You make some good points above, but wrapped up in a tirade doesn't help. You don't know what other people are doing with their time. You don't know how much they are commuting weekly, or what other commitments they have. You might well find that someone doesn't feel they would be useful as a Councillor but is out each weekend as a Street pastor, or helping in the Local foodbank, or a local soup kitchen or driving people to hospital appointments.
It's a tirade because there's been criticism of those who don't feel they can keep up that level of commitment anymore. Whilst simultaneously saying they have too much on themselves and they aren't prepared to do the job.
You can't have it both ways IMHO.
Either have empathy for those who've had enough or have the wherewithal to stand up and do it yourself.
That's the thing. Something has to give somewhere. Whether it be other commitments to the community or to family. And somehow people who've done their bit for public office are being demonised for 'giving up'.
How on earth does that work?
If you are critical of others not willing to continue standing, then I do think you have to be prepared to step up to the plate yourself.
What I find is its the busy people who always volunteer for everything and the load of community service isn't evenly distributed. There is a core of around 100 adults in my local community of 10,000 adults who do everything. It's taken enormously for granted.
If you genuinely are stretched with other things, I sort of find that type of criticism more gauling in a way, because you know first hand the sacrifices you make to do those things for others but somehow dismiss it as being different for elected posts where the moral obligation somehow doesn't have a finite point where people are free to say, 'I've done my shift, it's someone else's watch now'.
Collective responsibility is recognising the strain of the job.
It's taboo to have a go at doctors for the same type of thing (when it's their paid job) but not for part time or full time elected officials.
The lack of respect for those doing the job comes screaming out, in more than one way. It can be flat out violence or verbal abuse but it's also the digs about being quitters or 'giving up on their country' too.
I do get angry about it, because all there is is complaints against those who do public service in good faith rather than if the same energy was spent trying to come up with practical solutions to these type of issues. There isn't political will to make change.
We really do have the country we deserve for this reason.