2016: The Year of the People

Now 2016 has drawn to a close the only way to describe it is, WOW; what a year it has been! From leaving the EU to Donald Trump being elected as US President it would be wrong to say this year has been short of surprises.

The lesson that all politicians need to take from this is that the public are not idiots, because they know the ins and outs of the political game.. I would call this the year of the people (hence the title) because we have seen the public rise up against the corrupt lying establishment and go fro something else; whether that other thing is good or bad is a different question.

The most puzzling question I have asked this yea is why politicians can't just say it how it is, give it to us straight. Lets say the economy was going to collapse all the leaders need to is that because that is the single most effective way of saying the economy is going to collapse.

What I admired about the Leave and Trump campaign is that they regenerated politics in the UK and US if  not the world. This sort of regeneration was needed to make our politics the politics of the people once more. Through-out this year people were inspired to stand up for what they believed in and really shouted the loudest at the ballot box.

However, even though the referendum and the US election inspired millions and millions of people the things that were say were done right wrong. For example Nigel Farage's Breaking Point poster of those refugees fleeing their home was not one of compassing but one of hate. Also, Donald Trump's comments on Mexicans calling them murderers and rapists disgusted me and the whole world.

Another thing to take into account key pledges in both campaigns were broken eg. £350m would go to the National Health Service if we left the EU was the crown jewel of the Leave campaigns promise, then less than 24 hours after the official result of the referendum the promise was broken by none other than Nigel Farage. Across the pond in the US Donald Trump said he would get his Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor for Hillary Clinton if he won so he could lock here up; a phrase heard often at his rallies this pledge was broken. 

Overall, I am delighted that there has been a regeneration of politics but I am holding onto my suspicions of the likes of Donald Trump.