OJBs Web Site: Politics

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Some Opinions on Politics

I think of myself as a political moderate with views based on common sense, but a lot of people think that and their politics would seem extreme to me! By today's standards (where the center is a bit to the right of where it should be) I am a bit left of most, but not extremely so. Its more that I have been moderately left for a while and the center has moved more to the right!

Government

Let's face it, democracy doesn't work! On the other hand, what is the alternative? One of my favourite quotes is by Winston Churchill, who said "Democracy is the worst form of government... apart from all the rest." I think that sums it up brilliantly. Unfortunately, the so-called "Land of the Free" which is one of the most extreme examples of bad government, has a lot of influence on the rest of the world. How can we ever expect things to get better when the US sets such a bad example?

The real problem with democracy is that most voters don't really know what they are doing. They are easily taken in by flashy TV campaigns, they don't understand the issues, and the often don't even understand the voting system. Generally, the party with the most money for TV advertising wins. In the US particularly, money comes from corporates who have far too much influence. Its no wonder the big corporates seem to "rule the world".

What's the answer? Maybe TV advertising during election campaigns should be banned. Maybe everyone who wants to vote should answer some basic questions on world events correctly first (I'm only half serious). I guess things aren't likely to change in a hurry, but at least its nice to be able to complain a bit about how unfair it all is here! Also, I hope that by reading this, people might think a little bit more about what's really going on in their government. Things can change, no matter how hopeless they look. Have a look at the former Soviet Union and South Africa and you will see how strong governments who didn't serve their people's best interests were overthrown. Whether these two countries are any better off under their new governments is, of course, open to question!

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