As I look across the pond to the USA the similarities of the politics and political (economic) system are striking.
There are things I don't understand about US culture such as the love of guns. How an amendment that was made to the constitution can not be amended again, but no matter.
I don't full understand why there are only two parties that put up a candidate for president. Where are the Liberals, the Socialists, the Environmentalists? However, my lack of understanding of these details does not stop me from making more general observations.
Both the UK and USA political systems depend on money to run a campaign. You need your activists to go out and knock on doors but you need money to pay for advertising, printing leaflets and posters.
Parties seem to rely less on policies and more on ridiculing the opposition. If you ran a business and someone came in for an interview for a job would you be impressed if they said "don't worry about me I'll do a great job" without telling you how. Or if they said "the other person waiting outside to be interviewed is no good, they are too old/young, too tall/short etc." For me, if I'm going to pay them with my money I'd want to know how. If their tactic was to point a finger at the weaknesses of someone else. I'd be worried that if something went wrong they'd blame others. I'd find it hard to discover problems and put things right, eventually my business would fail.
Many in the UK look at Trump in disbelief and see him as an incompetent, self-serving lier. He apparently got there by telling everyone that Hilary would be worse. Yet if Hilary had a lobotomy she could not have been worse. The same thing happened in the UK Boris Johnson simply said that Corbyn would be worse and now we have our own incompetent, self-serving lier.
From what I see in the media, many US citizens don't seem to see a problem, or are so far into their tribal belief, that to contemplate they made a mistake would blow their minds. In the UK these people exist too. As the virus took hold here and Boris ignored WHO recommendations the faithful cried out "Give him a chance" "He's doing his best", "Imagine if Corbyn had been in charge". Doing his best included having a holiday, having an affair and not attending meetings about Covid. Plus Boris had to bring the railways into public ownership and increasing the roll out of broadband. Things that Boris had ridiculed Corbyn for suggesting a few months earlier.
Boris does present himself bit better and doesn't have these rambling press conferences. He takes note of his advisers and shuts up, or selects who he's going to be interviewed by. On the occasion he does go off script he gets as flustered he mumbles and stumbles. Trump gets angry and aggressive.
So how did we both end up with these incompetent buffoons ? Big business had a hand in it for sure as they financed and endorsed their candidates. The media (which depends on big business advertising) reinforced this. This is propaganda at work. If there is someone they are all backing, then that person is not going to be good for you, unless you are a big business or media owner.
Most people are just trying to make the most of their life. Daily concerns of food, mortgage/rent jobs, kids and money are what occupy minds. Moments of relaxation to watch sport, have a drink spend time with the people they care about, take up the rest of time meaning there is no pause to think about what is happening and why. A slave master would have to crack a whip to get you to work, now it's the mortgage and the bank that is the whip. An economic slave, too busy to notice.
However, on election day you have true freedom to vote for whomever you want. You don't have to tell anyone, you won't lose your home or job and it doesn't take much time. It is truly the only freedom we all have and for most the only power we have. Vote for someone that is going to make your life better. Make sure they have a plan you understand. If its full of nice sounding words that stir emotions and pride it probably a lie.
Be free for a moment, get out and vote.
