• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Trump Watch: How did we get here anyway? Part One – The Disengaged Voter

It was Frank Zappa who described politics as ‘the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex.’ I mention that wonderfully cynical observation by the late musician as if there was ever a time for cynicism, we’re living in it. Cynics aren’t the same as pessimists or satirists. A pessimist looks at the world, sees it is […]

Hubert O'Hearn by Hubert O'Hearn
2017-08-08 13:07
in News, Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

It was Frank Zappa who described politics as ‘the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex.’ I mention that wonderfully cynical observation by the late musician as if there was ever a time for cynicism, we’re living in it. Cynics aren’t the same as pessimists or satirists. A pessimist looks at the world, sees it is wrong, and hides. A satirist looks at the world, sees it is wrong, and exaggerates its flaws. A cynic however looks at the world, sees it is wrong, and gives it a cuff across the back of the head.

One more quote before we get into the heart of the action for today and this time I will, with complete immodesty, quote myself. ‘Democracy is a wonderful idea; the universal franchise, a terrible one.’ I like to toss that one in now and then just to enjoy the gape-mouthed reactions. After all, every election cycle we are drowned in messages from every possible medium telling us to Vote! Vote! Vote! It is our duty! Responsibility! Shame the non-voter! Vote! Vote! Vote! For the love of God, why?

Let us broadly, yet not evenly, divide the available electorate into two groups: those that study the issues, events of the day, the histories and stated views of the available candidates and make a reasoned choice based on who they believe is the best person to eradicate wrongs and advance rights. As for the rest, well they can mistake a slogan for a policy paper, an appearance of body for a wellness of mind, or (to borrow a famous US phrase) one candidate gives off the feeling that he or she is someone you’d buy a used car from. As just one slightly trivial example, since the dawn of photography the taller of the two major party Presidential candidates has won, except for Barack Obama in 2012 (edged out by Mitt Romney by an inch) and George W. Bush in 2000 (and Al Gore won the popular vote). Now is that coincidence or evidence? You make the call.

This is why I don’t encourage anyone to vote unless it is someone whose intelligence I respect, even if we happen to disagree. To do otherwise is to effectively negate one’s own vote. Why should I risk my vote – based on reading manifestos, past positions, and as wide an intake of sane and substantial news media as one can swallow in days spread over years – being negated by some dunderhead who votes for someone because he looks vaguely like their late Uncle Ned who fixed their bicycle chain back in 1972?

I suppose really what I seem to be advocating some form of an intelligence test for voters except the historical evidence resounds with proof that any such system would be an even worse idea. Certain of the former break-away Confederate States had what they called a ‘literacy test’ before allowing a citizen to register for the voters’ list. Well, literacy seems like a good idea doesn’t it? Ah. White people were given a sheet of paper with See Spot Run or the equivalent printed on it to read aloud. Blacks were handed a page of Chinese. So it’s not so much that an intelligence test is a bad idea … I just wouldn’t trust anyone in developing it.

I have mentioned all this not to announce my candidacy for head of the Monarchist League, but as a means of entry into the confounding and highly relevant question of, How in hell did 63 million Americans go off their collective nut and vote Donald J Trump as President, and from the latest polls 83 per cent of those still approve of his performance? As you are a reader of lively written, progressive media such as The London Economic, that question has to have puzzled your mind as well.

The answers are too many and too long to be contained in one column. Long Reads may be fashionable these days; ‘Take the Day Off Work Reads’, less so. Therefore, I am going to break it all up into four manageable sections which in combination should – I hope – supply both a diagnosis and a prescription for the disease chewing through the body politic’s inner organs. Those four sections will be:

RelatedPosts

Ex-councillor jailed over £430k Eat Out to Help Out fraud

South Park hilariously troll Andrew Tate in latest episode

David Frost says Remainers are ‘about to be humiliated’ over trade deal that will boost UK economy by 0.08%

Petition calling on Govt to hold a Public Inquiry into impact of Brexit reaches 130k signatures

  1. The historical roots of American voting patterns.
  2. American election laws (or lack thereof).
  3. Manipulation of the electorate by moneyed interests.
  4. Foreign interference.

Because the Trump Administration, the Mueller investigation, and a strongly-based rumour advanced by Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) that indictments are coming later this week can and might lead to a breaking of any plan in order to cover fresh news, I cannot guarantee that the four sections will appear in consecutive daily order. Can someone take the President’s damn phone away from him for a few days? Pretty please?

Be seeing you.

RELATED 

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/oxford-university-study-reveals-real-reason-donald-trump-won-2016-us-election/25/07/

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/trump-watch-vampires-yusopov-zeitgeist/07/08/

Content Protection by DMCA.com

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending

Elevenses: Exposing the Tories’ Deepfake Illegal Immigration Bill

Elevenses: Rishi’s Finest Hour

Elevenses: Fear and Loathing in the New Conservatives

More from TLE

Doctor who warned prime minister about PPE dies with COVID-19

“Memory Cop” has caught more than 1,000 suspects using face recognition skills

London Beer Week Kicks Off

Let vaccinated people quit lockdown, Tony Blair urges

Beer of the Week: Brick Brewery Citrus Sour

17,645 teachers across London will lose their jobs by 2020

Has mistrust grown towards Liverpool & Manchester United signalling the end of Project Big Picture?

Lucky Numbers and Horoscopes for today, 16 September 2021

Bookmakers receive surge of bets on England to win the World Cup following Panama victory

Bemusement as protesters ‘seize Edinburgh Castle’ claiming ‘satanic paedophiles’ running country

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.