UK election and its global impact
Following the launch of LifeBahn on July 4, we are excited to continue our daily posts, exploring the world through the LifeBahn lens.
The UK Election and Its Global Impact
According to CNN, Sir Keir Starmer of the Labour Party won the UK elections against Rishi Sunak, the head of the Tory Party and the then Prime Minister of the UK, making him the most powerful person there. While this event may not appear relevant to most of us, like it or not, this election, just like the election in the US or any other national election, affects all of us.
We can play ostrich by burying our heads in the sand and ignoring its effects, or we can try to understand its impact on us so that we can manage this change to our benefit or at the very least minimize the harm this change might do to us. This notion of change management, described as life itself, is discussed in our ‘Lifetime of Education in 52 Weeks’ program.
In fact, the dynamics and their impact on us are very similar to those we discussed in the previous two posts on July 4th and 5th. These elections, although portrayed as such, are not really about the individuals or the parties but rather about how they spend our resources, specifically money—our tax dollars. In today’s globally interconnected and interdependent world, how each country spends its money affects other countries, especially as defense spending accounts for much of the budget of most nations.
The chart on the right shows the UK debt as a percentage of its GDP, which simply means how much more money the government has borrowed than its income. Notice that until about 2010, the borrowing was modest, and just before 2010, it spiked. After 2010, it went out of control. So what happened in 2010? The Tory government has been in power since 2010 and has been spending money like a drunken sailor. Much of this spending has benefited the 1% much more so than the other 99%. This pattern is very similar across the globe; the only difference is which country’s 1% takes greater advantage of the 99%.
Or simply put, in which country does the 99% get clobbered the most? Clobbered is putting it mildly; robbed blind might be a more appropriate term.
The purpose of this blog, the ‘Lifetime of Education in 52 Weeks’ program at edugreat.org, and lifebahn.net, our virtual global community, is not to argue politics, religion, or any other topic but rather to learn about all these things and understand their dynamics so that we can better manage these changes.
What we understand, without going into greater details and nuances—the politics of it—is that when conservatives, republicans, tories, or any other authoritarian groups are in power, the 99% get clobbered much more than otherwise. The only control/power the 99% have in some places is elections. However, they rarely get to exercise that power properly. In many countries where there are no elections, such as various dictatorships, though these are decreasing in number as people become more educated and embrace democracy, progress is unfortunately not fast enough. Even in countries with democracy, this power is compromised through outright force or various other manipulative techniques, so that the 1% keep getting richer and the rest keep getting poorer. Yes, it is by and large a zero-sum game, although it doesn't have to be.
The bottom line is to learn how to use your vote effectively by understanding what you are voting for, not who you are voting for. For me, even though under the Republicans or Tories it might appear that I am better off economically in the short term, I and my family, especially the next generation, will, with a few exceptions, be worse off.
Remember, in a competitive environment, only a few succeed. Collaboration is a better way.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. Stay tuned for more insights through the LifeBahn lens as we continue to explore and understand the world together.
