RE: Is this a UK based website?
July 17, 2013 at 5:14 pm
(This post was last modified: July 17, 2013 at 5:25 pm by Red Celt.)
(July 17, 2013 at 5:03 pm)Tiberius Wrote:(July 17, 2013 at 3:54 pm)Red Celt Wrote: Don't care about the Kardashians? Filter it out. Don't care about the royal family? Filter it out.I was about to go into a long rant about how the two are entirely different, but Brian37 summed it up pretty well.
Easily done.
I bet you wouldn't be so intent on filtering the Kardashians out if their entire family were elected politicians, would you?
If a libertarian feels the need to go on a long rant over something I've said, I know that my position is justified.
I'm neither a monarchist nor a republican. I'm neither besotted with the system that the UK has, nor dementedly insisting that it change. And this is why:-
In the USA, you have a 2-party system. There are occasional independents, but they are always "also rans" rather than a real opportunity for something different. Of the 2 parties, take a look on a political spectrum indicator as to just how close both parties are. They are shoulder-to-shoulder on everything (with minimal differences), yet are painted as extremes with Obama seen as a communist because he is every so slightly to the left of Romney.
So, as a representative democracy, there is very little difference in the way of representation.
Not only that, but the presidency is a game of millionaires. The cost of running for election is obscene. Individuals contribute to that expense, but the bulk of it comes from very rich business people who gain significant influence over the candidate. Even once a winning candidate is in power, they are always mindful of the next election 4 years later. They are working on the short term, never the long term.
Compare that to the UK. I don't care how wealthy the royals are. Hell, give them more money. They can never be purchased. Their will isn't up for sale. And, even if it was, so what? Their power amounts to nothing, as the will of the people will never allow un-elected people to inflict their power as we'd very quickly become a republic if they did.
Meanwhile, we have a prime minister who doesn't have the power to do anything without (figuratively) running it past the monarch - who owns the military.
It's antiquated, a little bit silly, but it works. It certainly works better than the USA model.