The SDLP's Mark H Durkan issued a statement letting all and sundry know that he has "contacted Transport NI asking them to make the necessary preparations now to avoid traffic chaos in the event of adverse weather."
I'm not sure I could have summed up my political philosophy so neatly as Durkan has summarized the opposite of my view here. If the offices of the state need to be told something as obvious as winter is coming and that sometimes that can mean bad weather, then I want those people to have as little influence over my life as possible.
But, if the people who work for the state are fully aware that winter is coming and with it bad weather and they don't need a reminder from an elected official then, it's worth wondering why anyone should pay so much money to a person who thinks that the governing officials need to be reminded that winter follows autumn.
I don't live in Durkan's constituency. Indeed, I don't pay taxes in that jurisdiction, but he's not alone. If he was the only one, I wouldn't care, but it seems endemic among the political class. On an almost daily basis they come up with new ways to insinuate government in our lives, but then they turn around and tell us that those who draw a salary on the taxpayer's dime are too dim to know that night follows day. Maybe they're right that those people are that stupid or maybe the elected officials have so little do that that they think this is a justifiable use of our time (and our money).
I have to admit I can't imagine that Northern Ireland's transportation department is unaware that winter follows autumn in which case Mark H Durkan clearly has too much time on his hands. Either he should be given more to do or he should have his salary cut.
Regardless, it's damning of the political creed that demands that we cede more and more of our rights and responsibilities to government and officialdom.
