You can’t help noticing, can you, that there is an awful lot of whinging about the current political results sweeping across the world.
The election of Donald Trump has evoked protest marches, as
did the European Referendum result in the U.K.
Yet rather than whinge and bemoan the results the ‘establishment’
need to look at how the things that they find so disdainful actually happened
and take action to establish public trust in the ‘establishment’.
Donald Trump did not just walk into the White House. There
is a very rigorous set of hurdles to jump before anyone can get there feet
under the desk in the Oval Office and the journey of Donald Trump was an
example of how many people across the world are rejecting the arrogance of the ‘establishment’
and an example of the ignorance of the ‘establishment’ in recognising that.
To become the 45th President of the United States
Donald Trump had to first win the Republican Party nomination. What was clear
from the outset of that race was that established politicians – e.g. Marco
Rubio, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie etc – were being rejected by many Republicans
across the U.S. Even the second place candidate, Ted Cruz, was considered
outside the ‘establishment’ in terms of his views etc.
Yet the ‘establishment’ chose to attack the
anti-establishment candidates rather than attempt to listen to what people were
saying and address the issues that drove them to reject the status quo.
Then Donald Trump was helped to the White House by the
Democratic Party. Again the nomination process showed a rejection of the ‘establishment’.
The Democratic nomination was supposed to be a coronation of Hilary Clinton,
yet the campaign and success of Bernie Sanders showed how many Democrats were
rejecting the ‘establishment.’ Again these issues were not dealt with as the
Democrat ‘super-delegate’ system ensured Hilary Clinton would get the
nomination without really having to listen to the electorate.
Whatever the issues with e-mails etc. Hilary Clinton had
begun to lose the election at that point.
So, despite all the warnings and opportunities to change
tack, Donald Trump is the inn the White House yet the ‘establishment’ still
moan and whinge rather than begin to win the trust of voters back.
Brexit has a similar story. Those advocating remain did
little more than give out doomsday scenarios of what would happen if we left
the European Union. Yet there were many reasons why people voted to leave, many
felt that the ‘establishment’ (of which the EU is a part in the UK) was leaving
people behind in terms of quality of life. While immigration is an issue the
reality is it is the perceived effects of immigration – e.g. impact of jobs,
wages, public services etc. – that people are more concerned with rather than
the immigrants themselves. Yet the ‘establishment’ and their advocates often
label those who voted Leave as racist!
Even months after the result the politicians and media are
solely focused on the ‘plan’ for Brexit and the minutiae of the actual details
rather than tackling the real reasons why people voted to leave!
Another example of the ignorant arrogance to the political
elite and something that will further erode trust in the ‘establishment’ over
the next few years.
Pope Francis has even joined the fray warning against the
rise of ‘populist leaders’. Again this ignores the reasons for why such leaders
are rising up across the world. People are unhappy with those who are,
supposedly, elected to look after their interests.
Politicians, the mainstream media and others within the ‘establishment’
need, right now, to start listening to the people who feel that they have been
displaced in the political process, who feel that they have been ignored by the
‘establishment’ and who feel they are losing their quality of life while those
in the establishment prosper, in order to take action to address the concerns
and issues affecting many people who, if not listened to, will continue to vote
for ‘outsiders’.
