On a scale of
one to Victoria’s Secret model, politics probably resides somewhere deep and
dark on the sexiness scale….but although it’s not always cool, dazzling,
enchanting or glamorous; challenging authority and sticking it to the status
quo has long been a social heirloom, which has lovingly been passed down from
one generation of pissed off people to another.
2016 has been
a huge year in the political sector. In many countries (…mentioning no names),
the tragic events of political injustice, have both flared tensions and widened
social divisions; intensifying global struggles between the We The Collective People and the power
structures of the world.
These days, international
politics can only be likened to the experience of an emotional rollercoaster, but no matter how
moved, horrified and enraged we are by the things we see and hear on the news,
there’s an overwhelming disconnection between how we feel and an incentive to
affect change via the medium of the almighty ballot box.
This
political disengagement is becoming increasingly rife in an era that has
seen most of us, myself included, take a back seat on the ole' political attentiveness front. In reality, politics is the tour de force
behind everything….and I mean EVERYTHING, and it’s time to get politically savvy
for the sake of ourselves, and the ones we love.
Isaac Asimov
called the public withdrawal from the political sphere anti-intellectualism, but to
be honest, I don't feel it’s a question of intelligence, it’s more a question of naivete.
For many of us in the western world, political disengagement stems from the false notion that democracy is a pre-requisite for outstanding service and representation. Largely, this is because we’ve been educated to believe in the illusion of romantic, democratic superiority, which we enjoyably flaunt over those suffering under dictatorship.
For many of us in the western world, political disengagement stems from the false notion that democracy is a pre-requisite for outstanding service and representation. Largely, this is because we’ve been educated to believe in the illusion of romantic, democratic superiority, which we enjoyably flaunt over those suffering under dictatorship.
Will Durant,
a man far more articulate than me, encapsulated my new found political
conscious when he wrote: “Education is a progressive discovery of our own
ignorance". The truth is that the more I learn, the more it makes me
realise how much we under-utilise our power and influence as voters, and for
those of us fortunate enough to be living in these so called democratic societies, (and definitely for those who don’t), politics is too powerful to be left solely
to those who have an elected seat and a prefix to their name.
Essentially, most politicians
are show men whose success is more down to their ability to charm, than their
actual credentials as upstanding citizens who have the best interests of their
constituencies at heart. Their man-powered hydro-erosion of bullshit has been shaping our political understanding for
quite some time now, and we have been manipulated into becoming reactive voters
rather than proactive members of society.
To put it frankly,
Elie Wiesel the renown Nobel Laureate,once said:
“Neutrality only helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the
tormentor, never the tormented."
....I know
what you’re thinking. What has this got to do with me exactly? So I’ll
counteract your question, with my own. What do you think the biggest impediment
to political progress is? …ourselves!
As ‘Grown-ups’ we have an inherent fear of ‘not knowing’ or fully understanding the things that we think we’re supposed to. This unfounded shame leads to a fear of asking or talking to people who may be able to enlighten us.
We, this adult army of pretenders feed into the continuance of ignorance fueling the generations who follow, and we rely on the twisted and ulterior motives of the media and their own political agenda to help us make informed cultural decisions, with repercussions that span way beyond who we call MP (**COUGH** Brexit).
So on a very
basic level, I want to carve an outlet of discussion by making political knowledge
accessible, even on a small scale, and put it on your personal agenda and in
some kind of context. So let’s talk about
the things that matter to us.
You know that paycheck or dole payment you get every month….well don't forget it's government regulated! aka TAX and SOCIAL WELFARE. And you know that time you heard about the horrendous accident and the ambulance which took too long to reach the scene, well yep, you have the power to change that too by demanding improvements to HEALTHCARE and RURAL REPRESENTATION. Have you thought about university? What school do you really want your kid to go to? In that case you’re probably going to have to think about the provision of QUALITY EDUCATION and GRANT ACCESS before you actually need it!
You know that paycheck or dole payment you get every month….well don't forget it's government regulated! aka TAX and SOCIAL WELFARE. And you know that time you heard about the horrendous accident and the ambulance which took too long to reach the scene, well yep, you have the power to change that too by demanding improvements to HEALTHCARE and RURAL REPRESENTATION. Have you thought about university? What school do you really want your kid to go to? In that case you’re probably going to have to think about the provision of QUALITY EDUCATION and GRANT ACCESS before you actually need it!
In fairness, political ignorance is not completely our own fault. The void in political communication is largely
due to our respective national Education systems (I’ve experience two), who are
failing us in a pragmatic understanding of real world issues. In my adult life,
I’ve never had to recount the value of X, but I have had to drastically consider
where I now stand as the holder of a British Passport, and for many people like
myself, political activism seems particularly poignant, and let’s face it, necessary
right now, to enable us to deal with the plethora of craziness that we call the modern
political environment.
In order to
demand access, change, reform and modifications to the rules and rulers we
elect to serve our best interests, we need to increase our understanding of who
and what our political parties do. Although it’s difficult to find reliable,
centralised sources of information on political parties in terms of their
political beliefs, views and representatives, that statement kind of errrrrr’ illustrates the necessity of this
discussion!
As such, I’ve
chosen to briefly disscuss three countries with relevance to my own political digestion, whilst
also being applicable to many others reading this. Those being Ireland, Great
Britain and America.
IRELAND
In Ireland
politics is something we have a historic overexposure to, but beyond previous
religious and socio-economic associations, what are our actual political
parties doing for us on a social, economic and cultural level?...Especially
with relevance to a Celtic tiger with post-traumatic stress? Ironically, the
below link is intended for people who are moving to Ireland and the best I
found in the morning I afforded to looking for this kind of information. It’s
not great but at least it centralises some key sources for further exploration
and actually gives a decent historical background.
GREAT BRITAIN
If nothing
else, Brexit showed us that every one vote can make a difference both in the UK
and beyond, which in my humble opinion reinforces Plato’s statement that:
"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you
end up being governed by your inferiors." Apart from compounding political
ignorance, the ‘Brexit’ referendum divided a nation and served as a
comprehensive over view of political disconnect, sending shock waves through
Europe with repercussions that we’ve undoubtedly yet to experience. Take a look
at this link which dishes up some centralised info…but take it with a pinch of
salt because it’s also from a media source.
AMERICA
Inescapably,
the global super power that is America and the circus that is the 2016
elections is an unavoidable part of our cultural absorption. Although I’m not
here to discuss my thoughts on either candidate, which would warrant an
entirely separate blog post, I’ve found a great article which offers an
explanation of the differentiations between America’s two main political
parties: Democrats (Hilary Clinton’s party) and Republicans (Donald Trump’s
party) so we can understand what’s going on, on a very fundamental level. Although
it’s largely generalised, I think it gives a good preliminary investigation
into a powerful and influential political system that undoubtedly has repercussions
for the rest of the world.
Maybe you’re at the point of the piece where you're starting to wonder just why I chose to write a politically
motivated post. My reasoning is that I simply aim to put political discussion
on the table by illustrating how our lives are lived in an intertwining state
of political being, no matter how comfortable or unaffected we may feel.
This is by no
means a comprehensive or complete discussion, but I think it highlights the necessity of political action. Whether that means putting your name on the voting register or going directly to your local political representative with a question or concern is up to you.You should never be afraid to think out loud, because that's how we learn and grow. Being too scared to ask questions and voice our concerns is how we got into this mess in the first place.
Did you realise though, that even if you don't bother to learn or exercise your political rights, you are in effect already voting for domineering political parties who have become so
used to notoriety and popularity, that they barely need to serve the collective good.
Contrary to common belief, politicians are not stupid, and rest assured they are keenly aware that it is in their best interests to keep you bored, misinformed and cynical. So make no mistake, the current political environment isn’t currently serving your best interests, and perhaps it never will until you actively engage with it.
Contrary to common belief, politicians are not stupid, and rest assured they are keenly aware that it is in their best interests to keep you bored, misinformed and cynical. So make no mistake, the current political environment isn’t currently serving your best interests, and perhaps it never will until you actively engage with it.
Political
activism is very simply and eloquently explained in the following statement:
"When I was young, I wanted to change the
world, but I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change
my nation. When I found I couldn't change my nation, I began to focus on my
town. When I couldn't change my town, I tried to change my family and friends, but in my
old age, I now realise that the only thing I can ever change is myself.
If I had understood that long ago, I
could have made an impact on my family and friends. We could have made an
impact on our town. Our town could have made an impact on our nation, and I
could indeed have changed the world."
So if not YOU, then HOW?... and more importantly...WHO?
From Doha
with love. Always.
