On reading my last post a less astute reader may have concluded that I am not favourably inclined to the United Kingdom and its inhabitants, nor their World or European views; they could not have been more wrong. I am, and to my dying breath will remain, a sincere devotee of UK-ishness, whatever that means for any and everybody. London was, is and forever will be for me the most magical city in the world for all its faults, the home my heart will always yearn for, as my regular reader already knows without a shadow of a doubt.
The Parliament of the United Kingdom should serve as an example of how modern democracy can and should operate for the world, independent and clear-headed, owing a debt to no-one. While this appears not to serve the short-term desires of incumbent governments, we must remember that exactly that is its role - to be a check on precisely those desires, to scrutinise, reject and offer alternative views on subjects. The issue of Brexit, or indeed any issue, cannot be allowed to render Parliament powerless or sidelined just because it may be convenient to getting things done. Parliament is a safeguard, an elected safeguard at that, and that is how Democracy - that least bad of political systems - works. For, alas, the alternative is far, far worse.
It may in an ideal world be true that enlightened dictatorship is the perfect system - a leader, male or female, who is so wise and well-intentioned that all their decisions are for the good of the populace at large, whose every breath is dedicated to ensuring that what happens is for the benefit of everyone - and one which allows for a world where everything functions perfectly and to everyone's satisfaction. But, astute reader, therein lies the snag, the problem.
To start with, no world inhabited by humans is perfect because we humans are not perfect. Rather, we are guided by passions, likes and dislikes, needs and wants that are often irrational and based on sentiment - objectivity and balance do not rule the day.
To complicate matters further our needs, wants, likes and dislikes often vary widely, even within social groups and families, making it difficult to find the perfect balance acceptable to all.
Finally, the enlightened leader, if human also (forget religious ideas of perfection, fatherly love, etc. etc.) may start on their journey with the best of intentions and massive approval from their peers - yes, in a democracy that is what we are all deemed to be, realistic or not - but along the way they seem to change and have always done, throughout history. The result is dictatorship and we end up stuck with a Despot - or dishpot, if like me you are devoted to the great P.G. Wodehouse's masterpieces.
So a parliament is imperfect, as Democracy is imperfect, as human beings are imperfect. In my view the parliament of the United Kingdom is as close as you can come to perfection in this system, for all its faults; it is due respect for being willing and able to force the government of the day into a contest, one that means the government needs to convince the House of the correctness of its position.
Perfection exists but it is not the rule, it is the exception. Parliamentarians the world over are human beings, generally reflecting the background they have emerged from and are imbued with those values; why when things get tough are they expected to be perfect? All we can demand is that they do their level best to represent the people who voted for them in the best possible way, even occasionally disagreeing with them, if necessary. They are, after all, our representatives and not our slaves, there to do what is best for us in their view and judgement; they do not or should not just follow orders.
The UK Parliament is most certainly not 'the enemy of the people', nor does it 'stand in the way of the people's will', not if one realises one lives in a democracy; this is how it is supposed to work. In the immortal words of one of President Trump's - yes, the orange one, The Donald - minions - 'Get over it!'
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