The Year of the Elections by Alfred N.Muggins

15/6/24

There was to be an election coming up – a General Election! As far as Alfred could make out it might have been an attempt by young smart switched on, ex investment banker Prime Minister Rishi (very Richy) Sunak to upstage the Americans on their very own Independence Day, the 4^th of July. Thankfully the Transatlantic reaction to this competitive affront to their celebratory commemoration seemed to be turning into a damp squib. Alfred supposed, as they were having their own elections towards the end of the year, they were not really concentrating on or worrying about what was happening in their once upon a time Mother Country of Great Britain.

    The Americans, it seemed, had their own worries, and the momentous task of choosing between two very aged and, possibly for different reasons, very inappropriate candidates for the highest office in the land of President of the (not so) United States. As far as Alfred could make out, it was all about money, and not so much about actual voting. Each of the two main parties appeared to have to be bribed to choose the candidate with the most financial backers, who would then try to deliver programmes dictated by their backers and their lobbyists. The voters evidently seemed to take rather a back seat!

    But then again, Alfred had to admit that, despite many years of studying American History, and watching westerns and John Wayne films, he had never quite been able to come to a full understanding of the American Constitution and its strange selection and voting system. Alfred, for example, wondered why there were only 2 parties (most of the time!), why some states had a lot more representatives than others, and why relatively empty states had disproportionately more senators than more populated states?

    Alfred had to admit that if he had actually been American, and actually lived there he would probably have understood it all a whole lot better.