Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. We should give thanks for the clever system of checks and balances that the Founders, and those who came after them, devised under the Constitution, and which, hopefully, will protect every man, woman and child from the lurch towards what looks like autocratic and unconstitutional political behaviour that is roiling this (and other) country. In particular, we give thanks to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who has defended the independence of the judiciary, which protects our freedoms. Let us hope that the system is robust enough to let us successfully get through this current outburst of partisanship and resume normal service – quickly.
I wish I could be as positive about the robustness of the British system which, with Brexit, is currently in the middle of the most threatening crisis since (fill in your own date – I choose the Norman Conquest!). There the system is under threat, supposedly concealed (but not very well) from an extreme right-wing group who are hoping to seize power and undo all the social good (health, pensions, unemployment pay, assistance to the poor and homeless etc) built up over many years, and to install an oligarchy based on the personal wealth of a few. May Big Business cease its pathetic silence, do something at last and point out that Brexit will impoverish the country. To avoid this disaster would be an Epicurean outcome.
I would also like to give thanks for a number of things:
The American people, for turning out to vote in the midterms at the highest rate in a century. Whether you voted Democratic, Republican, or independent, at least it shows that you care.
The Irish people, for having voted to repeal Ireland’s outdated abortion laws. Regardless of your views of the morality of abortion, it should be a matter for individuals to decide, not the state.
The much-maligned media, for holding our governments and large corporations to account, even when faced with declining revenues and the threat of social media.
The universities, for all the important research they do and the countless lives they improve in the process. Universities are not free-speech hating bastions of political correctness, contrary to what some on the right may imagine. They are places where ideas are debated and facts established. We dismiss them at our peril.