Believe me, I’ve said no far more often than I’ve said yes. Because I’m a journalist, moderately intelligent, and have been interested in politics since – no, I can’t admit how long or you’ll think I’m a complete nerd – the Liberal Democrats regularly asked me whether I’d stand for office. I said no for a number of reasons: as a self-employed person I couldn’t afford the time (not a lot of people know that councillors are unpaid, or to be exact receive only a small allowance), and as a writer and broadcaster covering the tennis world, I have done a lot of travelling which has made any regular commitment very tricky. In addition, as someone who is passionate about the environment, I wanted to be sure that the best way to do my bit was through mainstream politics and not through a campaign or other non-governmental organisation.
So why did I relent? Was it just the drip-drip-drip of the party wanting me to stand? Well no, actually. At the root of my decision was the history of my father. Forgive me if this sounds a bit twee, but it’s all true.
My father was turfed out of the country of his birth because the political system became so devalued and the population so cynical about politicians that a group of thugs was able to take over the running of national affairs. I’m talking of Nazi Germany, but that description could refer to other countries too. Although I’m not Jewish myself, ‘Bowers’ is the Anglicisation of an old German Jewish name, and while it took until November 1938 for my grandfather to be thrown into a concentration camp, thrown he was nonetheless. Thanks to something of a bluff, my grandmother got him out, so the family was able to move to England (shock horror, I’m the son of immigrants!), and since then my father has served this country admirably.
It’s become very fashionable to become cynical about politics in this country – we think it’s somehow cool to suggest that politicians are all corrupt, and to make jokes about secret fees paid in unmarked brown envelopes, and such like. I don’t mind the jokes – humour makes life bearable – but a combination of my family background and the fact that I’ve studied history makes me deeply concerned about the possible consequences of people holding politics in contempt.
So when the LibDems came to me at the end of 2006 and asked if I’d stand in the 2007 elections to Lewes District Council, I said yes. I’m doing less travelling to tennis tournaments (thank God), I feel the time is now right for me to put something back into the community, and 904 voters in the Ouse Valley and Ringmer ward were kind (or misguided) enough to vote me into office in May 2007.
So how can I be true to my lofty ideal of fighting cynicism in politics? I guess by trying to act with integrity. A big part of that is to recognise that party political differences don’t always get in the way of cooperation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m immensely proud to be a Liberal Democrat and am fully in tune with the party’s policies, but I sense the reason for cynicism about politics is that people see politicians trying to resolve problems via playground-like squabbles based around entrenched party positions, rather than by thrashing out the issues and finding the most common sense solutions.
Therefore, I promise you I will never take a cheap shot at a politician of another party (unless it’s a joke, and let’s face it, people from all parties leave themselves wide open to mockery). I will disagree with them when I think they’re wrong, but I’ll do so respectfully and in a way that tries to understand their point of view. I know it won’t always win me friends – the angst and anguish in Ringmer over the Glyndebourne wind turbine has brought that home – but if it helps to restore a tiny bit of people’s confidence in the ability of local politics to give their concerns a fair hearing, it will be worth it.
Heavens, that was a long spiel. These politicians don’t half waffle on, eh!
