This week it was ‘revealed’ that politicians are the most distrusted professionals, which unfortunately is no surprise. Something else that does not come as a surprise is the way politicians blame each other when policies are less than successful. In the UK the mud slinging is far from over on the question of the Gambling Act 2005 and the 17 new casino licences.

In the UK the Conservatives continue to bemoan the fact that Blackpool was pipped at the post by Manchester for the super casino licence, when it was due to them that there is only one super casino licence available at least for the present. This point was emphasised in parliament by Prime Minister Blair this week. His words have now reignited speculation that more than one super casino in Britain may be in the pipeline.

On the south coast of England the outgoing Liberal Democrat councillors in Bournemouth signed a casino licence deal on the eve of the election. The incoming Conservative councillors are crying ‘foul’ but hasten to add that it would cost too much for them to renege on the deal. Bournemouth’s third casino licence - Gala and Stanley Casinos already have operations there – was anticipated, but the timing of the final signing gave the politicians on both sides another chance to play the ‘one-upmanship’ game.

Political parties in the UK, and elsewhere, like to portray themselves as the most caring, whether for ecological ‘green-ness’ or for looking after people’s welfare. Of course they all have their own agendas and policies, and their word frequently is not their bond. It is easy to see why the general public on the whole distrusts politicians. Problem gambling is used as a counter balance to regeneration through gaming expansion even though numbers of addicts would be far outweighed by numbers of jobs created.

That is not to say that problem gambling should be overlooked, only that a sense of proportion should be maintained. Point scoring by politicians climbing on and off the fence on the side convenient at any given moment merely distracts attention from important issues – gambling related or not. (E-05.09.07)

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