Blogging’s been a touch light non-existent today as I’ve been out at Camden Markets visiting, amongst other things, one of the coolest shops in London (Cyber Dog). Anyway, now that I’m back and have had a chance to read the news I thought I’d chip in on the latest entrant to be the next MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Miss Great Britain.
Gemma Garrett, the current title holder, has launched her bid in an attempt to get another round of press coverage:
"…make Westminster as glamorous a place as its fellow European legislatures, where beautiful women abound in the higher echelons of government."
Whatever you think about Gemma’s run for parliament, and having met her at Radio 5 a while back I’d add that she’s pretty savvy, it’s important to bear in mind that her bid is if nothing else a profound statement about the pluralist liberal democracy we enjoy.
It’s easy to forget that the, relatively, civil manner in which we choose our representatives isn’t the norm. We enjoy a system that affords people the freedom to form parties - whether it’s Gemma’s Beauties for Britain party, the Monster Raving Looney party, the Conservatives, or Labour - and stand for office. We enjoy a system where close run battles are settled by recounts rather than bloodshed.
Gemma won’t win in Crewe and Nantwich, but the fact she’s standing at all serves to remind us that we have won perhaps the greatest battle of all; the battle for freedom.
Let’s hope we never forget it…
Posted by Letters From A Tory on May 6th, 2008 at 9:37 am:
Boy, could politics do with a breath of fresh air like her. Ann Widdecombe just never did it for me.