A vote for the IKEA party?

It’s no secret that I’m an IKEA fan, and as I was standing, Wickes ratchet screwdriver in hand (Very, very handy piece of gear, the ratchet screwdriver.) proudly surveying my newly-assembled Benno DVD towers, I started thinking: Why can’t we have a party run on IKEA principles? Think about it. You go to the store, see the piece of furniture you want as it will appear in your home, decide that it is a price that you are willing to pay, pay it, and get what you want. Simple.

Imagine we had a party like that. That made very simple, measurable priomises, and told us what we would be paying in taxes or fees for them. And that is all they promised, as opposed to the current “These cutbacks are terrible. There will be no cutbacks when we are in power.” nonsense which debases politics and makes disappointed voters cynical. A party that, for example, didn’t promise a perfect health service but instead said “OK. Every family not on the GMS will get two vouchers for two free GP visits per year. Won’t solve all your problems, but it’s a dig out when one of the kids is sick and will save you €60. And you’ll know whether we deliver the promise or not.”

This coming election, I don’t know who I’ll be voting for, but I suspect they’ll be the people promising the least.