trollercoaster

The thing is that people who want to will drink regardless. If it's entirely illegal, they'll do it in secret. If it's legal, there is at least some chance of supervision. Just look how Americans behave the moment they turn 21. And what they will do to get alcohol when younger. (forged identity documents for example, having a fake ID document is considered pretty normal among US teenagers) That's what you get for infantilising your youths and young adults and banning them from drinking entirely.

Look where the 1968 APO ended up. They got corrupted by the time they were able to occupy powerful positions.

They start out non corrupt due to lack of opportunity. As soon as they gain power, they will become increasingly corrupted. The nature of politics strongly favours ruthless careerists, and in the end that leads to the large and powerful parties mostly consisting of people who would sell their own grandmother for personal profit.

The current system has some fatal flaws: It is reliably and repeatedly failing at holding politicians accountable for their actions and forcing them to actually do what they promised before the election. It also strongly favours parties and politicians backed by people and corporations with deep pockets.

Unless there is accountability, the system will ultimately fail. Unfortunately, those who could introduce such accountability, are exactly the same people who greatly profit from there being none.

I don't buy that they are "willing" anymore. I've been lied to and betrayed by far too many politicians on every governmental level, and from all kinds of different parties, and as long as they face exactly zero consequences for essentially defrauding their voters, this won't change.

How would people not lose faith in a perverted form of democracy, where pretty much all you can vote for are different collections of lying self serving bastards employed by the ultra rich in order to fuck over ordinary people for their profits?

There is a reason why free trade with the EU is tied to regulatory alignment and the customs union.

There are differences. The Posh Taliban in Saudi Arabia and Qatar do have lots of money and oil and gas.

And once more, the mighty island nation of Global Britain sets out to achieve the impossible: Entirely free trade with the EU without joining the customs union. And, of course, free movement only for goods.

I didn't have a re-run of the Brexit comedy on my bingo card and am mightily annoyed, for my strategic popcorn reserves aren't up to that, thanks to lack of foresight on my behalf, and the global political situation.

This is looking like it's going far better than "tax the rich", which failed.

People have their priorities backwards.

Oh yes, definitely. Die Sendung mit der Maus is a national treasure.

Only on paper. In practice, the genitive is virtually extinct, much to the despair of a few grossly overrated zealots.