Think!
For Vim's "Everyone Gets a Soapbox" July Prompt
Introduction
This is for Vim's "Everyone Gets a Soapbox" July Prompt, which you can read here:
The music is "Think For A Minute" by The Housemartins
Think!
Churchill said:
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
However, this is the only way to give everyone a say in the outcome, but unfortunately, over time, politics in most Western countries has fallen into a two party system with a "first past the post scoring" system.
This means that with gerrymandering, parties in power can change voting areas to benefit themselves, to ensure they win the most seats with the least voters.
The Electoral College is a prime example of electoral meddling.
It was officially selected as the means of electing president towards the end of the Constitutional Convention, due to pressure from slave states wanting to increase their voting power, since they could count slaves as 3/5 of a person when allocating electors, and by small states who increased their power given the minimum of three electors per state.
The compromise was reached after other proposals, including a direct election for president (as proposed by Hamilton among others), failed to get traction among slave states. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt describe it as "not a product of constitutional theory or farsighted design.
Rather, it was adopted by default, after all other alternatives had been rejected."
The only way forward is to implement proportional representation, but current political parties are against that because it would ensure that they and their corporate owners could control nations and economies to benefit themselves.
Arguments against it are that extremists could be elected, but we now, in the USA, have them in government, and we have a severe threat of that happening in the UK and other countries.
A recent Gen Z poll in the UK showed that 53% thought that a dictatorship would be better than the current set up. This is what David Mitchell had to say in The Guardian:
According to a new poll, half of our 13- to 27-year-olds can’t see the point of all those time-wasting elections and parliaments. Why do they not know that authoritarianism is worse?
The horrifyings weren’t about viewing habits: they were about politics. The polling company Craft said that 52% of gen Z-ers think “the UK would be a better place if a strong leader was in charge who does not have to bother with parliament or elections”. I know what you’re thinking: it should be “if a strong leader were in charge”. And also: yes, that is more than half of them basically saying “screw democracy, it doesn’t work”. Another worrying: a third of them think the army should be in charge.
I was properly shocked. I thought the intellectual argument in favour of democracy had been won. The majority of the global population doesn’t live in functioning democracies, but most regimes at least claim to be a bit democratic. Until last week, I found that contemptibly hypocritical: now I think it’s heartwarming. Those lying dictators are still, like I was, taking it as a given that everyone thinks democracy is the fairest system of government. You can withhold people’s right to self-determination, but you can’t persuade them not to want it. If it’s not a democracy, it’s at least got to pretend it is.
You can read the full article here:
So please, when you use your vote THINK!! If you vote to hurt someone else, then the likelihood is that you or someone you love will be hurt. Your vote does have consequences.
In the UK, we got rid of fourteen years of Trump-lite economic destruction. The replacement is not great, but hopefully we can make it better, but thanks to the right wing media, we are still allowing fascist propaganda here, and the electorate is swallowing it with glee.
So join the protests, vote (sometimes tactically), stand up for what is right, and try to make your country fit for everyone, not just the rich and powerful.
"John Steinbeck once said that socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires."
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Comments (7)
This was very well said, Mike. It's horrifying to think that the next generation might willfully give up their own rights and opt for a dictator. "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it "
You've hit upon a touchy subject with a gentleness and wisdom very few nowadays seem to possess. Well done, Mike.
I don’t know as much about the UK as you do the U.S. Thanks for this well reasoned content
Politics is a subject too hard to understand which end is up at all times. I say just live your life the best way you can. Good job.
The Gen Z can have an opinion when they learn how to spell and punctuate a sentence.
Does it even matter anymore, everything is rigged where it cannot be seen. Not to be defeatist, but geez, everything is up for grabs. Morals...where are you hiding.
Not to mention the very real voter supression. And also the campaign lies. Can it ever be called democratic if people vote on lies and polices that are never intended to be enacted. Sound bites on the back of a bus. Sure, its our job to research before voting but there should be consequences for not following through - false advertising is a thing in retail but not in politics. More lives have been ruined by a politician than by a vacumn clear that doesn't mow the lawn. And the bloody media have so much to answer for. Sorry having my own soapbox down here -and interesting entry and glad you chose to draw attention to the issues đź’ś