I like Brand, people that perhaps don’t live in the UK won’t necessarily realise that he is vocal about many social issues. Essentially politics. I hope is being honest, personally I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. So this isn’t some a-political person. He is however protesting against the system in the way he believes is right.
Does what he say resonate with a lot of people, in this country? Yes.
Agree with this completely. It’s like Athenian democracy: every public servant was selected randomly, as with jury duty here in the USA.
That cuts both ways. In the US we have a lot of Tea party people who think all they need is work experience running a cement company and they are ready to govern. These are the people who lack even a basic knowledge of how the US government passes bills. And many of them personify American’s famous ignorance of the outside world. or even any part of the Untied States more than 200 miles from theirdoorstep.
That’s right, so the system by which politics is conducted needs to be altered. You will be chosen, not be able to run because you have backing. Even if it isn’t it’s own. So yes it would cut both ways now, with the present rules.
American’s famous ignorance of the outside world
Not all of you by any means, that is also just at present. 
Britain and many other countries have had a good laugh about Italian politics, but I’m afraid to say, our politicians are light years ahead of yours. As a political strategist, Berlusconi wrote the book British and American politicians have been using since. Lie convincingly. Control the media. Reduce educational systems to rubble. Sell popularity rather than results. Don’t read anything longer than a tweet. Distract people with promises, scandals, celebrities, innuendo, enemies; people have short memories, do it all over and over again.
Italy though has arrived full circle: now we have our comedian leading a ‘movement’ which everyone could agree with if only they limited themselves to kicking out the old guard. Instead, their general philosophy is ‘blaming politicians works so let’s blame everything on some scapegoat somewhere’, like the Euro, like immigrants, terrorists and YOU!
And just to ice the cake, Italy’s election laws have been declared unconstitutional (after only 8 years!). So now we have a political class that everyone hates, that is in power unconstitutionally and that this ‘movement’ will defeat soundly in the next elections that must rewrite the election laws that will unseat them! Obviously, total inertia reigns. And so? Let’s vote. But there’s no electoral law?! The chances of passing an electoral law that could actually result in a solid government are about nil.
Welcome to your future.
I’m in the US, and I don’t believe for a second there is “no difference” between Republicans and Democrats, nor that things would be no worse today if Romney had beaten Obama.
But I vote Green, because the lesser evil is like having your feet severed instead of your hands, and both are stupid and senseless and don’t serve us, and the system has to change.
I think we’re in for radical change, but I’m pessimistic about how much worse things are going to get for the average citizen before that happens. Occupy might have confused the media and sputtered out, but I think that was version 0.9, and we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Pepper Spray Cop and friends in the near future.
His strategy doesn’t seem to be working that well for him, or, especially the people of Italy. Complexity is always easier to achieve. This is what he is doing. That complexity will be his undoing.
I kind of think that if people understood what politics was about, they’d vote differently. But generally, they’re so lazy and misplaced loyal to whatever junk media they consume, they just follow witlessly the suggestion dishes on the menu.
[quote=“crashproof, post:46, topic:17799, full:true”]
I’m in the US, and I don’t believe for a second there is “no difference” between Republicans and Democrats, nor that things would be no worse today if Romney had beaten Obama.
But I vote Green, because the lesser evil is like having your feet severed instead of your hands, and both are stupid and senseless and don’t serve us, and the system has to change[/quote]
The problem with the Green party in the US is that several times the Green candidates have simply been well funded Republicans using the Greens as a Trojan Horse. .
[quote=“crashproof, post:46, topic:17799, full:true”]
I think we’re in for radical change, but I’m pessimistic about how much worse things are going to get for the average citizen before that happens. Occupy might have confused the media and sputtered out, but I think that was version 0.9, and we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Pepper Spray Cop and friends in the near future.
[/quote]There will always be a problem with groups like that being infiltrated by agent provocatures, LaRouchies, corporate goons, and assorted insane street people.
Well that is possibly the ‘rock and a hard place’. You need people educated before they are able to make sound decisions.
Cite?
Somehow I doubt the GOP feels even the slightest bit threatened by the Green Party. The deck is thoroughly stacked against third parties and they know it.
I didn’t vote in the last election, but voted in the first Obama bid for office… for Cynthia McKinney. There wasn’t anyone running in that election I actually wanted to be president, but McKinney was the most palatable choice.
What I really want is a fragmentation of the U.S. two-party system. To start the ball rolling, I think we need to back an alternative party with our votes to at least get that party federal funding. There’s no lack of ideas from smaller players, just a lack of money, when running for office has become so incredibly expensive. Yes, there are less expensive ways to get a party’s message out to voters, but not even the Green Party is seeing enough financial support to pose much of a threat to either the Dems or Repugs. To change this we need to not just vote, but back that vote with some hard currency.
I’m attracted to a system more like Sweden’s where no party holds a majority, and therefore, must go hat-in-hand to the other parties (I think there are seven but don’t hold me to that) until they can gather together enough votes to pass legislation.
You have different problems with US politics than here in the UK, ultimately adds up to the same thing though. Here we essentially have a slightly more diverse eco-system. It certainly feels like it may be easier to enter politics here? However, we are the same, two main parties, little diversity.
Certainly less razz!
Yup. And which politician would benefit from better educated people? An honest one interested in progression of society. I know one, possibly. One.
We need a party, movement that is like a virus to really change anything.
You’re operating under the WYSIWYG illusion; the public face of today’s politicians has nothing to do with what they actually do. That’s the takeaway from this article: don’t trust what you hear from these guys. Italians/the British? Who cares about them?!
Berlusconi said he’d create a million jobs? Instead he bought Italy with public money. If he’s not your friend, he has friends that are friends of your friends. They’re everywhere and they will maintain the Masonic/Mafioso nature of Berlusconismo, but not just in Italy, eastern Europe, Putin, autocrats everywhere owe him. He corrupted Italy and now a million of his friends have jobs. And they know who their master is. He fended off years of jail time for himself and these henchmen, now he wants payback. A Presidential pardon is totally expected.
That is the complexity I was talking about. I’m talking about good governance, not what some politician crooks are doing now. I’m fully aware of the scheming and plotting, I don’t see what that has to do with politics, that is called corruption, right? I don’t see how Italy’s politics or any countries politics is lightyears ahead of any countries politics at present.
… Also:
Berlusconi said he’d create a million jobs?
and
He corrupted Italy and now a million of his friends have jobs
hmmm.
I have a simple system. I vote against the incumbent. When there is no incumbent, I vote for the person with the shortest time in any elective office. If NONE have held office before, then I look at occupations. Lawyer ? No vote. Civil servant ? No vote. Cop ? Teacher ? No vote. . .
Did they need another front? They already have the Democrats and Republicans.
I was chatting to a friend the other day who was suggesting a system for the overhaul of the democratic process. The idea’s still rough, and I’m sure that at least one person will tell me that it’s not entirely original, but it may be an idea who’s time is on its way…
What if all political debates and decisions required an input from the voting public; every week a slew of decisions that need to be made, are aired and voted upon electronically by the whole electorate. Politicians would become agents for the implementation of these decisions (rather than partisan lackeys representing one of 2 parties, neither of which represent anyone).
Whilst I know that this would take a huge amount of implementation, and would undermine the career structure that politics has developed, rendering politicians “mere” public servants, it might pave the way for true representation and democracy, rather than the system we endure at present, which encourages corruption and dishonesty.
I have long argued for a “jury-style” system of selection, as I am in entire agreement with Kurt Vonnegut’s notion that an individual’s desire to be a politician automatically renders that person as unsuitable for the task.
I wonder if this policy-by-policy representation might be the solution? Heaven knows we need one.
