SPHEEL

When one employs a strategy that overhauls a system and the way in which it is run, considerations must be given towards the culture; stakeholders; and of course, the problematic situations that may arise if such a change would be instigated.

Nevertheless, the USA must walk forward with President Obama and aim not to cause great obstacle as he starts a system that has been the foundation of British health care for over 60 years. Perhaps contrived of my own UK upbringing, it is a human right to expect adequate support in my times of need, be it a fire, theft, or illness. To our allies of the west; only two of your pillars stand strong while the third lays in ruins; but built taller for those who can afford it. An uneven system for the most developed economy, Obama is a welcomed late catalyst.

Not so for many US citizens. As a national of a country that is smaller than many US states; one must respect the sheer size of North America and the cost of introducing such a system. Let us consider creating an EU health service, the amount of our tax that would be lost to such an overhaul would be paramount, and therefore many of the US citizens who have been raised through this insurance reliance in terms of health care, is their status quo any other ideology is just a blatant faux pas.

As for those who cannot afford health care, for many, this is not the pressing issue. Shelter, raising a family and finding employment will detract from a majority’s ability to be heard and voice their support.

The USA can be proud of many radical movements and being the forward thinkers of modern day, knocking the likes of the United Kingdom of its pedestal. But as it lags behind in basic health care, eyes need to be opened and an overhaul must be brought in to give equal support to every citizen regardless of who their insurer is or their annual income. USA has always strived for equality, but if five people turn up with the same illness, each should have the opportunity to receive the same benefits.

matt Blog, Politics

The Englishman asks the barman for a pitcher of lager, the Irishman asks for a shot of whiskey, and the Scotsman asks for half a pint of bitter.  Here lies no punchline, just a simple analogy in terms of what I consider the current three politicians are offering us the voters in the upcoming election.

Raised in a family of Labour, I’ve been scared away from Conservatives since the day I was born; mainly due to the Thatcher years and the numerous problems that occurred in Liverpool such as the Toxteth Riots.

However, being the disloyal family member; I decided to approach this election impartially and try to detract myself from any prejudgements I had in regards to David Cameron and the conservative party.  Having looked at the manifestos and watched the TV debates, one problem continues to concern me with the conservative party and that is their economic policies; something of paramount importance at a time when a double dip recession is extremely plausible.

Shame on those who fail to learn from history.  It is evident that you must ’speculate to accumulate’ in a time of economic uncertainty.  Don’t trust me, or the other leaders; the facts from the past recessions of the 1930’s and 1980’s speak for themselves.  The UK can merely not afford six years of growing unemployment, particularly when emerging economies are starting to compete even more against our nation.  The government must invest, even if at times this seems a waste; our UK government must spend in order for our economy to improve and recover effectively.

And so David Cameron with his quick, short sighted fix of a shot of whiskey is ruled out.  His ideologies seem some what naive, and I do agree with Gordon Brown when he says he is a risk to the economy.  So, what do I choose, a pitcher or half a bitter?

Here is where my concern lies.  Should I consider the likeliness of certain hung parliaments, or do I just be an idealist and vote for who I want, regardless of possible consequences?

My concern with Brown and his half a pint of bitter is that I feel the UK needs change, it needs an Obama, it needs some sort of vision and hope to try and put respect back in to politics.  Forget Clegg and his cake tin, I’m sure most would agree he does seem to have the best idea in terms of reforming politics, and for this is what makes me believe Clegg should be prime minister.  Scandal has caused mistrust, and I believe for the good of the nation we need a visionary to move forward and forget these past troubles.

Brown however is the one person who knows where the nation currently stands.  Not only this, but as a previous chancellor, he has the greatest expertise in terms of the economy.  But, its that same old party making ridiculous decisions such as the digital economy bill?  This boring weathered face is not what the UK needs.  He’s the guy from labour we blame, the guy who we can moan at.  While Clegg is someone with a positive ideology for the country, he wants to get a pitcher, he wants to get somewhere, and I want to see that happen.

matt Blog, Politics election, Politics

This conversation cropped up between me, my brother and my father not so long ago, and in retrospect I think it’s quite a controversial issue that could be discussed in more depth as our society pulls towards a multi-cultural system, while a minority lag behind with the nostalgia of what used to be.

But what is British?  This island has been colonized for centuries, and so it’s difficult to find a pure Brit.  I mean, just look at our monarchy (…but that’s a completely different argument).  I sit here, with my Malaysian produced laptop, watching my Japanese manufactured TV, wearing my Italian T-Shirt, eating some Mexican cuisine.  Quite a lot to be doing at one moment but treat it more as  a symbolic metaphor.

The key is, over millions of years tectonic plates have digressed from the concept of Pangea, yet I feel now as a new decade begins, western civilization is something that is becoming collective rather than these individual entities.  The UN, the EU, it’s accepted we have different cultures and values, but we all breathe the same air, and we’re all made from the same elements.

My point is, I’m in the progress of applying for a Green Card for the USA.  If accepted, once nationalized, I have the same privileges as any other US civilian.  Except I can’t run for presidency.  For me, I can’t understand this.  A nation which plagued it’s native ancestors does have a right to feel proud for their constitution and the infrastructure they now have in place.  But why does this rule still live on that ensures no foreign blood can become president.  Freedom of choice this nation cries; yet they cannot trust their 300 million strong population to formulate their own viewpoints on a given candidate?

That right there is where I tend to find people disagreeing with me.  Politicians can lie, deceive, and we know power corrupts.  But as a British Citizen if the majority of my fellow people elect a foreign born candidate; so be it.   That should be the beauty of freedom and the power of the people.  I think that the obstacles for these foreign candidates would be colossal, and the chance of it occurring would be minute.  So why engrave it in stone that they don’t even have a chance to pitch their ideas to their residence, and acclaimed nationality?

matt Blog election, foreign, racism