Sometimes I think that writing about how bad news doesn’t inspire, and neither side of the political divide inspires, can mean that people then believe you have no notion of what might constitute a solution, whereas nothing could be further from the truth.
To think that all, if any solutions, are actually contained within the current bipartisan system, is to discount the youth of the system in relation to mankind. It has surely promoted expansion and wealth within the western half of society, but does not account for the success of those people who currently exist without employing this model, and those who existed in the past and did not favour the current mode of rule.
Some people do not fare well with the current way of doing things. Capitalism is not the endgame of the American Dream, and it is not going to allow every Englishman to maintain his home as if it were a castle. At least with the notion of compassionate conservative there was an element of social responsibility in play, and you did not feel like those in power wished to delete the issue of poverty by renegotiating the legitimacy of those without money as people.
Politicians have shifted a long way from the notion of them as public servants, and the neoliberal push of society towards the agenda of the free market, though skewed through a too big to go bust viewpoint, has turned the whole notion of politicking as an extension of the board room. Political cabinets are supposed to be run with the cut-throat efficiency of a business, but the analogy does not work, because the remit of a government is different to that of a country. A government has to care for all of the people that belong to that country, not just the share holders or the special interest groups and powerful lobbyists that bankroll their political campaigns.
Setting up a system that can get deadlocked by opposing viewpoints does not work, and it has become increasingly obvious that the policies of one party seem to be incommensurate with the policies of another, thus, compromise cannot be reached partly due to the fact that a word can change meaning in the mouths of one side of the debate, and become something entirely new when spoken of by the opposition. Compromise needs to be achieved, and it needs to be done by having at least an agreement on the terms being used in the debate. Not easy when the word truth and the word facts, and the concept of opinions all seem as commingled as the notion of journalism and opinion columns.
If you look at what you as an individual can do to help better the world, within the legal framework of the place you call home, then you will see that there are whole areas with ample opportunity for an innovative person to do some good. It doesn’t have to be political; people may perceive it as such, if it helps a group with whom they have an issue, but it is better to help than to hand of the job of solving something to someone else. A focus on the troubles of others, and providing solutions to them, can often help to shrink your own problems, and you may find that you handle them without any effort really needing to be applied.
Bad news creates problems. Politics can be a tool of exploitation. Help is a distinct subject outside the bounds and controls of these areas – help is something you really can control yourself.