Across the North Sea and far far away on the other side of the Atlantic there are two countries that are special in so many ways….

Take language for instance. Most people in those lands know there’s no need whatsoever to learn a different language; the foreigners one meets understand everything one says and if their English isn’t so good when they say something to you maybe that’s positive too. That way one isn’t disturbed by non Anglo Saxon ideas, one can stay in one’s own exceptional bubble.

Something else UK and US have in common is their very old ‘democracies’. Of course there are a lot of differences between the two. I believe however the similarities are more important now. How on earth have both of them come to be governed by totally farcical creatures that are 100% unable to deal with any crisis, or actually understand what the concept of government (for instance taking care of the people in your democracy) means in the best of times?

There are of course many reasons for this that I won’t go into the details of.

Or will I after all? Education has gone down the drain, especially if you are poor. Re education: Oxford educated Dominic Raab, who is now foreign minister and designated survivor, did not know Dover is a very very important port for importing goods into Britain (tomatoes anyone?). So in England at least one can also be uneducated having been to a top university. I’m convinced any democracy needs voters that have had the possibility when they were at school, to at least get acquainted with the idea that independent thinking is a possibility.

That brings me nicely to the next exceptional characteristic of these lands: the press. The detail here is Murdoch and Fox news.

The totally crazy and as we see now dangerous (inept clown leaders when you need wise experienced adults) leadership is a direct result of the FPTP voting system.

The only democratic system is PR. Of course one can moderate it in many ways (for example the complicated beautiful and so far safe system in Germany. This was at least in part designed by the English and Americans after the war. As an aside: How ironic that they did not then think their own system might need improving).

I’m getting tired now so I’m continuing in a speedier form.

FPTP leads to a two party system.

This in its turn results in a fight culture. Fighting is no way to govern as we can observe in the dreadful behaviour in the Commons in England and the parliaments in the US. The coalitions and compromise culture in PR lead to more effective government.

In FPTP the principle of one vote one representation does not exist. If your party in your district loses, you will be represented by the ‘enemy’ which means you are NOT represented in your parliament. It often occurs in this system that a large majority in parliament represents a minority of the voters. This is NOT democracy.

Actually in recent times, as for instance in Europe new parties tend to rise and old parties fall apart, we see another essential weakness in a two party system: The same trend does take place in the two party systems: the old parties in the UK for instance spend most of their energy not falling apart. There is such a neurotic urge to prevent this from happening that beings like May, Johnson and Corbyn rise to the surface.

If you have to have a system like that the least thing you should also have, is checks and balances to prevent the crazies or mentally challenged from being the leader of your country.

So let’s finish up with the positive again. Corona might have the effect of welcoming two brand new and improved proper democracies into the world. Wouldn’t that be great?