Don't forget the small stuff
People involved in politics often get asked - especially by selection committees - questions along the lines of "what political achievement are you most proud of?"
There is a tendancy to cite something big - a major project you approved or managed to stop, a large reform you put in place - because it sounds so much more impressive.
But I wonder if actually the value of any contribution we can make is as much in doing as many small things as possible which can actually make a difference to improve people's lives.
The other day I was driving past a small but highly visible plot of land in Whitehaven - won't say where as I don't want to embarrass the people concerned.
Five or six years ago this little plot, which is owned by the council, was an absolute eyesore, partly because rubble from nearby developments had been left on it, partly because people passing by had dropped litter, partly because it was over-run with weeds.
A family who lived adjacent asked if they could buy or lease it from the council. When they didn't get an encouraging response they came to me - I was at the time a Whitehaven councillor.
There were reasons why the council were not willing to sell the freehold of the land and natural caution made them reluctant to rent it out.
I pointed out to officers that the plot was currently a ghastly eyesore, which was not bringing in a penny of return to the taxpayer or being used for any useful purpose, and was not very likely to be needed in the near future. I suggested that if the family who had asked to rent it as extra garden space were allowed to do so for a reasonable sum (e,g, the modest amount a family could afford) that sum would be better than the zero income which was coming in at the moment, and it would look infinitely better than the existing mess.
The officers eventually agreed and the family concerned duly kept their side of the bargain and turned what had been a horrible mess at a highly visible junction into a beautiful garden. I drove past the spot this weekend while they were sitting in the garden and enjoying the fruits of their hard work, and reflected on the fact that because someone now cared for that spot of land it has become something which contributes to this beautiful town rather than taking away from it.
Another example of how important the little things can be came this weekend when a member of the staff of an MP was asked how her job was going, and she mentioned that she'd had a real sense of satisfaction for doing some of the spadework when her boss managed to get a medal arranged for a veteran, to which he was fully entitled but which might otherwise have taken a long time to arrive, so that it reached him in time for a key milestone in his life
It also made me think that sometimes the "small stuff" which councillors and MPs occasionally manage to deliver for people - not as often as many of us would like, but most of us get the odd little victory occasionally - probably add up to a greater increase in the sum of human happiness than many of the major "vanity projects" which sound so much more impressive really deliver.
There is a tendancy to cite something big - a major project you approved or managed to stop, a large reform you put in place - because it sounds so much more impressive.
But I wonder if actually the value of any contribution we can make is as much in doing as many small things as possible which can actually make a difference to improve people's lives.
The other day I was driving past a small but highly visible plot of land in Whitehaven - won't say where as I don't want to embarrass the people concerned.
Five or six years ago this little plot, which is owned by the council, was an absolute eyesore, partly because rubble from nearby developments had been left on it, partly because people passing by had dropped litter, partly because it was over-run with weeds.
A family who lived adjacent asked if they could buy or lease it from the council. When they didn't get an encouraging response they came to me - I was at the time a Whitehaven councillor.
There were reasons why the council were not willing to sell the freehold of the land and natural caution made them reluctant to rent it out.
I pointed out to officers that the plot was currently a ghastly eyesore, which was not bringing in a penny of return to the taxpayer or being used for any useful purpose, and was not very likely to be needed in the near future. I suggested that if the family who had asked to rent it as extra garden space were allowed to do so for a reasonable sum (e,g, the modest amount a family could afford) that sum would be better than the zero income which was coming in at the moment, and it would look infinitely better than the existing mess.
The officers eventually agreed and the family concerned duly kept their side of the bargain and turned what had been a horrible mess at a highly visible junction into a beautiful garden. I drove past the spot this weekend while they were sitting in the garden and enjoying the fruits of their hard work, and reflected on the fact that because someone now cared for that spot of land it has become something which contributes to this beautiful town rather than taking away from it.
Another example of how important the little things can be came this weekend when a member of the staff of an MP was asked how her job was going, and she mentioned that she'd had a real sense of satisfaction for doing some of the spadework when her boss managed to get a medal arranged for a veteran, to which he was fully entitled but which might otherwise have taken a long time to arrive, so that it reached him in time for a key milestone in his life
It also made me think that sometimes the "small stuff" which councillors and MPs occasionally manage to deliver for people - not as often as many of us would like, but most of us get the odd little victory occasionally - probably add up to a greater increase in the sum of human happiness than many of the major "vanity projects" which sound so much more impressive really deliver.
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