First we had the UK vote to "leave the EU" though the specifics of what this mean are no clearer some four plus months later. The usual vapid, meaningless "Brexit means Brexit" statements from the usual sham politicians. Then the vitriol that UK sovereign law is up held meaning that the Government have to go before Parliament (as elected by the UK population) before triggering the exit of the EU (Article 50) following the advisory referendum. Yes the thing people seem incapable of remembering is that in law, the referendum meant nothing. Politically it means something else.
Now we rise to a new dawn in the USA. A figure who's spent his campaign showing disdain and outright hostility to all races and creeds that could be found to blame is president elect.
The common ground in both political events is one of disaffected voters looking to blame something for their dissatisfaction, sticking their two fingers up at the establishment.
Don't get me wrong, I think most (nearer all) politicians are not worth the space they occupy. They will happily lie to you, or at least mislead you, to get you to support their position. This year, or in these two campaigns, it has seemed more obvious, and yet a large number of people have still supported these views.
There have been two main themes to both campaigns:
- Blame immigration
- We will make Insert Country Name great again.
The immigration blame game is odd in that the areas where it gathers the most support (certainly in the UK) appear to be those same areas that have the lowest levels of immigration.The best comment made around immigration for the UK EU referendum was along the lines of:
Schroedinger's immigrant: The one that simultaneously takes you job, and your benefits.
There is no supporting evidence of immigrants "stealing" jobs. In % terms immigrants are less likely to be on benefits, and more likely to be working and paying into the system. For the "stealing" your job, those who make these comments tend to appear to be the same people who aim to spend their lives using the benefits system to fund them and never hoping to find work. The jobs are there, if you're willing to put the effort in. If an individual from another country can turn up, with English not being their first language, and search for and find a job inside a week, what is preventing you from doing the same? The honest truth... Nothing.
On the "Make Country great again" line. What does that even mean? It appeals to those who look around and don't like their lives so their entire country is not great. Yet the opportunities are there to better your life, if you're willing.
Human nature is, more often than not, quite lazy. The easy option is to find blame for our situation in others, and the campaigns have successfully appealed to this. There are those that claim this is two fingers up to the political elite. Well if that's the case you've been suckered by business men instead of politicians.
Today the world got a shock, tomorrow the sun will still rise, and in the days, weeks, months and years to come we will eventually know the truth. Don't expect it to look like what you think you voted for, it never is....
