciousness as the EEC so we could benefit from a "Common Market" with our neighbors. From 1973 there has been, a gradual increase in our Euro funding, Euro policy making and Euro dominance over the UK and every time someone has been astute enough to raise the question of REFERENDUM on the Euro subject, we have always been told by the MPs of the day that - "there is no need for a referendum because they (MPs) aren't really taking us into Europe, they are cannily keeping close enough to benefit but not actually in deep enough to worry the electorate about voting on it".

That's an example of what MPs of the Gradualist Party, have done for Britain, just how well they have represented their constituents and kept Britain out of the EU. Regardless of their political party or policy whilst in opposition (always changes when they get in), they have each allowed the steady erosion of the British ability to govern themselves and have lead us to where we are today. Ted Heath, Harold Wilson, James Callahan, Margret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron. They have all fought expensive campaigns to convince you to vote for them and what they stand for that is distinctly different from their competition. Yet despite their boasting individualism in their policies and beliefs, they have somehow managed to consistently slip Britain into the very heart of the expensive, repressive and undemocratic EUSSR - whilst all claiming we aren't in the EU and don't need a referendum! Now that describes an incredible 40 year coincidence or as some might put it, a common purpose leading to gradual "behavior modification".Why gradual?

Well, my grandmother wasn't alone in not wanting "deeper relations" with Europe. She didn't like decimalisation and didn't trust a European Economic Community, even, if it promised Free Trade. She didn't like the thought of Europeans telling British people what to do. Not for any dogmatic or bigoted reasons but because she believed that it was the start of a creeping agenda and that political representatives are there to REPRESENT the people in their community and they are the ONLY people close enough to do so properly. How can a total stranger represent you? They can't and if you give a stranger say in your affairs you can ONLY expect to be DIRECTED not REPRESENTED. You see she was old fashioned, she believed that a democracy should be democratic. She also, along with many others, would not have accepted the "directives" that my son accepts as "the way it is", not with breath in her body. So, to avoid any trouble, better to flood society with cheap food, cheap goods, HDTV, lots of TV channels, cheap booze, cheap loans, gadgets and allow the slow creep of gradualism to go unnoticed for a decade or two!

Well that's a look at one aspect of Gradualist political policy in the UK, start to finish, but of course there's more to it. The rise of the multi national corporation for example. Despite monopolies commissions corporations have become multi national businesses with huge spheres of influence, especially their political lobby. That gradual rise in profit, power and influence, almost parallels the EU rise in many respects. Banks have also risen during the same time, much like the corporate giants, each consuming another until we have a few banking "groups" that exert a worldwide influence the likes of which has never been seen openly before. The banks are hugely influential these days and the City of London doubtless exerts huge influence over decision making in the UK and beyond!

So gradually, a superstate, superbanks and supercorps have grown up until they over shadow us. All with super budgets. The superstate takes super taxes to pay for it's super policies. The super banks make super profits to pay super bonuses and the supercorps manufacture super goods super efficiently making super profits. What have we got?

Super Tax. Super unemployment. Super debt. Super worry. Super inflation. You don't have to be a super sleuth to see where the point of balance has shifted to.

If you are anywhere below corporate executive, merchant banker or politician in the social scale in the UK (or anywhere for that matter) you have just been part of a gradual slide out of work, financial independence and democratic representation. It's not dramatic to describe what has happened in the UK as the controlled social demolition of a nation. If you have a job in manufacturing with prospects in the UK you likely program or maintain a robotic or mechanical production line. If you used to manufacture things with your hands, someone in India or China is doing that now. The debts that banks allowed to get out of hand in order to profit on your feeling rich are being called in and even though the taxpayer (that was you before your work place closed) has bailed out these banks, they will still take your home if you fail to keep up repayments.

It's tough, unless you are in the top 5% and given the state of the UK education system, getting into that 5% has just about become impossible. Well there is the long shot I suppose, of being born into it! Sarcasm aside, at such an epic low what does your government do for you? Remember, the people you pay to govern, to manage things while you work to put money into the system, those guys. What is their priority? They tell you to grin and bare the coming austerity that is "inevitable" if we are to get through these tough times. Talk about putting the crap hat on it! These people study PPE at Oxford University (Philosophy, Politics & Economics) and that's the best they can come up with on our behalf!?!

So what's coming? Well they have been gradually telling us how the NHS will need to be cut back, so will government & local authority spending, benefits (especially those benefit cheats that cost us SO much) will need to be tightened up and taxes will have to rise - you can't just mend the puncture you know, got to re inflate the tyre! That's what you the great British citizen has to do for the good of our big society, take all that austerity and volunteer for the jobs the council can't afford to pay someone to be accountable for anymore. Still, those making the big bucks will help out the society that's being so big on their behalf..wont they?

Osbourne said he'd get tough with these guys and he sure sounded like he was ready to take the bull by the horns. Never mind that the banks got bailed out and promised to start lending again to restart the economy. Let's not dwell on the fact they didn't start lending again and the economy still isn't recovering, let's move on. They were told by our staunch and serious MPs that they shouldn't pay out massive bonuses, which they did anyway, still, Osbourne said he's having none of it. So what does he come up with - Project Merlin, is he reading too much Harry Potter? OK, well if the banks aren't being pressed to help support the system that supported them when times got tough maybe the massively profitable corporations will put back into the system that nurtured their growth?

Well, Osbourne and Cameron do think it's time to change the way that multi national corps contribute. You see at the moment if the multis move money to the UK that has been taxed elsewhere at lower rate than they pay in the UK, they are liable to the UK for the difference. But that's just not right say our astute political leaders, instead isn't it better that the corporation doesn't pay anything at all on money moved here from foreign branches into the UK economy? That's right, when the UK economy is at an all time low due to commercial bankers greed, investment bankers immoral speculation and corporate relocation to the east for profit, and the UK needs more money in the coffers to deal with the mess the experts got it into - it is the considered opinion of those that represent you to cut corporate taxes and not to increase the banking levy. Still the more things change the more they stay the same eh? Barclays Bank just released figures saying their corporate taxes were less than 3% of their profits - how much of your income is taxed? One way or another around 85% of the money you are lucky enough to claw in gets syphoned as state revenue - to SUPPORT THE SYSTEM. Reading helps rationalize.

You know these politicians regularly come down on the side of certain groups whilst demonizing others. A recent example would be "benefit claimants". You know how nasty they are, yeah, it was all over the news, how they cost us all that money. £1.5 billion a year they say. They also say that tax evasion costs us £15 billion a year and fraud costs us £30 billion! So Experian are being brought in to fight the benefit fraud, that's public spirited of them, unless they are charging for their services of course - in which case I wonder what saving 1/10 th the cost of tax evasion in lost revenue will cost the taxpayer? Just another example of the political smoke and mirror policy game that has become common place these days. Sound bites designed to be provocative, divisive and emotive, yet when you look at them in detail - flim flam. It's time to pay very close attention to what these people are doing in your name.

It's always been lost on me why those that strive the most to achieve and maintain higher financial status are seldom satisfied by anything they achieve. History shows this time and again, wretched creatures whose bellies are full yet are always hungry - hungry ghosts. They lose their touch with humanity. I wonder if that is what turns them into such caricatures of themselves. I also wonder if the point at which they leave their humanity behind is also the point at which they become incapable of ethical reasoning. Because the crazy thing is, the top 5% of the worlds biggest earners and businesses would continue to be the top 5% even if they conducted ethical business - that is pay tax, fair wages, considered the environment, played by the rules, etc. Sadly that doesn't seem to have any value to them. Much as I pity those people for losing all that matters in their headlong chase to bury their insecurities beneath monuments of epic short sightedness I can't help but feel their game has to come to an end now because, in the words of someone concise:

"The people running things are all about power. Power is everything to them. They will do anything to hang onto that power. They will lie and steal and kill. They will rape and pillage. They will sell their grandmother. They will turn the entire planet to shit in their quest for power and will still be willing to trade whatever remains for five minutes, just five more minutes as King of the Shit Planet."

Gradually a minority has cornered everything a civil society should have on offer to all within it. Work, wealth, education, good food, clean water, good health, shelter, freedom of expression, political representation, etc etc - ad nauseam. There's not much left that you can claim as being naturally and inalienbly yours, regardless of your social standing. All brought about gradually because that minority realized long ago that you can crap on people as much as you want, as long as you do it... gradually!

Best wishes - Mark