Good men, doing nothing

 Some people ask why I comment on "wrongs" that don't directly affect me. The answer's here ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

Something wrong still deserves comment, whether you are personally affected or not.

"Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Stuart_Mill) -  usually presented as "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".

Me too?

Apparently quite a lot of people are considering standing for Council at next year’s General Election.  Younger people.  People with a vision for how St Helena should be run.  People who, in my (and, I suspect, most of the electorate’s) estimation, would be good Councillors, committed to doing good things for the island.  And I gather there is only one big thing holding them back.

They don’t, in the words of one, want to be “A lone voice in a sea of dickheads”.

They fear that if they stand and are elected, but find themselves on Council with the current “Old Guard” incumbents, they will be bullied and harassed by these dead-heads until they leave, as has happened in recent years to other younger, brighter Councillors.

I understand their fear.  It is an entirely realistic scenario.  It has happened before.

Only if we can get enough of these younger, more competent people to put their names into the ring so that progressive and motivated Councillors can form a majority can we have any hope of electing a more forward-thinking Council, committed to serving the needs of the people of St Helena rather than just doing what the officials tell them to do while feathering their own nests.

(For the avoidance of doubt, I don’t believe all our current councillors to be lazy, incompetent or border-line corrupt).

So how do we get these people to declare themselves so that others with the same motivations can see them and think “Yes, me too...”?

If I knew the answer I would not be asking the question.

(And, also for the avoidance of doubt - - - I’m not one of them.)