Letter: There Are Few Choices That Are Not Political

Published on: 27 Feb, 2026
Updated on: 27 Feb, 2026

From Brian Creese

Labour party activist

In response to: Those Who Say They Are Apolitical Are Being Dishonest

As regular readers will probably know, I don’t often agree with Lib Dem Cllr George Potter (or he with me!) but in this case I couldn’t agree more.

For some people, saying they are “not political” is seen as some sort of positive attribute, but as George points out above, there are few choices in public life which are not political to some extent – and anything to do with money is inevitably so.

How much money to raise, in what way and how is it to be spent, are all political decisions.

In the modern world, where we all spend too much time talking to like-minded people in social media bubbles, the answers can seem commonsensical and obvious. But contact with the wider world often shows that not to be the case.

I believe by being openly political we are advertising that we have a certain set of core principles which will inform judgements and decisions.

If you say you are “not political” then voters have no idea what you believe in, what your convictions and philosophies are. Are you tax and spend, or austerity; pro or anti regulation, for or against the public or private sector?

Aligning yourself with a political label does define your entire belief system, but does give people a good idea of where you are coming from.

Responses to Letter: There Are Few Choices That Are Not Political

David Roberts Reply

February 27, 2026 at 6:16 pm

Though not party-political, I’m deeply suspicious of people who claim to be non-political or that politics don’t matter. Candidates standing as “independents” ignite an immediate amber light in my brain. And appeals to “common sense” flash bright red.

Almost everything is political. If you disagree, name any public issue that’s not.
- Angela Richardson Reply
  
  February 28, 2026 at 12:42 am
  
  Cemeteries, allotments, playgrounds. Just a few of the things that I dealt with as a Cranleigh parish councillor.
  hanging baskets and a proper Christmas light switch-on – just two things Guildford needs to get back.
  
  Angela Richardson is the former Conservative MP for Guildford.
  - David Roberts Reply
    
    March 1, 2026 at 4:24 pm
    
    Surely Ms Richardson, a professional politician, isn’t suggesting these things are not political.
    
    Cemeteries and Christmas lights are associated with faith politics, and have both got snarled up in the nasty culture wars that her party initiated.
    
    Bigots have desecrated cemeteries while multiculturalists callfor parity with Christmas for Diwali and the Eid. Allotments and hanging baskets take us into a highly charged zone of sustainability, including water wastage and the shrinking availability of public green space as land is sold off for housing.
    - Angela Richardson Reply
      
      March 2, 2026 at 5:56 pm
      
      I’m suggesting that these things don’t need to be dragged into a political debate as Mr Roberts has suggested above. He makes it sound all very sad when we could use a dose of positivity quite frankly.
      
      The community knows what it values. My suggestion is that those standing at Parish or Town level commit to keeping these basic amenities operational and delivers on that promise.
      
      It doesn’t need to be overcomplicated otherwise it will deter good people from stepping forward. Perhaps, though, that is the wish of the political parties who are pushing so hard to keep it political. Are they hoarding power for themselves?
      
      Angela Richardson is the former Conservative MP for Guildford
Gavin Morgan Reply

March 4, 2026 at 7:55 am

It is refreshing that our former MP recognises that not every local issue needs to be drawn into a wider political contest.

There will probably never be agreement on whether everything in life is political. That is a philosophical debate and an interesting one. But the practical question at parish and town level is rather simpler: what model of organisation best serves the community?

Under electoral rules, candidates who are not members of a registered political party cannot use a party label and are often described as “independent”. I always assume they are motivated a desire to focus on local matters without formal party alignment but voters can find out about them and decide for themselves

Perhaps we can agree that different models of local representation exist in good faith and let residents decide which they prefer in a town council.
David Roberts Reply

March 4, 2026 at 6:39 pm

I’m sorry if it sounds negative, but dragging things into politics is not the issue. The issue is pretending that the politics aren’t there. Take Christmas lights. Many would say it’s “obvious” and “common sense” that we’re a Christian country and should celebrate accordingly. Others would query that or find it offensive. It should be debated politically. Hiding behind a non-political or “independent” label can be deliberately deceptive.
Jeremy Holt Reply

March 6, 2026 at 12:16 pm

So much that has been written recently in The Dragon has been confused by what people mean by “political”.

Of course, in one sense, everything is political.

What many detest is that so many local councillors put their own aspirations and the needs of their national parties above their service to the residents they fail to represent.
Angela Richardson Reply

March 10, 2026 at 10:02 am

I’ve seen motions tabled at borough council meetings on subjects that should rightly be debated in Westminster and raised with the Member of Parliament. What did those motions achieve? Precisely nothing.

Too many people are drawn into local politics because they can have a platform to speak, want to continue their days of student politics and are not necessarily driven by a relentless focus of actual delivery that would be required in the private sector to stay employed.

Turning a Parish or Town Council into a debating chamber will leave local people worse off. Endless debating is confusing and unproductive. Just get on with the job and if people disagree they will chose someone else to have a go.

Angela Richardson is the former Conservative MP for Guildford.
- David Roberts Reply
  
  March 12, 2026 at 1:58 pm
  
  It’s quite right to decry “student politicians” (Cllr Potter take note?) but I’m sceptical about the fashionable mantra of “actual delivery” that is supposed to impress us voters that our leaders have a laser-like focus on our concrete interests. Politicians aren’t postmen and “delivery” begs the question of what should be delivered and why.
  
  That’s the role of politics. Politicians don’t have to belong to a party, but unless they have a strong ideological framework and policy vision they cannot challenge existing limitations, structures and assumptions. It’s precisely because pragmatic politicians lack those attributes, that they find themselves so boxed in on delivering anything. And it’s precisely for want of an articulated policy on local development issues, for instance, that GBC lets itself be led by the nose by technocrats.
  
  Councils should obviously not be wasting time over gender identity or Palestine, but local politics is not just about services. It’s also about expounding ideas and setting policy guidelines, with clear manifestos that we can all vote to accept or reject.