Do political leaders having absolute powers over their citizens still exist today? We are told that they do, ranging from the Islamic priests who run Iran to the leadership system of North Korea dominated by the Kim il Sung dynasty.
Others that get referenced are more correctly authoritarian in scope, amounting to a clique of individuals able to impose their interests and views on the rest, by deploying mechanisms of control and repression that underpin their rule.
What is interesting is that dictatorial systems of state managment, whether absolute or not, all emphasize that they are democratic. Some indeed waste time and huge resources in laying out exercises of fake democracy that convince nobody. What does one gain by emphasizing to one and all how democratic one is, when it is obvious to everybody, outside and inside the country, that matters are certainly quite different?
It would seem as if no state power can be considered as stable or valid, even by its own movers and shakers, if it simply relies for its justification solely on the fact that it exercises overwhelming force to achieve its ends.
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WE CAN’T HAVE?
One understands how due to the small size of this island-country surrounded by sea, many activities cannot be organised on our territory. For instance it is difficult to imagine how in Malta skiing could be organised as on mountain snows.
Over the years, I did believe that other sports like golf could be laid out here but the resistance which this idea encountered among people who did not like it at all, were quite hefty. To date, no land has been located on which golf could be played at international level. On the other hand on such a level and possibly a larger scale, initiatives are still ongoing for the construction of motor car racing.
We just cannot sweep away the physical limits of what the country can take. Indeed, every country is subject to its own limits: those who can offer mountain skiing attractions, cannot all boast of being also able to sponsor waterskiing, like we do.
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EUROPEAN TENSIONS
It is quite apparent that in the coming elections to the European Parliament the dominant factors will -- in practically all countries -- be national issues. Above all, elections will be considered as tests about the popularity of the governments in office and of the Opposition they face.
Even so, two political items seem to also have become common in all the countries involved. Firstly, there is the traction being achieved by populist parties in the preferences of electorates. Clearly, from the left but more importantly from the right, populists are marshalling a major challenge. However, this is an issue that affects more directly the political forces in electoral competition and not so directly voters.
It is the second theme that really impacts the latter and for this reason will likely be the most powerful factor in swinging votes: namely, the impact of higher consumer prices on the everyday life of citizens. In all countries, the burdens associated with inflation have become very problematic.