Who is ruling Britain?

It`s an obvious question to ask, but very rarely delivered, especially by the mainstream media. The answer should be, of course, the prime minister, democratically elected only last June, but when one looks at the actions taken and in the process of being taken, it becomes more difficult to say that Theresa May is actually governing the country. That explains why the question - who is ruling Britain? - is so rarely, if at all, asked.Until now. What an opportunity thsi provides the Labourparty - ready-made fuel to add to the Tory misery. A possible question for the PM at the Wednesday session, too.

    If one looks back to May`s election as Tory leader, in July last year, it is difficult to forget that long list of seemingly good intentions, just as it is difficult to find any of those promises being put into action. She promised to "fight against the burning injustices", to help the "just about managing", to lead a government "not driven by the interests of the privileged few", and, when passing new laws, to "listen not to the mighty" but to us, the people! The autumn statement and a budget have passed since, but if the "Jams" have been assisted in any significant way, I must have missed it.

 What has been unmissable has been the way the promises have been watered down, not because we, the electorate insisted, but because the "mighty" lobbying elements did. The pro-business lobby has been behind much of May`s proposals on corporate reform, something she said was vital because excessive pay at the top threatens the "social fabric of our society". Not vital enough, however; the pledge on workers` representatives on company boards fell at the first hurdle, and now it is up to non-executive directors to stand up against CEOs and argue for better pay ratios. The latter will be published but no legislation has been promised to reduce the ratios; instead, there will be a new public register of companies facing regular shareholder opposition to their pay policies. It`s no wonder both the CBI president and the director general of the Institute of Directors are in approval. Their organisations` lobbying has borne fruit, nothing has changed, CEOs will continue to pocket at least around 100 times the pay of their average employees, and May`s promises have been forgotten; her rhetoric is well known for its ability to outweigh her actions, something clearly Labour can rally around, and repeat as one!

   Sadly, there is much more evidence which proves who actually is in charge of this country, and they clearly care not a jot about the "fabric" of our society. We might be very concerned that our government is selling weapons to the Saudis so that they can bomb Yemen, a country so devastated by war that famine and disease are rife, but that doesn`t stop the arms industry lobbyists winning the day.

     Then there`s the food industry, a lobby so influential it insists the public is not told the whole truth about what it eats; the government can harp on all it likes about putting the nation`s security first, but stands back when faced with food contamination threats. Disraeli`s 1875 legislation on food safety, the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, was largely ineffective because of the 19th century`s shortage of analysts. Now we have the analysts, their work in the public sector has seen drastic cuts by years of Conservative-dominated governments, which have been intent on reducing massively the budgets of local authorities. Politicians never tire of telling us how "security" is their priority, justifying the billions spent every year on weapons and defence. What a shame, then, that they don`t attach similar importance to the people`s security from food contamination. The  Food Standards Agency apparently  wants to "improve relationships" with the food industry!  Is that an agency which is next to useless or what? Naming and shaming supermarkets and abattoirs for their contamination levels is not enough; it hasn`t exactly had much effect in reducing tax avoidance! And who takes responsibility  for all of this? Lobbyists, the people who are really ruling Britain.

Labour should be hammering home this point; the Tories are failing in their  responsibility to rule.  

Think of the biggest of the many U turns on the Tories` manifesto made since the election, and then consider who is responsible, not that the government`s arm needed much turning - the Tories clearly know exactly where their bread is buttered! No prizes for guessing which industry`s lobbying succeeded in getting rid of the pledge to cap energy costs, a vote-winner for Labour if ever there was one. 

The betting lobby ensures the continued existence of the addictive fixed-odds betting terminals on almost every high street, and a barrage of televised advertisements on primetime TV. The building industry`s influence over government means little or no affordable or social housing is being built, with doubt increasing about safety levels of those that have appeared, for very obvious and tragic reasons.

 As for the influence of the banking and financial sectors on government policy!! The lack of substantial regulation, the fact that next to no prison sentences have resulted from the many abuses and fraudulent acts, and the refusal of governments to introduce a financial transaction tax all speak volumes.

The question remains: who runs the country? One thing is certain, it`s not Theresa May, and the sooner the people know about it, the better. Labour should be shouting it from the rooftops!