Opher talks to Opher about Democracy and Government.

You don’t like Democracy do you?

No I don’t. I used to but not any more.

Brexit – with all its lies, division and propaganda has clearly demonstrated the flaws. The wealthy elite and those with vested interests ran the show. I do not believe the majority understood what they were voting for. They were carried along on a nationalist narrative fuelled by xenophobia and racism.

Propaganda won.

Why is that?

Well I used to have faith in people but I don’t any more. I guess that I think that half the population have an IQ below a hundred and are much too influenced by the media. They are largely ignorant on many matters, poorly educated and gullible.

The problem with democracy is that the vote of a stupid and ignorant person is exactly the same as that of an intelligent and knowledgeable person.

That’s harsh. I thought you valued all people equally?

I do. I believe all people have equal worth, but that does not mean that they are equally astute, knowledgeable or clever.

That is the problem with democracy.

Do you think this has changed over time?

Yes I do. I think if we went back a hundred years people were far more politically aware and took the trouble to talk, argue and understand politics.

When I worked for the council the road sweepers, binmen and highways workers were interested in politics. They knew the history of the workers struggle. They understood what the parties were about, who formed them and what they stood for.

That is no longer the case.

Do you not think that people are interested in politics?

No I don’t think they are. I think they are interested in celebrity, Royalty, Love Island, Strictly, clubbing and getting drunk.

It’s all trivia and gloss.

It means that they do not have a solid grounding to deal with the propaganda put out by the populist press.

Why do you think the media is so important?

The media is owned and run by the establishment. They control the news and views. They are owned by the wealthy and seek to ensure that the wealthy and privileged are kept in power.

The board of the BBC is stuffed with Tories. The Tabloids are owned by wealthy tycoons with vested interests.

If a socialist government looks like a possibility (someone that could overturn the establishment and create a fairer distribution of wealth – such as Corbyn or Sanders) they are vilified and castigated in the media to the point where they become unelectable.

You cannot have working democracy while you have the media run by a small elite busy controlling the masses by putting out propaganda.

So what form of government would you prefer?

I do not like Monarchies They smack of privilege, nepotism and tyranny.

I do not like Totalitarian regimes (oligarchies). That’s just tyranny.

I don’t like Dictatorships. They are tyrannical, corrupt and nepotistic.

I don’t like Anarchy. Too many people are immoral, selfish bullies who would simply exploit the weaker.

I don’t like Communism. It is too rigid and totalitarian.

I don’t like Democracy because people are not educated enough to vote wisely and the wealthy elite control the media.

So what would you like?

I would like a representative democracy without political parties.

I would like a free media that is not controlled by the establishment and is not biased.

I would like political education in schools so that everyone is properly educated.

I would make it mandatory to vote.

So you’ve talked yourself into liking Democracy?

It’s the best of a worst bunch.