This blog site is a forum for the overall theme of hope. As it unfolds in this post, hope arises when our most basic beliefs are allowed voice to shape our attitudes, which in turn, influence our responses. There is synchronicity and harmony – a good place for hope to flourish.
As an example, if we have hope in a belief in economic justice, a resulting attitude might be that everyone will willingly pay their fair share of taxes and, as a response, should be able to make use of their fair share of the resources needed for living. This in turn leads to conflict and resulting responses when economic justice is not present. Labor unrest, concern for the rising cost of healthcare and disagreement concerning how fair taxes should be collected are just three of the possible responses to the attitudes we act out based on our belief and hope that economic justice will prevail. So the question of hope existing in a world where economic justice functions as a core value is, how are our lives affected by the activity of our current legislative processes and the willingness of the people we have elected to ensure that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are available to all?
In Israel, its citizens elect a President who is the head of state. In addition to a President, Israel has a Prime Minister who is the head of the government. The President is elected for a seven-year term. The President asks the Prime Minister to form a government. Since there are at present, approximately 14 political parties represented in the Knesset, the Prime Minister, in forming a government, has to pick leaders and manage legislation that while appealing to some of the parties, transcends party politics and seeks to include other parties in an overall effort to serve a greater good, a greater purpose. Most often a coalition government is formed by the Prime Minister with members of several parties agreeing to work together on legislation that benefits the greatest number of citizens.
In the United Kingdom, a monarch (king or queen) is the chief of state, but the Prime Minister is the head of the government. The majority party calls the Prime Minister, but with approximately 12 active political parties represented in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister must be able to bring together a coalition of several political parties to form the government. Members elected to the House of Commons serve five year terms. They represent a constituency from a particular geographic location. The legislative process seeks to find a way to serve the interests of the greatest number of citizens. As in Israel, compromise and a willingness to include varied political positions is the only way the government can remain effective.
In each of the two systems summarized above, the role of the Prime Minister is to garner consensus. The Prime Minister must look outside his or her own party to form a coalition of parties to provide a working government. Later, if that coalition fails, the government may be dissolved and another attempt at coalition building begins. When a government is dissolved it is a clear indication that hope in that particular coalition of voices has been set aside. Clearly, minor disagreements are not enough to dissolve a particular government, but prolonged and divisive issues that cannot be resolved can be the catalyst for the formation of a new government.
It would seem that there is some merit (and hope) in a greater number of political parties being available to its citizens. More points of view may be represented and voiced. Hence the legislation that ultimately passes may have a greater chance of acceptance by those most affected by the government’s action.
Some might say that the two party system in the United States has led to hopeless gridlock resulting in entrenched and prolonged partisan disagreements. This in turn has greatly affected the amount of legislation that is discussed and ultimately enacted. Coalition government, aka multiple political parties working together, may be the hope that our country needs to move ahead. Clearly the gridlock and partisan posturing that currently exist has done little to bring hope to many Americans.
Yes, yes and yes. The Green and Libertarian parties missed a huge opportunity this election and it’s a shame Republicans revolted by Trump didn’t leave to form a new party. Easier said then done of course but I read nothing that indicated they were even considering it and that’s too bad. As you say, Jon, the two-party system has not served us well and as a result we’re in dire straits.
Perhaps this is the beginning of a more vibrant independent party (parties).