Post B6I2x0ithiBnHsUw8O by h4890@merovingian.club
 (DIR) More posts by h4890@merovingian.club
 (DIR) Post #B6I2x02iEYRfB2lFNg by ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
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       John Kampfner, suggests politicians fail to really deal with problems because:'They worry about the markets (with reason); they fret about conventional media & social media (with less reason). They wait for bad things to happen, trying to anticipate what their critics might say of them in case they put a foot out of line. It’s a self-fulfilling spiral'!There's more to it than this, but this seem to capture an important aspect of our political problem(s)!#politics https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/14/europe-big-problems-japan-taiwan-care-systems
       
 (DIR) Post #B6I2x0HbLCM3vDj8aW by alex_p_roe@mastodon.world
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       @ChrisMayLA6 I’ve said this before and will no doubt say it again: you can’t become a doctor or a surgeon without qualifications and training, same goes for lawyers but any idiot can become a politician - zero training or even experience is required and we wonder why our countries are so badly run?!
       
 (DIR) Post #B6I2x0UMZkYyYnhKTo by h4890@merovingian.club
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       @alex_p_roe @ChrisMayLA6 Ah, the wonders of democracy. Some steps that could be taken to improve democracy is to only allow votes to people who pay into the system. If you don't pay tax, you cannot vote, and you cannot become a politician. When it comes to politicians, there can be IQ requirements, requirements for an academic degree, they must pass language tests, they must have worked in the private sector for at least 20 years, we want no life time public leeches.
       
 (DIR) Post #B6I2x0ithiBnHsUw8O by h4890@merovingian.club
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       @alex_p_roe @ChrisMayLA6 Then the term limit of 1 term, for life, must be imposed. We cannot have people make careers out of being politicians, this harms democracy. Oh, and the salaries have to come down. It should not be possible to become rich by being a politician, and if salaries are lowered and important class of people, who are only doing it for the money, will hopefully be blocked.
       
 (DIR) Post #B6I2x0qLG28zexysjo by ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
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       @h4890 @alex_p_roe Yes, term limits seem to me to be a good way of limiting the corruption.... however the issue of salaries is almost the opposite; too low pay means they are amenable to 'other payments' because in the elite in which they mix, they feel themselves to be poor - rather higher salaries bit no second jobs or other income would be a better option - pay them well, but don't allow them (for their limited terms) any other income
       
 (DIR) Post #B6I2x0zCj5EW6S7xYG by h4890@merovingian.club
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       @ChrisMayLA6 @alex_p_roe Aha! A sweet convergence across the ideological spectrum for term limits! But shouldn't we strive for politicians who are not ruled by envy? What they feel like, when compared with the captains of industry, and old wealthy family, should certainly not, in my opinion be used to set their salaries. After all, in my business, if an employee would say they want a higher salary because they will envious of another, I'd laugh them out of the room.
       
 (DIR) Post #B6I2x1MbK5wrH14e1I by h4890@merovingian.club
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       @ChrisMayLA6 @alex_p_roe But what about salaries coupled to the national average salary? Let's say they can get 2x the national average. If, due to competent economic policies, the economy and salaries expands, the politicians get increased salaries, if the economy contracts, they get lowered salaries. When the people suffer, they suffer, and when the people prosper, they prosper. Sounds very democratic to my ears.