Let me suggest, after having been subject to the heavy handed TV ad urging
us all to get out and vote in the upcoming NZ General Election, that a
vote is worth the integrity of the candidate for which it is cast. This
would explain why democracies are dying in the West- because apathy is
killing them. People know that the promises of politicians are empty
rhetoric (aka lies) to be broken as soon as victory proves "A mandate"
whereby the elected party can and does do as it pleases, promises and
voters be damned.
And this happened in my own country quite recently. The government enacted a wildly unpopular measure, namely the selling off of State Assets. In response to talk of a Citizens Initiated Referendum on the matter The Prime Minister arrogantly said that the only referendum that counted was the General Election whereby he was elected, and that that did indeed provide a mandate. Therefore, in open defiance of the wishes of the public, hence the deep unpopularity, he and his government could do as they like and so they did.
Democracy requires vigilance and effort on the part of the constituency. This the general population simply cannot be bothered to do, whether because they know it is wasted effort or out of simple laziness I cannot say, but the last election was won on the basis of the candidate appearing to be "a good bloke" of the sort one would go for a beer with, the very man who then moved to sell off state owned assets to mass disapproval.
Rather than spend money on campaigns to get people out to vote let the politicians act and believe with integrity and so earn people's respect. But that is rather too much to ask, for power corrupts. This does not necessarily mean criminality and the taking of bribes, but it can and does mean a conceit and arrogance as the power goes to their heads.
They think that they are serving the country, but that is part of the self deceit coming from the power that corrupts.
So they will continue to discredit democracy, which really is, as Churchill said, the best of a bad lot (I paraphrase from memory) as regards political systems, until it crumbles.
And they will still have the effrontery to blame the apathetic voter who was rendered apathetic by the knowledge that a promise denied is a voter, or worse, voter bloc disenfranchised.
And so the farce which is human history continues
And this happened in my own country quite recently. The government enacted a wildly unpopular measure, namely the selling off of State Assets. In response to talk of a Citizens Initiated Referendum on the matter The Prime Minister arrogantly said that the only referendum that counted was the General Election whereby he was elected, and that that did indeed provide a mandate. Therefore, in open defiance of the wishes of the public, hence the deep unpopularity, he and his government could do as they like and so they did.
Democracy requires vigilance and effort on the part of the constituency. This the general population simply cannot be bothered to do, whether because they know it is wasted effort or out of simple laziness I cannot say, but the last election was won on the basis of the candidate appearing to be "a good bloke" of the sort one would go for a beer with, the very man who then moved to sell off state owned assets to mass disapproval.
Rather than spend money on campaigns to get people out to vote let the politicians act and believe with integrity and so earn people's respect. But that is rather too much to ask, for power corrupts. This does not necessarily mean criminality and the taking of bribes, but it can and does mean a conceit and arrogance as the power goes to their heads.
They think that they are serving the country, but that is part of the self deceit coming from the power that corrupts.
So they will continue to discredit democracy, which really is, as Churchill said, the best of a bad lot (I paraphrase from memory) as regards political systems, until it crumbles.
And they will still have the effrontery to blame the apathetic voter who was rendered apathetic by the knowledge that a promise denied is a voter, or worse, voter bloc disenfranchised.
And so the farce which is human history continues
No comments:
Post a Comment
You can disagree with me, even spiritedly. But keep it civil as I am the one hurt by cruelty. I must protect myself from nastiness and will block or ban users if I must. And it would help if you offered reasons for your disagreements. If they are good I may respect you. If they are sound I may even change my mind