World Crises

Foremost of world crises at this time is of course Covid-19. However with vaccines beginning to be introduced perhaps the end is coming into sight.  Possibly Wimbledon Tennis will even take place this year with crowds in attendance at the end of June, though the already postponed Olympic games in Japan may sadly be cancelled.

The Chinese have reportedly threatened a man who reported that their anti-Covid 19 vaccine not so far approved by the World Health Organisation, has some dreadful side effects. Add to that, the news that the Chinese have effectively withdrawn at this time, the permission for WHO officials to enter the country to investigate the origins of the pandemic there,  serious doubts about future of that country and thus the world at large, increase. Indeed on one of the ADFVN company share bulletin boards, a poster was arguing against  the Chinese being the original Covid-19 source and alleging that the pandemic originated in Brazil.

The principal crisis affecting the world at this time  not involving health, pollution or CO2, is the death violence and turbulence  arising from the demonstrations at and invasion of the Capitol building for the first time since the British invasion in 1812. 

The USA democratic arrangements have always mystified me. The fact that presidential candidates have to be extremely wealthy or at least have the ability to muster huge funds from supporters does not seem to me to be a strong foundation upon which a democracy should rest. In the UK which has a far from perfect system, there are large financial limits on political   spending during elections and of course the cabinet and MPs are hardly paid the vast salaries that others elsewhere enjoy. 

Perhaps a significant problem for the Americans and indeed for many other countries, for example in Europe and beyond, is the time lapse between the result of a general election being announced and the taking of office by the newly elected president or government. 

The USA time gap between  early November and late January is at best unhelpful and contributed to their crisis. However many European countries,  concerned to ensure  fairness by using for example proportional representation  voting systems, in fact produce delays far longer than that of the USA, for example Belgium or Ireland, which delays the recent American experience signifies may be flawed, perhaps fatally so. 

In the UK which still has a far from perfect system, there was a referendum to ascertain whether the British people wished to alter the UK  voting system to that of proportional representation to which the answer was negative. 

Referenda can suffer from the  argument by those who lose, that there should be further referenda on the subject until they win. 

Locally there were two referenda on the issue of whether parking permits should be introduced for which residents would have to pay. On both occasions residents voted against. There was then a third referendum in which residents voted in favour. Of course now that time has passed will there be a fourth referendum to clarify the residents' wishes today, especially given their ample experience of the changed arrangements? Certainly not.

Likewise the arguments for another referendum for Scottish people about independence from the rest of the UK. The first referendum was against so if a second was held, which went the other way should a third be held as a decider? Certainly not.

In Scotland, even the SNP leader agreed that their referendum would be a once in a generation vote. That agreement is now said to be subject to the UK government not taking action of which the Scots very left of centre politicians, disapproved which action  they now suggest is Brexit. I would be content for Scotland to become independent subject to taking its fair share of UK debt much of which is caused by pandemic relief but for some reason this  debt share is not to be quantified in advance of the sought referendum.

Interestingly when the Act of Union between Scotland and England took place in 1707 this was preceded by what were essentially referenda in both countries. Is that now being proposed I wonder as a pre-condition to terminating the Union? Certainly not.