Richard Baum

I don’t know what it is exactly, but there is a certain comfort which I derive from writing this blog. Sometimes it’s something obvious, like putting my side of a political story rather than what someone else has said in the papers. But a lot of the time, in the more personal posts, blogging is as good as talking to someone, without running the risk of boring them to death.

I know that sounds hugely self-involved. And I am also aware that it is a scientifically proven fact that 99.8% of the entire “blogosphere” consists of nothing but wails of egotistical claptrap spewing forth from PCs the world over. But still, please forgive me my introspection on occasion. It’s surely better than three bland lines on whichever news-nugget is being chewed by the political parties on any given day.

I’ve been a bit emotionally frail these last few days - managing to combine two of life’s more stressful events by changing jobs and buying a house in the same week. This blog has been an outlet for which I am grateful, and the hit counter tells me that about 300 of you are receiving my outpourings every time I write them.

The point of this blog was never just to be a political mouth piece. When we’ve got good stuff to say, I’ll say it, but the main purpose of the blog, from my point of view, was to start a dialogue with local people. To share my views on the issues and on life, and to hear their’s. To let local people know that I am a normal person with normal feelings and a normal life, who just happens to be elected to serve them. Nothing more, nothing less. 

So allow me the occasional lapse into myself. It helps focus my mind, and I hope it might help someone else if they think that there’s a difference between politicians and the people they serve. There isn’t, and we should all be talking more about everything from Childrens Centres to how hard it is to say goodbye to things you don’t want to leave. 

Anyway, I promise I’ll be back to talking about proper issues in no time.

Rick