Article #5 'Things Have Changed'

There is so much that I do not understand about politics: I am not a historian, an economist or a sociologist. However, even I can see that Britain is in a bloody mess. I may even go as far as to say that the world is in a mess. There is a worldwide economic downturn, distrust and indifference towards politicians and leaders is widespread, unemployment is a major problem and there are continuing difficulties in health and education services. There is also the not-so-small problem of world poverty, with the western world seeing an ever widening gap between rich and the poor. I have no answers, but many questions, and in this I don’t think I am alone.

In the 21st Century, we apparently have a great breadth of knowledge, understanding and intelligence. Yet the advances that have brought us to where we are now don’t seem to have steered us away from chaos. When people fought for democracy, for a Parliament, when lives were lost in the name of freedom and equality: I don’t believe that this was the future they envisaged. We are blessed with many things; freedom of speech and opportunity for all, however, with all of this, the country is not satisfied, successful or content. Why is there a gap here? Why is it that with so many opportunities and advances in science, healthcare, education, and so much more, most people do not feel that they are experiencing a better quality of life?

Our parliament is bogged down with childish bickering, corruption and dishonesty and we are in such a media-centred age that every Member of Parliament is put under the microscope and pulled apart to a degree that would make even our historical heroes look bad. Our media is dominated by speculation, sleaze and slander. This scrutiny isn’t productive and people are forgetting that the people who run our country may not be perfect, but they are only human. Most political arguments that I have heard recently are based on the shortfalls of others and I am yet to see a politician who inspires me. I want to see policies; I want to know that the people in charge of this country are actually dealing with the problems we are facing. Celebrities are now stepping up to replace politicians; this seems insane. I don’t want to see TV presenters in The House of Commons, but then where are the real alternatives?

So whose fault is all of this, do we jump on the band-wagon and blame the MP’s, is it all Gordon Brown’s fault? How about the cruel overzealous media? Or do we need to look at ourselves? After all, if we do not take responsibility for our situation, who will? And don’t we owe our history more than this mess? Doesn’t every woman who has the right to vote but doesn’t bother, owe something to the Suffragettes who campaigned for this privilege? Doesn’t every British citizen owe it to the veterans of our wars to reject fascism and embrace diversity? Shouldn’t we use the opportunities we are lucky to have to further the cause of those who brought us democracy? It is terrible to ignore these things that we all take for granted, and a crying shame that people are giving up on politics: Not caring out of distrust and ignorance. In fact, the opposite should be true. As with so many before us, we should not just be looking for change, we should be fighting for it.

But is this change inevitable? Are we living in a world where we can no longer cling on to aspirations of freedom, peace and universal equality? Is a ‘see-saw’ from really really bad to just plain bad as good as it gets? Should we be cynical and believe that all Communists will become Capitalists, all Liberals become Conservative and is this not pessimism but realism? Bob Dylan’s ‘Things Have Changed’ shows a philosophical alteration in Dylan’s feelings, the song demonstrates what you may call an inevitable shift in political ideology. “People are crazy and times are strange I’m locked in tight, I’m outta range I used to care, but things have changed” Are we destined to be disillusioned to the point of giving up. When you spend your whole life fighting but you still can’t beat ‘em… is it time to just join ‘em?