U Turn

In a week where Gordon Brown is being berated for a series of U-Turns I do think we're getting to a stage where someone can't win. If you make a decision and stick by it, you're out of touch, stubborn and not listening to the people, but if you change your mind you're weak, or performing a U-Turn and thus similarly unfit. In fact the entire weight of the media seems against you even if you're going to be man enough to admit your mistake.

Someone once said in defence of a U-Turn that "I change my mind as the available facts change, what do you do?" but for some reason we're now indoctrinated to see any change on your path of thought as weakness, rather than admitting that you are a fallible human who has found out some facts that were previously unavailable and are now correcting your stance accordingly. This is why religion is more popular than science, they never change their mind no matter how much contradictory evidence presents itself, unlike that wishy washy science which seems to go out of its way to prove itself wrong.

In politic in particular I think U-Turns should be commended. Isn't the purpose of debate to persuade and present facts. If you listen to the opposition, and they make a good point, why do we lambaste politicians for saying "I never thought of it that way. You have given me much to think about and I may revise my stance on this issue" in the press said politician will now be "Wishy washy, or U-Turning" rather than "Reasonable"

Of course some U-Turns always look better than others. Gordon Brown's half U-Turn on the 10p tax issue (Which isn't quite a U-turn more panicked scrabbling) looks far more like he's realised how bad this looks for him and is trying damage control. Worse are his opponents, who mysteriously have all of a sudden developed a conscience and started rebelling on this despite next to no attention paid when it was discussed months ago. So, in this situation Brown looks like he's trying everything bar saying "Look, it was a bad idea, consider it struck" while everyone else looks like they're just trying to gain a scrap of power.

So, what would a good U-turn look like. Well, imagine Tony Blair, a few years ago, if he said "In light of the immense public feeling regarding going to war with Iraq, I have decided not to proceed" Or with the current ID card fiasco, "You know, these things are going to cost a fortune, and to little or no reasonable gain, so I motion to stop the whole thing" Ok so the latter would get him into serious trouble with the people who have already been promised the lucrative ID card contracts, and the former would have offended his buddy George, but all U-turns have consequences. Brown's litter tax is leaving a hole in his budget to the tune of some 7 million, and no doubt bringing back the 10p tax rate would add more, but realistically, his finances are pretty much stuffed with the upcoming credit crunch so he may as well try for something a bit populist.

In short I think people should be encouraged to change tack as facts unfold. At the moment we seem to want people to stubbornly stick to their guns, even when those guns are wanting for a mind changing metaphor.