Philosophy and politics

I have long been an ardent follower of the thoughts and beliefs that made Edmund Burke such a singular politician. My musings this week in Proper Gander were written before the election results came in. Now that the people have decided, I can allow myself some more Burkeian reflections. Indeed, when the new Council Leader meets me on Monday, I intend to offer my unswerving loyalty to his cause and quote my mentor yet again. He once wrote: "You can never plan the future by the past" How true this is and how much it has been my inner call-to-arms since I arrived in Somerset in 2003. I have sought to innovate with originality and flair. I have won for Somerset the glittering accolades that previously eluded them. I have secured partnerships, changed minds and introduced adventurous thinking. I am, just like Edmund Burke, a true creative. Yes, I have been detracted. Yes, I have sometimes erred. But I would defend my record against all critics. And I urge Ken Maddock to leave well alone and ignore the only quotation by which Edmund Burke is always remembered: ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’