ARE ELECTIONS CONSEQUENTIAL?

 Do you believe that elections are consequential? Will your life change depending on who wins the next general election? If the answer is 'yes', then what changes are you hoping for? If the answer is 'no' then why are you bothering to vote at all? Put another way, if 'your side' wins the election how will that affect you personally? And what happens to you if you 'side' loses?

You see, the only reason for politics - the only reason for Government - is to make YOUR life better. Full stop! There is no other reason. You can understand why those who are offering themselves want the job - they will certainly become better off if they win. But how will YOU benefit?  Okay, you will prevent 'them" (whoever 'them' are) from having a better life. But what's in it for you? This is a very serious question that I don't think that a lot of people think about. We all get caught up in the hype - 'vote PNM' or 'vote UNC'. But do you ever stop to think about what's in it for you? Of course, the reality is that the answer to this basic question is often overlooked in all the excitement surrounding an election - whether it is an internal or a general one.

Have you noticed, for example that most people are worse off today than they were ,say, 10 years ago? And yet, the PNM seems to be running neck and neck with the UNC. Why?  Certainly, one can look at the UNC's leadership and say that it is falling short, but isn't the PNM leadership also wanting? The UNC has some internal elections about to take place that will almost certainly impact how that party is perceived by the wider electorate. So the question for a UNC supporter is do you think that your party has done a good job of keeping the PNM Government on its toes? If you do, then why is your party doing so badly in the polls when by all that is normal at this stage the party should be preparing for Government?  And they are not!

And if you think that its all the fault of those who oppose the current UNC leader, do you think that she can heal the party enough to persuade non UNC people (the floating voters) to vote for her in the next round? So? Do you vote to change things or are you happy with the status quo?

 The last 9 years of PNM rule have been marked  by a series of disasters - the closure of Petrotrin, austerity, the pandemic and a series of other vague, but just as troubling, marks of failure. It has been argued that while the State withers the charlatans take over and you give up on progress and simply hope that this particular chapter of all this nonsense will end. But a country cannot move forward without honestly reckoning on where it has gone wrong. There is enormous social inequality and exasperation with corruption that is generating massive discontent. Which leads back to my original question: do you believe that elections are consequential?