Saturday, July 9, 2016

End of Empire - the US Republican anti-government party

G'Day there,

Conventional wisdom used to tell us that politicians are selfless servants of the people, striving to improve the lot of the common man (and woman).

The behavior of politicians in America, Britain and Australia point to a more sinister, selfish and myopic motivation that in the long run could foment revolution and the end of democracy as we know it.

In winter 2008 Barack Obama came to power in the US. He won 69.5 million votes, the highest amount ever won by a presidential candidate in an election where 131 million votes were cast, the biggest turnout of voters in US history. Obama had a huge, resounding mandate to tackle severe problems of a global economic recession and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What happened next, the behavior of the opposition Republican party, was truly astounding, mind blowing and so anti-democratic it borders on treason. It is well documented(1) that sitting law makers such as Paul Ryan (now the leader of the House of Representatives) and Eric Cantor along with ex-heavyweights such as Newt Gingrich came up with plans to sabotage each and every policy of their new president and to make Obama a one term president. Such a nefarious conspiracy still merits the death penalty today so the Republican party was very serious and very determined to stop the president and return to power. Unsurprisingly, Obama failed to recognize the extent to which his sworn enemies would go to usurp his authorities. Indeed most US citizens would balk at the term "sworn enemies" but pacts against the democratically elected leader of the country indicate the machiavellian commitment to their goal.

The US Republicans have now extended their drive to power by encompassing Hillary Clinton in their remit. Their campaign for the next presidential election makes it crystal clear that they will stop at nothing to regain power in America.

So, the US Republican party are obviously no longer selfless servants of the people, rather they strive at all costs and by all means legitimate or otherwise, fair means or foul to rule in America despite the wishes of the American people. In a nutshell, they have become the anti-government party.

But the US Republicans are clearly not history buffs. Governance requires transparency, respect and cooperation. Ruling by secret pacts, disrespecting other political parties and trampling on the wishes of the people will result in chaotic failure. The French Revolution, the Russian Revolutions, the rise of Hitler and numerous other lessons proliferate in our history books.

Rule by anti-government dictat will be brief and bloody. America will end with revolution or dictatorship. Either way, the Republicans have changed the nature of US Democracy forever. The end of the American Empire, of America the super power, is well under way.

References
(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/25/robert-draper-anti-obama-campaign_n_1452899.html

Saturday, July 2, 2016

the Uk leaps about - Brexit - or how to shoot your own foot

G'Day there,

A major miscalculation by the Conservative PM James Cameron may actually help the UK to clean house. Cameron sought to quell the Euro-sceptics in his party by obtaining a manadate from the public on EU participation. But instead of overwhelming public support that silenced the critics, he discovered that the pollys from both sides and Brussels are hopelessly out of touch with the people they are supposed to represent.

A swift kick up the bum, or rather in the goolies, has highlighted the huge gulf between London and the man in the street. Well, the older, whiter, less educated and less tolerant man and woman in the street anyway.

The older generation had it hard initially but were given free education, a new, effective and efficient social safety net and steady well-paid long term employment.

The youth feel justifiably betrayed by their Mums, Dads, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents. Born in a world of declining affordability, increased competition with the net coming apart, they look to Europe for their future. More tolerant of diversity, more entrepreneurial, creative in outlook and with finely honed social networking skills the under 40's generations demand and need globablization. It no longer takes a village to raise a family. It doesn't even take a country, it takes the whole globe.

The sooner the UK pollys understand this then the sooner it can be fixed. But it won't be this old and outdated set of white males who bring revolution and change to UK. They've had their day. Yes Cameron is hardly an old man but his thinking is staid and outmoded and he has flung himself on the rubbish heap of Victorian ideas, bleeding from his self-inflicted bullet hole in his foot.

It will take a decade or more to turn around the the ship of Victorian dogma and Etonian elitism but it has to be done. The UK stands on the bleeding edge of change, looking down into the chasm of protectionism and recession. America watches looking for clues. Its intolerant hard-right wing in turmoil and the Democrats undecided on moving left and risking another 8 years of stonewalling by the Republicans. Will anti-globalization, racial hatred and protectionism become the New Order or it be just a hand pulled back hastily from the fire?

The UK has made its mistake. All it can do now is start the salvage operation. Keep Scotland from breaking away. Forge new trading ties and attempt to lower British unemployment and mollify the masses.

America is a time bomb. Will Hillary cut the live wire or will Trump strap a nuke to it?

We live in interesting times indeed.