Political responsibility.

During the war I was farmed out to my grandparents....they had me till I was 7.
When my father came home from the army he failed to get any job that he wanted and started by breaking up pig iron in the local foundry. I lived in a home with few books apart from library books but there was a lot of talk. Regular visitors talked politics with my father whilst I listened and occasionally asked questions. A brave new world was about to be revealed I heard, the welfare state, the national health service, the 1944 Education act....all wonderful , marvellous ideas coming to fruition at the end of the war to end all wars.
It was no wonder that I was interested in politics...it was almost the sole topic of conversation in my growing up years.
My joining the Labour party was actually an act of rebellion. Both my parents were communists so, encouraged by Bill Vanstone who also joined the Labour Party I became the secretary of my ward party and on the executive committee of the Trades and Labour Party in Rochdale. I was 15.
I ran elections, I was on the labour group which made policy decisions every week as to how our local councillors would vote. It was serious stuff and I was left in no doubt that providing I didn't go off the rails too much , one day I too would be first a councillor and then an MP.
To be an MP was a far away dream but I always knew that all I had to do was keep on with what I was doing in order to make it!
The church got in the way. Jesus came first. I went off to college instead to be a teacher..
When I was asked in my twenties to stand for the council I turned it down...but the notion of going into politics at some stage was always somewhere lurking,,,
My ideals have been shattered in many ways by the conduct of MPs in all parties but non quite so blatantly unsuited to office as Nadine Dorries.
Her grasp of truth is so slight that its breathtaking to listen to.
She seems to be using her position to further her own future in such a blatant way that you have to wonder what the rest of her party thinks of her.
Her response to being questioned is quite extraordinary. We all have people who tell us we're wrong...a bit of debate is very healthy usually but in her case it enables her to be a victim in a very big way.
Those of us who were teachers always knew the children in the class who were seeking attention but its the first time I've seen it in a grown woman...and one in a responsible position .
During my first month on Twitter when I knew no better I got into a small tussle with her and was astonished to find a gang of right wing young women trying to bully me the following day.
She has since withdrawn from Twitter...but her blog makes interesting reading. Her views on abortion are well documented...I just hope that her party makes sure she never gets any of her policies acted upon.
This is not quite what I imagined as a girl when I thought of all the good that could be achieved by holding higher office. She's not the only one who abuses her position I am sure...just the one I am most familiar with.