Dan Hannan's opinions are VERY welcome here

There's a story in the Daily Telegraph that Andrew Lansley, the Conservative shadow health secretary has "rebuked" Dan Hannan over the latter's opinions on the NHS.

Now, interest declared - this blog is a huge supporter and admirer of Dan Hannan.

Position stated - this blog actually disagrees with Dan Hannan's opinion on the NHS.

Now that's said... the Tories should take their 'rebukings' and shove them where the sun doesn't shine.

This is what is completely and utterly appalling about British politics. The moment anyone nails their colours to a political party's mast, then their opinions are homogenised.

They cease to be an individual with individual opinions. They become little party apparatchiks. They become lobby fodder. Whatever the party decrees, that must become that political person's opinion - whether it is their actual opinion or not.

Given a choice between the Conservative Party or Dan Hannan, we would choose Dan Hannan anytime. Tell them to naff off, Dan. Then get yourself into Westminster and represent those of us who are able to think for ourselves. Gosh, we so need representation!

Given a choice between some silly lobby fodder pointless politician and a person with compassion and individual thought that they express publicly, we would choose the latter.

It ties in with what we said about George Galloway recently.

We may well disagree with George Galloway until the cows come home. However, he knows his own mind, he expresses it... and even if you disagree with him, he does at least contribute something to debate.

All three of the main political parties do this. They dictate what their members say, think and do.

It is utterly to the detriment of us, the people that these politicians are meant to represent.

This then ties in with representation. How many times have you written to an MP and received back something that simply copies and pastes from a political party briefing.

Try writing to a Labour MP about the lack of democracy evident in Gordon Brown being PM, for example. We can tell you what the reply will be. Only, we received two such replies from different MPs. Almost identikit including grammatical structure.

Now for change. Time for change. We want change - blah, blah, blah.

This blog is bored tireless by sterile political 'debate' which normally involves different faces arguing about a difference that one can barely wedge a cigarette paper into.

We want change. We want Dan Hannan, we want George Galloway, we want Frank Field, we want Boris Johnson.

We want party politicians or individuals with their own minds who are capable of expressing them and, therein, stimulating political discourse.

What we do not want is more flaccid, sterile posturing handed down from Party HQ and masquerading as individual opinion in a 'democracy'.

Have we explained enough? Can you see the point? Hope so. Thing is, we're told we live under a democracy. How can it be, when people in political life are told what to say and slapped down if they dare drift off-message?

That's not democracy. It's an insult to our intelligence and a sham.