democracy is fragile!

[Bruce Tuncks]

One thing that Trump ( and Putin )  has taught us is that democracy is a very fragile thing. On one side, we have people who complain about the judiciary and their decisions to allow rapists to run free, and on the other hand, we have those who like to exercise power and wish to make their tenure last longer. Even here in Australia, we have frightening things happen along these lines.

I reckon that the average adult person has actually very little time for democracy as an ideal, and would trade their freedoms for a bit more money if they could.

The one thing that is a good sign is that even the worst dictators have sham "elections" where they win by the such  ridiculous margins that the rigged nature of the election is embarrassingly obvious.

Edited February 10 by Bruce Tuncks

[facthunter]

Those who don't have Democracy will die to get it while people who do have it take it for granted and give it away to people like Trump. who is a bully and dictator who will GET those who failed to do his wishes. and who LOVES other dictators because they can be bought. Nev

[onetrack]

Deals! It's all about the art of the Deal, you know! And with Trump, they've got the biggest Dealer around. Democracy isn't even a word he would be able to spell, let alone recognise what it means.

[rgmwa]

42 minutes ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

The one thing that is a good sign is that even the worst dictators have sham "elections" where they win by the such  ridiculous margins that the rigged nature of the election is embarrassingly obvious.

Maybe so, but they don't care as long as they remain in power. 

[facthunter]

Trump has said HE will only acknowledge the vote IF HE WINS. Otherwise it's rigged. .  Nev

[onetrack]

The entire U.S. electoral process is already well rigged, without the aid of Trump. He just knows how to manipulate it even more. He's the Great Manipulator.

 

I fail to understand how America brags about how it's the worlds greatest democracy, yet you can't even vote directly for the politician you prefer.

[facthunter]

In GREED we trust. Democracy there is only OK IF the outcome the rich want, happens.. One person ONE vote is a cruel JOKE. there. Crazy sects abound there also. People carry military assault weapons around legally? What for? . Nev

[old man emu]

The elections in Pakistan this week are another example of sham democracy. The mob which has been in power for a while, and which has imprisoned Imran Khan to keep him from being re-elected, has copped a bashing in these elections. They won seats, but not enough to form a government by themselves. Khan's party seems to be in a position to form a coalition with like-minded parties, but the mob which has been tossed out is merely the political wing of the military and we know what sort of political system comes from the barrel of a gun, and it's not one in which the common person has a voice. (Farnsey refrence)

[Bruce Tuncks]

It sure will be interesting to see what happens in Pakistan.

[facthunter]

More of the SAME. It's also stoney BROKE..   Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

On 10/02/2024 at 3:16 AM, Bruce Tuncks said:

I reckon that the average adult person has actually very little time for democracy as an ideal, and would trade their freedoms for a bit more money if they could.

I reckon you reckon right.. Morals, integrity, principles all run as deep as the impact on one's pocket..

[nomadpete]

Idealism ends at the hip pocket.

[facthunter]

Well you'll end up with the "Best Politicians that Money can  BUY" , OR Run by unelected  Mullahs or an utterly Corrupt Pseudo Rich CON MAN.  Nev

[nomadpete]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Well you'll end up with the "Best Politicians that Money can  BUY" , OR Run by unelected  Mullahs or an utterly Corrupt Pseudo Rich CON MAN.  Nev

That is already the case. How do you suggest we correct the situation?

[facthunter]

It's NOT as BAD as some others. Vote the crooks out while you STILL have the vote is the answer everywhere there's still a vote.  WE still have some decent pollies despite what we like to believe. STOP them being eased out by the crook ones. A lot of the problem is a corrupt Preselection process. Everywhere..  Nev

[spacesailor]

Here here .

Agreement at last !. 

But

Can , We change that preselection  process. 

spacesailor

[nomadpete]

Great in theory. Not so great in practice.

 

How do we know how crooked a polly is, until the post mortem after they get spun out of the revolving door of politics into their cushy consultancy?

 

Even if we get wind of fishy ethics, there is seldom a known honest contestant to vote for.

 

Infact the only option that we have when we vote is to guess which ones we suspect are the 'least worst' on offer.

[nomadpete]

Again I ask, what can we do to improve the situation?

[facthunter]

Get more involved  in shining lights into dark corners and don't believe a single word Sky / Murdoch tell you. Question everything political and where money is made. Follow the money trail. Can't be bothered? Well cop what you get an d don't complain.  The PRICE of freedom is ETERNAL Vigilance.  Nev

[nomadpete]

I do write letters to pollies from time to time. Whether incumbent or hopeful.  The response is invariably an insult to my intelligence, and often unimaginative spin.

 

Do they even keep a tally of the numbers of whingeing voters?

 

I have even attended a meeting of party hopefuls - never again - I have never seen such a bunch of wayne kerrs. It was impossible to get an intelligent discussion. All they want is noddies.

 

Any other ideas?

[old man emu]

Ever heard of a Judas Goat? A Judas goat is a trained goat used in general animal herding. The Judas goat is trained to associate with sheep or cattle, leading them to a specific destination. In stockyards, a Judas goat will lead sheep to slaughter, while its own life is spared. Reminds you of a politician, doesn't it?

 

I often wonder how much time a Minister/Shadow Minister puts into doing stuff for the electors who voted them into the seat. They seem to spend all their time politicking, trying to put down the opposition. I bet more work is done in assisting electors with their problems by a polly's electoral staff than by the person getting paid to act for them. 

1 hour ago, nomadpete said:

The response is invariably an insult to my intelligence, and often unimaginative spin.

I wouldn't argue with that.

[facthunter]

Morrisson replied and said he only responds to HIS electorate, even though he was a minister in the FEDERAL Gov't at the time. Nev

[nomadpete]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Morrisson replied and said he only responds to HIS electorate, even though he was a minister in the FEDERAL Gov't at the time. Nev

Make that he was NUMEROUS ministers in federal government. But he was allegedly working with dog. Not sure what that says about dogs work.

[old man emu]

59 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

Not sure what that says about dogs work.

I'm cur-ious about that too.

[willedoo]

On 13/02/2024 at 2:35 PM, nomadpete said:

Do they even keep a tally of the numbers of whingeing voters?

I don't know how accurate it is but I was told that all correspondence from members of the public to politicians is permanently archived. It makes sense from a security standpoint. If a pollie receives death threats, the police could go through the archives and start looking at the less friendly letters to see if there's a pattern somewhere.