Shel Silverstein wrote a thoughtful song about the changes in taste and I think we are seeing that desire for change in the political movement around the world. Shel, it seems, came into some money but the high lifestyle bored him and he reverted back to eating beans. The Brexit vote was the latest example of people wanting a change: a return to the things the way they were. At least as the people thought they were. Selective memory is wonderful.
Perhaps the most telling thing about these recent experiments in democracy is that it seems the common folk are not listening to the Establishment. It may be because the Establishment has lost credibility or has failed to communicate what is does.
It appears that people are tired or fed up with the plutocracy or oligarchs telling them how to vote to keep the status quo or incumbent powers in place. The ‘Arab Spring’ was one of the first examples of this uprising of the common people – in this case by people who did not have the democratic system of voting in place – and the Middle East has been in turmoil ever since. Throw in some fear-mongering, racism and religion, along with a super-power pulling strings in the background and you have a mess. Surely there was a better solution in Syria.
In Britain the pundits were wrong and the Remain people could not shake the discontent of the common people. Perhaps some of those Brexit votes were more a sign of dissatisfaction with the status quo than with the real issue of leaving the European Union. Change is the buzz word everywhere in politics, but too often the details of the changes are lost in the rhetoric of speechifying and political bombast.
Take Donald Trump for instance.
We were told that Justin was ‘not ready’ but many of us thought that despite that claim it was time to get rid of the old way of doing things by the dictate of King Harper. The jury is still out on that one but there are signs of democratic progress as the new PM will at least consult on issues.
There are other signs that change is in the wind. During the vote in Britain, the big banks had all their staff on hand, staying at the office, ready to handle the opening market demands no matter which way the vote went. The pound took a beating but the banks of course won again – because they ultimately control trade and commerce by the exchange rates. Of course the central banks and its governors set the rates but to whom do they answer for their daily bread? The Banks, Insurance Companies, Investment Companies and the Stock Markets . . .
Here at home we see a fight shaping up between VISA and Walmart – two giants going head to head with our money. The banks love the credit card system for they pull in billions of dollars for exchanging our money (or lack thereof) from bank to merchant to credit cards to bank – charging a hefty fee for every transaction.
And we, the people who have been eating beans for a long time, will never get to try a steak unless something changes. How do the common people wrest power from the banks and stock markets? Until now we have been persuaded to vote the scoundrels who support these institutions back in. Persuaded to do so by educated people who are living just a little better than the middle class folk. More credit to them for doing well, but there is a growing mass of people who are dissatisfied with the oligarchs and their mouthpieces who are running our political parties.
A quote attributed to Mark Twain – if voting mattered they wouldn’t let us do it – may finally be laid to rest. Perhaps the voters in the Brexit, the Arab Spring and in countries around the world are not well informed and really have no long-term vision but they want a change – and they want a say. There are however, already rumours that the referendum vote should be voided – the consequences of leaving were not fully explained to the masses. Resentment at outsiders (including US President Obama) telling Britons what to do did not help the Remain side. Maybe they should hold more votes until they get it right - like we did. NON/OUI.
Looking south at the US Presidential race we see Trump and Saunders who are fighting against the status quo – and against Clinton who they see as a person backed financially by Wall Street. The Democratic Party and Clinton organizers must be a little uneasy when they look at what happened in Britain. Obama’s speech on his visit there may have added fuel to the fire of discontent that was simmering in Britain. Could it happen in the States? Could the masses rebel in November?
In the meantime we here at home can only sit and watch as the big money of Walmart and VISA fight it out for how much we pay for something made in China. I wonder if we reverted back to the good old days and just used cash to pay for things made in Canada . . . The Banks might not like that though. Just think of all the people they would have to hire back to count the loonies and toonies! And do not worry about the credit card companies – they’ll still get you when you shop online.
You know, after you have been eating steak for a long time, beans taste fine. Just saying.
