And the people get to decide - what exactly?

"Freedom is the emancipation from the arbitrary rule of other men."

Mortimer Adler (1902-2001)

So we are informed, the beauty of our democracy is that every 4/5 years, on average, we have the opportunity of changing our government if we disagree with that which they have done during their term of office. On each occasion we are presented with a choice between the incumbents, who inform us that, forgetting their mistakes, they have the cure to all our ills; whilst likewise the alternative, potential, governments inform us exactly the same thing - and on each occasion we fall for this political confidence trick.

Think back however far you wish; how many times has the government of the day introduced and enacted a law which was not in their manifesto - and if it was, has been 'tweaked' to include elements that were not included in said manifesto promise? (the smoking ban springs to mind which encapsulated the proposal that venues would be able to provide areas for both, or decide whether to opt for smoking or non- smoking?). What, in effect, the people of our nation vote for is a period of dictatorship, one practised by those who continually inform us that they are our elected 'representatives' - in which case should they not be proposing, or enacting, only those laws that those they represent actually want, or for which they ask/demand?

Presently, governments decide how much money they want and promptly take it from the pockets of their taxpayers - likewise local government. Governments decide when - and with whom - they intend to engage in acts of war, again purely on their decision and with no consultation with those they are meant to serve. Governments decide how - and to what degree - they intend to limit our freedoms, in the name of national security, or other spurious reasons. Governments decide how our children are to be educated; what type of healthcare we may have; what our foreign relations should be and with which nations; what type of law and order under which we have to live; and what is 'acceptable' behaviour, to name just a few powers that they consider they possess.

In the words of the song: "Is that all there is? If that is all there is, then lets keep dancing [to the politician's tune],lets break out the booze and have a ball" - which, if we are to believe that which we read, some of us - recognising the futility of our political system - have already done. To break this cycle of dependency on our political elite; and to paraphrase the words of another song (not a good video as out of sync); "there must be a way to be happy, happy with somebody new, but I can't find the way......" - and the reason we can't find the way is due to the dictatorship and 'mind-conditioning' which is currently practised by our political elite.

Conditioned as we are to the dance of the politician's tune, unable to find another way, we have become dependent on someone to rise from amongst us, one who will lead us to a 'better land'. Muffled Vociferation has a video from Pat Condell, one in which he argues that violence is not the answer to the ills the people suffer. As I have commented on her site, "....were those in the 'Resistance' during World War II guilty of violence in their attempts to overthrow the Nazis? What chance was there then for due democratic process? When the political process is 'managed' by those in power to 'freeze out' the voice of smaller parties; when all democratic means fail, is violence to effect that change, wrong?".

That there is a better way must, by now, be beyond doubt. The problem that those of us who recognise the dilemmas facing our nation lies with which is the better way to change the minds of our 'sheep' who wait to be herded?