Democracy in Disrepute

© OECD

The United Kingdom has for long prided itself on having one of the world’s most highly regarded democracies. The history and workings of the parliamentary political system have facilitated the smooth transition of power for generations. However, recent going ons has meant that its gilded reputation has become less than sparkling. In recent times other than Tony Blair and David Cameron there hasn’t been a prime minister that has been elected into the post. Now a new prime minister is about to be chosen but by a narrow partisan political group rather than a national mandate. Of the two contenders for prime minister; one is seeking to defund civil servants who work in the North, and the other wants to defund deprived neighbourhoods all over the country. So we are left to put up with a pantomine prime minister playing out his last days; and two witless clowns spouting inanities in the slap dash scramble to succeed him in the circus.

The parliamentary and presidential political systems in the United Kingdom and United States are generally considered to be the foremost examples of the democratic process. However, neither of them actually make provision for the country prime minister or president to be elected directly by a straightforward majority count of votes. The U.K. is comprised of four nations yet in recent years the country’s prime minister has come from a political party that barely wins enough votes to come second in three of those nations. And still the prime minister is able to assume office as the leader of a United Kingdom! In America there have been two recent elections in which the winner of the presidency actually failed to win the popular vote. At least Vladimir Putin had the decency to dispense with the people’s mandate and take power by trickery and scheming. 

Across the world democratic elections now represent a trade off between partisan jingoism and nationalist fear mongering. Ideology and public service barely get a look in anymore. The notion of a democracy being a government of the people for the people has become a distant ideal. Now government’s get voted in to protect special interests. No true democracy should elect a national leader without a national vote in which the whole electorate gets a say. France’s elections are one of those to adopt this approach but even  then it doesn’t guarantee the election of a universally liked candidate. Too often a compromise has to be settled on between aspirants who might often be considered a choice between bad and worse. 

Democracy has evolved from from a political idea into a universal ideal. However, a system in which the will of the citizens is subverted by the desires of a select few is not ideal or even acceptable. However, while a powerful elite only seek to perpetuate their control and power then the majority will remain disenfranchised. 

20 F***king 20!

This has been a year to look back on and tremble. Globally, locally and personally it has been a real challenge. I think there have been more difficult years but rarely has a perfect storm eased its way in so unheralded and proceeded to mercilessly devastate all before it. People have faced all kinds of trials, and regrettably some have had to pay the ultimate price. 

This is the year that the rest of the world finally found out how exclusion and isolation feel for Black people. This year the police’s brutal suppression of Black citizens was met with a focused and purposeful wall of Black resistance. This has been the year that Black people finally realised the real strength of street knowledge. Black people came to the realisation that facing up to systemic discrimination cannot be successfully countered just by marches or any means necessary. Black people are now organising to question the workings of the system through political activism and engagement. They are working on changing the narrative on how law enforcement and policing needs to start meeting the demands of future community safety requirements. The year Nigerians decided that being policed by force had to stop. The year we painfully said rest in power to the Black Panther; Chadwick Boseman. My heart is still heavy from the loss of the inimitable Bill Withers, resting comfortably in Grandma's Hands.

This is the year that a global pandemic has sneaked upon us and pretty much brought life as we know it to a standstill. Thanks to a chronic lack of awareness on the part of governments across the world opportunities were missed to contain covid-19 in 2019. The virus marched into 2020 and did what Napoleon and Hitler failed to do; literally conquered the world. This is the year in which the maxim, “better to be lucky than good” was turned on its head. Covid-19 has absolutely no regard for luck and those people who neglected to be good have come a cropper in no uncertain terms. This is the year that the British government went down an extremely wrong headed path of trying to engineer herd immunity in its populace. The UK has subsequently recorded over 80,000 excess deaths. It is the year that the lives of millions of Americans were placed in the hands of Jared Kushner resulting in over 300,000 deaths from covid-19 in America. 

We all would like to believe that we are part of huge human family but this year the pandemic has shown us that when the chips are down people feel very little responsibility for the health and wellbeing of their neighbours or fellow citizens. There have been multiple instances of people profiteering, hoarding essential items and physically fighting to get their hands on what they might have considered to rapidly diminishing desired commodities. When simple safety measures could possibly save lives some people have been protesting against face coverings, lockdowns and social distancing. 

This is the year when the expression “oven ready” had its poorly regarded reputation further sullied by the UK government’s increasingly fraught efforts to get the better of the EU in Brexit trade negotiations. The year when many Brexiteers started to realise that being a union of one can be very paralysing. Achieving Brexit is starting to feel somewhat like climbing to the top of Mount Everest and then having to be stretchered down to the base thanks to summit sickness. So this is the year that the United Kingdom quit the European Union to follow its dream of becoming a 1950s noir lone wolf. 

This is year that democracy was put on red alert. It is no longer the strong rock everyone assumed it to be. Extreme right wing nationalism has stepped onto centre stage and will no longer stay hidden behind conservatism. A case is being made for autocracy and fascism and it is gaining mainstream followers. All of a sudden pushing back against globalism and  multilateralism has become a rallying cry for a virulent wave of populism. Democracy has been shown to be flawed and the democrats are floundering.

With all that has happened this year it is worth pointing out that this year couldn’t stop itself ending. Now whether all the mess ends with this year will be down to everyone all over the world. There is no doubt going to be some tough times ahead but they don’t have to be as fatal as they have been this year. I don't think I have any resolutions for the new year but I do have one resolve; not to worry about the future and just let the future worry about contending with me.