Why do we write?

It's such a jaded world that even publishing has devolved from a calling to a black art ruled by a bottom line figure. Which begs the question: why do we write? Why?

Because there is a need. A desire. It wells up from deep inside us and does things which make us want to overflow with words and ideas.

Publishers do not get this. So authors are left struggling unless we make it big and then the only revenge is to make them pay.

Politicians should do drugs at least once

Politics is a funny game and politicians are…well. Ok, let’s not get too overindulged. Politicians are human like the rest of us and what we expect of them when we vote them into office is neither the purity of a friar nor the connivance of a Svengali. Most of the times we expect them to do their job more efficiently than the rest of us because (let’s face it) they are on a gravy train at our expense, and when push comes to shove we expect them to display the higher attributes of the human condition one expects of public figures invested in a position of authority or leadership.

So that means no pettiness, no back-stubbing and lots of sagacity, wisdom and generousity of spirit. I know, I know, in a few more minutes the effects of the class C substance I am smoking now will wear off and I will see them as they really are, but while I am under the influence I just cannot bring myself to write anything bad about them, which is exactly the point.

Jaqui Smith came clean with this and admitted to smoking cannabis and, you know, because she’s in charge of the government’s drugs campaign I felt – really- that much more reassured. Here was a person who had the strength of character to own up to having done what probably half the country did back in the 80s and earlier, except perhaps of former US President Clinton who had the presence of mind not to inhale, but that is an exception. The rest of the world not only inhaled but puffed and puffed and almost forgot to exhale.

So Alistair Darling and Ruth Kelly all joined that tier of politicians who understand the human condition, are part of it and when it comes to legislating have at least a perspective which those who publicly started that they haven’t and what’s more, may not possibly even imagine, have no recourse to and are therefore incapable of legislating about except in a blind, lip-serving (and possibly sycophantic) way.

So let’s keep it real. The sins of the past, in retrospect, do not instantly make us incapable of deciding between right and wrong or even understanding the set of conditions which lead us down certain choices.

We are, in the 21st century, balanced upon the edge of radicalising the very way we perceive those who are in public office. If we are happy to have asexual, puritans who have never spent a day living in the real world and understanding its pressures, then fine, but those are not the kind of people who get my vote and just to put things in perspective, we have troops involved in two war fronts in the Middle East precisely because there were societies ran by just such men, which we perceived as a threat.

So next time a politico admits to a little sinning, let’s laugh, ridicule and crack some funnies and also feel confident that they know their current job and duties and our expectations are in safe hands.