Pocket Politics: A round-up of the big political stories this year
by Finn
BREXIT
If I had one question to ask a fortune-teller, it would be this: What's Ed Sheeran’s next album going to be like? But for the purpose of politics, I’ll ask my second: What benefit will we reap from Brexit, as a country, and how will we tell if we are better off or not?
I'm not talking about who in the country will be better off after Brexit, although that’s not a bad question…
My point is this: If our stock market is lower, trade routes narrower and relationships poorer, is that worth some measly cash-back from Europe? And if we forge new relationships across the world and turn into some new Singapore after we leave, who is to say we couldn’t have done that anyway?
Seeming as we’ll never know what the situation will like if we don’t leave, is it really possible to know if we will have more or less in our pockets? That’s why this is pocket politics.
If I had one question to ask a fortune-teller, it would be this: What's Ed Sheeran’s next album going to be like? But for the purpose of politics, I’ll ask my second: What benefit will we reap from Brexit, as a country, and how will we tell if we are better off or not?
I'm not talking about who in the country will be better off after Brexit, although that’s not a bad question…
My point is this: If our stock market is lower, trade routes narrower and relationships poorer, is that worth some measly cash-back from Europe? And if we forge new relationships across the world and turn into some new Singapore after we leave, who is to say we couldn’t have done that anyway?
Seeming as we’ll never know what the situation will like if we don’t leave, is it really possible to know if we will have more or less in our pockets? That’s why this is pocket politics.
FAMINE AND OTHER WORLD PROBLEMS
This week it was reported that the world is facing a famine which could be the largest humanitarian crisis since 1945. The United Nations is issuing a plea for help to avoid “a catastrophe”.
So why does famine happen, and why do we all stop caring that much about it almost as soon as we hear about it?
War must be a major factor in causing famine, and lots of resources are being taken away by fighting. When rebels went to war, famine is probably not what they had in mind.
Drought often has a lot to do with it too, so if unlike Trump you believe in climate change, it may just get worse.
This week it was reported that the world is facing a famine which could be the largest humanitarian crisis since 1945. The United Nations is issuing a plea for help to avoid “a catastrophe”.
So why does famine happen, and why do we all stop caring that much about it almost as soon as we hear about it?
War must be a major factor in causing famine, and lots of resources are being taken away by fighting. When rebels went to war, famine is probably not what they had in mind.
Drought often has a lot to do with it too, so if unlike Trump you believe in climate change, it may just get worse.
So why does famine happen, and why do we all stop caring that much about it almost as soon as we hear about it?
WAR
We hear about wars going on all around the world. Some we understand some of the reasons for, but sometimes we aren’t so sure.
I wonder if, before TV and mass media, we even knew who was killing who around the world?
And does knowing about it make us want to do something about it?
What seems to happen in America is that one president decides that he’ll do something about a war in a distant part of the world. Not surprisingly, they lose some soldiers, so the next president doesn’t want to get involved. Then the cycle repeats itself.
The most common reason for a leader to go to war in a far-off land appears to stop your electorate thinking about what a bad leader you actually are!
We hear about wars going on all around the world. Some we understand some of the reasons for, but sometimes we aren’t so sure.
I wonder if, before TV and mass media, we even knew who was killing who around the world?
And does knowing about it make us want to do something about it?
What seems to happen in America is that one president decides that he’ll do something about a war in a distant part of the world. Not surprisingly, they lose some soldiers, so the next president doesn’t want to get involved. Then the cycle repeats itself.
The most common reason for a leader to go to war in a far-off land appears to stop your electorate thinking about what a bad leader you actually are!
ALL THE TRIMMINGS
Just to scrape off the rest so we have a clean plate, I would like to talk about fake news and the paparazzi…
Now, I don’t believe fake news is all that bad, as it’s easily lived-with: the truth will come out soon enough, and we will get better at identifying lies over time. It does create some interesting drama!
If everyone reports fake news when they see it, they can’t argue it goes unnoticed. Also, if we see it as a metaphor to help us digest the news, then what's the big deal?
What I’m saying is this: Find It. Acknowledge It. Don’t believe it, but keep it in mind.
And celebrity news: that is not fake news, it’s just gossip. It gets under my skin when people say it’s “fake news”. Some paparazzi fake news stories – but most don’t.
Sometimes calling something “fake news” just an accusation to distract people, a kind of watered-down propaganda. Trump has called the BBC and CNN “fake news” as they just reported on hot topics about him, which he didn’t like!
And that’s it, my pocket politics, so small it can fit in my pocket!
NOW WATCH FINN DELIVER THIS LIVE ON THE TRINITY ONE SHOW!
Just to scrape off the rest so we have a clean plate, I would like to talk about fake news and the paparazzi…
Now, I don’t believe fake news is all that bad, as it’s easily lived-with: the truth will come out soon enough, and we will get better at identifying lies over time. It does create some interesting drama!
If everyone reports fake news when they see it, they can’t argue it goes unnoticed. Also, if we see it as a metaphor to help us digest the news, then what's the big deal?
What I’m saying is this: Find It. Acknowledge It. Don’t believe it, but keep it in mind.
And celebrity news: that is not fake news, it’s just gossip. It gets under my skin when people say it’s “fake news”. Some paparazzi fake news stories – but most don’t.
Sometimes calling something “fake news” just an accusation to distract people, a kind of watered-down propaganda. Trump has called the BBC and CNN “fake news” as they just reported on hot topics about him, which he didn’t like!
And that’s it, my pocket politics, so small it can fit in my pocket!
NOW WATCH FINN DELIVER THIS LIVE ON THE TRINITY ONE SHOW!