There is one thing that always interests me about the gap between the US and the UK: in the UK it is usually seen as patriotic to question our leader.
Take backingblair for example. Here’s a website that says, for very valid reasons, that it is in the best interests of the UK to get rid of Tony Blair as soon as possible. I’ve had emails from Americans telling me that my questioning of my prime-minister and theirs is against democracy. The point of democracy is that we have the right to tell our leaders when they aren’t doing what we want them to do. They then are supposed to act in our best interests (which is sometimes a different thing). When they are neither doing what we want or acting to make us safer and more secure then they aren’t doing their job.
These same persons who denounce as traitors those who question their leader, were at the forefront of attacking the record and reputation of one William Jefferson Clinton ten years ago. As usual, they adjust their language and attitudes for partisan gain.
What’s worse, this rather psychotic behavior is normal thanks to a media environment that enforces partisan values.
As you can imagine, we Americans are in a bit of a pickle. The good news is that some of us realize that we’re in a pickle and are starting to have some success in fixing the problem. It’s going to be years before our work is done.
Should America really be worried though? You are the worlds leading super-power and cast a feeling of total control over the world on your throne of democracy. I agree with the fact that the media has a huge impact on our political views but don’t feel as if they govern human emotions.
Feudalism, Monarchy, Communism, Fascism, Republic, all these political statures have reigned, governed and fallen over time and unfortuanatley it seems the same fate shall come of Democracy. Any geusses what the next dominate political outlook will be?
A chap called Francis Fukuyama wrote a book about a decade or-so ago called ‘The End of History’. In it he basically argued that democratic capitalism is eventually the most fair system of presentation possible for the population of a country, so all major politicals shifts in the future will remain inside this model.
Interestingly, he’s now decided that he was wrong because he hadn’t factored in the potential for high technology to destabilse the control of governments, so now he’s not so sure anymore.
My personal belief is that a democracy that enforces a balance between socialism (looking after those that need help) and capitalism (letting those that work hard progress in society) is the best way forward. The lack of decent social system in the US suggests that they are not going to be the leaders in this movement. I think that if anyone is going to manage it, it might be China… If they ever allow their people to have a meaningful vote.
Britain tries for this balance, but we’ve been gradually destroying our own social system for the last two decades and Blair ‘man of the people’ these days only sees pound signs (or should that be dollar signs?) when he looks at public sector companies. In the name of choice he privatises everything, but forgets that that takes away choice from those who need the help most urgently.