One frequently meets people, not necessarily senior citizens, who proclaim how in the past things were nicer, better, more genuine, more interesting than today.

Most of us look back with nostalgia at when they were young and naturally, more often than not, end up glorifying the past, in comparison to just now.

In a way, they’re rehashing the myth of the Garden of Eden, by way of a remembrance of times blessed with unprecedented bliss – times that have passed and will never come back. It is an attractive myth, and a dangerous one.

For after all, in reality, life in the Garden of Eden could hardly have been comfortable or beautiful for Adam and Eve. With no electricity, no clean water, no decent sewage system, it is clear that their living standards must have been quite primitive.

Comparing the past with the present is something understandable, it comes naturally. We all live out of our stock of memories. However, it makes little sense to declare a preference between what is “past” and gone, and what is still developing.

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American politics

With the passage of weeks, attention will increasingly be given to the US presidential elections. The nomination of Donald Trump, in the wake of the atrocious statements he has indulged in throughout the campaign up to now, is generating much anxiety.

He has projected himself as an unstable politician who hardly cares about the interests of foreign countries, close to the US or distant from it. More than this, his tongue seems to run faster than his brain. Which has given him the profile of an arrogant individual who is prepared to antagonize others, simply to service a macho image with the “angries” of the American electorate who have given him most support.

Whoever is President of the US and the policies he/she advocates are issues of great concern to the rest of the world. The prospect of having a man like Trump in the White House necessarily provokes disquiet.

But then, come to think of it, even with a man like George Bush there, the consequences for all of us were quite disastrous.

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Local councils

If one major priority has long been pending, it is the need for a new and indepth study of where we stand with regard to the institution of local councils.

Have they satisfactorily achieved some useful objective, and if yes, how and to what extent? If not, why not?

What have been the main achievements of local councils and how were they reached? Similarly for where they have been failures.

Has the introduction of partisan politics in the running of local councils been of benefit or was it detrimental to their operations?

Is the role that local councils are assigned inthe affairs of the nation being given the appreciation due to it? Should this role be expanded or reduced?

Are relations between local councils and the central government, including the latter’s agencies, designed in ways that fit circumstances as they exist now, or are they counter-productive? Is it true that frequently, local councils are used as a screen behind which to hide the hand of the government?

Above all, is the financing of local councils adequate? Is it being managed effectively? Is it transparent, free of all trace of corruption? Should it be increased?