Democracy makes all of this our fault, doesn't it?
Maybe it's "democracy" that needs fixing? Maybe that's why the G3P has been busy fixing it.
If representational democracy exists where you live then:
You acquiesce to a pseudo-majority system;
You are “represented”;
If you are not represented, you are not making your voice heard or it is being ignored or marginalized or overridden by other interests;
You have voted on the partial basis of acceptance of the leadership that each party presented to you in a national election, unless you somehow influenced that selection;
Because you engaged in the system, you legitimise it and you share responsibility for its outcomes, given that you are “represented” even after the vote.
So, let’s just say that you voted for and in support of the current Prime Minister of the UK. Fair enough, the party picked him to replace the outgoing Theresa May so he got in via being either the best or the “least shit” option for the party, not you, and do you remember any of the competition?
But he got back in in 2019 through the “standard” mechanism, so someone somewhere was ticking his boxes.
By that point, a massive litany of Johnson’s lies was in existence across multiple publications including CIApedia Wikipedia.
Independent: Boris Johnson: The most infamous lies and untruths by the Conservative leadership candidate
The Insider: 100+ reasons why you can’t trust Boris Johnson.
Left Foot Forward: Is Boris Johnson a “known liar”? Here’s six times he’s known to have lied
Peter Oborne: The lies, falsehoods and misrepresentations of Boris Johnson and his government
Huffington Post: 14 Of The Worst Gaffes In Boris Johnson's Career
Metro: Boris Johnson fact checker website tells you how truthful he is being
Max Hastings (Guardian): I was Boris Johnson’s boss: he is utterly unfit to be prime minister
That’s a fair mix of outlets to cover a spectrum of tastes. Peter Oborne, for example, of former Telegraph pedigree boosted his own standing by calling The Telegraph and the media out by leaving in protest against the editorial influence media advertisers exerted. What’s not to like about Oborne on the grounds of some morality alone?
Now, if:
some or all of the above is accurate and true (enough) when it comes to Boris Johnson’s lying (which heavily features money in his own pockets); and
this information all existed before the 2019 general election; and
you voted for the Tories under Johnson partly because of something about Boris Johnson;
Then you just “democratically” legitimised a known liar to run your nation.
If you voted for him and are happy with his performance in office, good for you. There are a significant number who will be and will have voted for him as a known liar. You may have benefitted as a result of that.
If you voted for him and are not happy with his performance in office, on what basis did you put him there?
“But I didn’t know about Boris’ chequered past with the truth!” you may protest.
Then why didn’t you check? Don’t you do any due diligence on the people running your country? Did you look for any reviews about the last kettle/toaster/builder/restaurant in your life? If so, you paid more attention to things of probably less overall consequence than you did to someone in the supposedly prime position of power in the UK, and who many, many people now want to blame (in part or whole) for the last two years, which have been demonstrably chock full o’lies.
“He was the least shit of two shit options!” you may opine. Why are you only being presented with two shit options?
Why isn’t it our fault?*
If it is our fault, then what do we do about it? Can we do anything about it and what work would it take?
*Maybe you can find an excuse on this website.
Note: The following video was uploaded in 2016.