Originally Posted by
JamesWales
I think the thing that just frustrates me a little, and this is not just on CCMB, but in the wider political discourse, and that is that there is only ever one type of criticism and that's to blame the govt.
In practice we all want much the same thing. We all want high wages and low unemployment and everyone to be happy and healthy and wise and all the rest of it. It is of course very difficult to achieve (some govts are better than others though) and moreover there are always huge external factors at play.
My issue is that I just don't see a change of govt making any difference. I hope I'm wrong, but I just see a misdiagnosis of the problems and when that happens you will never solve them.
In that sense, pointing out that Germany is in a generally worse economic state right now is valid, as many people simply blame Brexit or Tories for things, and Germany is a centre left govt in the EU facing the same problems, so it illustrates that the solution many put forward (a change in govt) may not work. It may evenale things worse.
Of course, Germany isnt the UK, the SDP aren't Labour and even if you thought it may make no difference you may still want a fresh govt to punish them or just to see change for changes sake. I get that argument tbh.
But this idea that the govt is useless, incompetent and that there are easy solutions elsewhere. That's wrong im afraid. The irony is that in France, Germany, Holland and Spain those same knee jerk arguments are being made against centre-left govts in much the same way.