The game of thrones

We find ourselves in an era where Capitalism is dying, and it’s taking politics with it.  People are fed up with the way they’re being played, and a large number are beginning to side with those populist politicos that are chomping at the bit to wear a crown.  It seems to me that nowadays it’s the loudest, most controversial contestants that are making their way up the ranks.  

Nobody seems to care if the truth is far from a consideration, it’s the timely photo-ops and frightening videos insinuating blame on everyone and everything, excepting those who are largely responsible for this mess.  Elections today are focused on the head loudmouth, and his or her band of merry soldiers, who seem more fixated on agreeing with their empowered leader than actually following party lines.  It’s looking like the party as an entity or a vehicle for certain ideals is currently more in the shadows.  Look at what happened in Canada; the country seemed to be set to elect the PC’s in, largely due to the lack of confidence in Trudeau.  Poilievre was already picking wallpaper for his castle in Ottawa, until the buffoon to the south was elected, a couple of weeks later, his changes went from slim to none.  Mr. Poilievre delighted in the same rhetoric that Trump so enjoyed, a move that cost him dearly in the end.  Canadians were having none of what they saw happening in the States and elected a Liberal government in tidy fashion.  Our friend Mr.  Ford, while being a Conservative, was anti-Trump all the way through, so he easily took Ontario, even though he was caught mowing the greenbelt for his friends.  Here, we just had a silly election in which the only real change was in the role of official opposition.  

Like a few other European countries, Chega, the Portuguese Populist brand, is now number two in parliament.  True that they now will have much more airtime, but their problem will continue to be that no other party will work with them, yet.  Siding with Chega is fortunately still taboo, and I can’t see that changing any time soon.  Also, being a populist party, Chega blames and points fingers very effectively, like any other similar party, without ever offering any sort of viable solution.  They cater to those who are angry, (and rightly so), and who are not interested in finding out for themselves what is really happening around them.  Since they have no viable policies, the only positive aspect to the being the official opposition is that their bark will keep the elected government on its toes.  

  What happened to the Socialists?  I’m going with the same theory; they chose the wrong guy for the job, just like in the United States.  I don’t know him personally, but as a leader of a major party, he has no personality, no wit and no class.  Listening to him was an exercise in tedium, and thus all I ever wanted to do when faced with the likelihood of having hear him in discourse was change the channel to whatever else might be on.  Maybe if he tried yelling….

Fiquem bem,

Raul Freitas/MS