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Sometimes we need to stop and realise how valuable something we have is - like democracy. Sometimes we just take our political system for granted, and we shouldn't. We see the malfunctions and are blind to its glories.
In our moaning times, it's easy to forget how rare it is for power to change hands peacefully just because we, ordinary citizens, have the chance to remind those who govern us that they are leasing the Lodge or Downing Street and not owning it in perpetuity.
There is nothing quite so refreshing as seeing the way the removalist turns up and carts the loser's belongings away. Off he or she goes, denied the shiny seats of the shiny limo, with the doors opened by flunkies.
Politicians in power get arrogant. They assume they have a right to stay. They get what the great Irish journalist Fintan O'Toole calls a "saviour complex" where they are deluded into believing that only they can save the country.
Think of Scott Morrison appointing himself to all those ministries while omitting to tell the ministers already appointed to those ministries.
Think of Boris Johnson raising a glass - or two or more - in parties in Downing Street while the public were keeping indoors because his government ordered them to.
He clinked his glass in lockdown while a mother was told she couldn't visit her dying son.
So politicians need to be reminded that their stay is temporary. They are not indispensable.
Joe Biden is not indispensable - as he will no doubt find in November if he doesn't recognise the plain truth about his own frailty and about the electorate's perception of it.
The election of Trump might well end the United States as a robust democracy. His packing of the Supreme Court with those who do what suits him will continue even more.
With this dark scenario, the British election made me grateful for the electoral system which Britain shares with Australia, albeit with some variations.
Citizens of both countries know that their democracies are the ultimate guarantee of our freedoms and of our very way of life.
Our underlying assumptions are the same. When we say: "Off you go", off they jolly well go.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you think Joe Biden should pull out? Do you rejoice that we in Australia have such an excellent system? Email your response to echidna@theechidna.com.au.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Former APS commissioner Andrew Podger says secretaries in the Australian Public Service are overpaid and should have their salaries cut significantly, calling for an overhaul of recruitment and payment systems.
- The number of Australians being diagnosed with a complex blood cancer is forecast to rise sharply over the next 25 years, new research shows.
- Russian strikes have left over 100,000 households without power in northern Ukraine and cut off the water supply to a regional capital, Ukrainian authorities say.
THEY SAID IT: "Biden's tragedy is that he has come to feel that he alone can rescue America." - Fintan O'Toole
YOU SAID IT: Garry put his tongue in his cheek and opined on the Olympics: "It truly is the greatest show on earth. It only arrives every four years but the battle for gold is well worth the wait. How it warms the soul to observe our amateurs competing on the world stage. Such dedication. Such commitment. No wonder they leave us breathless."
But he wasn't convinced it was value for money.
You tended to agree.
"Sports people should have to pay back that money," Margaret said.
Peter wrote: "Very eloquently expressed, and I can't argue against any of your points. The benefit of Olympic sport is ephemeral at best, at worst, it's a colossal waste of money, and after the games are over, it's of no practical use."
Elaine said: "I hate the focus this country has on sport, especially when it seems to encourage young men to believe they have the right to be aggressive towards each other and violent towards women."
Sandra said: "A disgusting amount of money is spent on sport."
Bill took a slightly different view: "I think that your 40 million for a gold medal misses some points. There are thousands of athletes who have bettered themselves by aspirations. There are the men and women who have had jobs created, designers, engineers, builders, event and logistic planners, tradies and javelin manufacturers."