The English think they are free. They are free only during the election of members of parliament. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The majority vote by Britons to leave the European Union was an act of raw democracy. Millions of ordinary people refused to be bullied, intimidated and dismissed with open contempt by their presumed betters in the major parties, the leaders of the business and banking oligarchy and the media.
This was, in great part, a vote by those angered and demoralised by the sheer arrogance of the apologists for the ‘remain’ campaign and the dismemberment of a socially just civil life in Britain. The last bastion of the historic reforms of 1945, the National Health Service, has been so subverted by Tory and Labour-supported privateers it is fighting for its life. John Pilger, Why the British Said No to Europe, 2016
The 2016 election campaign is remarkable not only for the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders but also for the resilience of an enduring silence about a murderous self-bestowed divinity. A third of the members of the United Nations have felt Washington’s boot, overturning governments, subverting democracy, imposing blockades and boycotts. Most of the presidents responsible have been liberal – Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama.
The breathtaking record of perfidy is so mutated in the public mind, wrote the late Harold Pinter, that it ‘never happened … nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. It didn’t matter ...’ Pinter expressed a mock admiration for what he called ‘a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.’ John Pilger, article May 2016 ‘Silencing America as it Prepares for War’
The message of anti-globalisation we see now is global. Trump’s America: A Newsnight Special, BBC 2016
The issue of race has hung over this election often unnoticed but always present in the background. ibid.
The polls all predicted a win for Hillary Clinton. ibid.
After a decade of plotting and planning to become prime minister Gordon Brown finally ascended to the throne in June last year. Since then there’s been the self-wounding blunder of the election that never was. There have been massacres at the polls and accusations of incompetence. Dispatches with Andrew Rawnsley: Gordon Brown: Where Did It All Go Wrong? Channel 4 2008
Many senior Conservatives thought they would have been defeated in an autumn election. ibid.
‘He’s the first prime minister in history to flunk an election because he thought he was going to win it.’ ibid. Cameron
Afghanistan: My name is Malalai Joya from the Farah province … I wish to criticize my compatriots in this room. Why would you allow criminals to be present at this Loya Jirga? War lords responsible for our country’s situation … They should be prosecuted. Enemies of Happiness, Malalai in parliament, 2006
Guards, throw her out! ibid. head of parliament
It is the first time women can vote in a general election … She has survived four assassination attempts. ibid. radio news
The [other] candidates are out buying votes. ibid. supporter
You must disarm my men so I can run my campaign in peace. ibid. election candidate
Former war lords and their supporters won the majority of the seats. 28 percent of the 249 seats went to female candidates. Among them is Malalai Joya. ibid.
‘I was shocked at the arrogance of the court; I was shocked at the fact that they thought corporations were people. Citizen Koch, Bob Edgar, 2013
Money also pours into state and local elections after 22 states lift their corporate spending bans. ibid.
Bush v Gore: The closest race in modern political history. An election night like no other. Launching a war for the White House. 36 days of political combat at the highest levels. Bush v Gore: the endless election. Bush v Gore: The Endless Election, CNN 2015
The 2000 vote was too close to call. For news anchors election night is the super bowl. ibid.
‘Florida goes for Al Gore.’ ibid. Dan Rather
Then, two minutes later, all hell breaks loose. ibid.
‘Computer and data problems.’ ibid. Dan Rather
‘Turn the lights down, the party just got wilder.’ ibid. Dan Rather
The Democrats: a long list of complaints. ibid.
Three crazy weeks as the tension became surreal. ibid.
The margin: 537 votes. ibid.
The United States Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to stop the count. ibid.
The prime minister fighting for her political life. Ready and waiting to take power a man who just weeks ago was dismissed as unelectable. Britain’s approach to Brexit in the balance. All this the consequence of an election almost everyone believed Theresa May would win and win big. This is the story of what really happened. Panorama: Election 2017: What Just Happened? BBC 2017
‘Every election has a risk.’ ibid. Theresa May
Corbyn’s vision for change was summed up in his little red book. Labour pledged to spend more, a whole lot more. ibid.
It’s amazing to think that that’s the best election result that we could have hoped for. The Conservatives forming a coalition with the political wing of the Old Testament – the Democratic Unionist Party. I’m always worried when I see that word Democratic in a name. Frankie Boyle’s New World Order III
There are worries that whatever happens in the election Trump won’t recognise the results and that Joe Biden will not recognise his own wife and family. Frankie Boyle’s New World Order s4e6, BBC 2020
Bob Roberts is a stalwart America. Bob is a tireless worker … Bob is a people-person … Bob Roberts 1992 starring Tim Robbins & Giancarlo Esposito & Ray Wise & Gore Vidal & John Cusack & Peter Gallagher & Alan Rickman & Susan Sarandon & James Spader & Fred Ward & Brian Murray et al, director Tim Robbins
Time magazine once called [him] a crypto-fascist coward. ibid.
Bob Roberts announced his candidature for the US senate seat of Pennsylvania. ibid.
We must be strong and resolute whenever democracy’s threatened. ibid.
Drugs stink. Hang ’em high for a clean-living land. ibid. folk song lyrics
It’s always been thought that violence and corruption during elections in Nigeria are home-grown problems. Ones that Britain tried hard to prevent. Bequeathing a system of fair and honest democracy before granting the country independence in 1960. But according to our document, the unpublished memoirs of a former British colonial officer, London’s parting gift was in reality a lesson in how to rig the polls and deceive the people. Document: The Gift of Democracy, BBC Radio 4 2007
‘The [Russian] election was clearly unfair and illegitimate.’ Active Measures, Hillary Clinton, 2018
‘He’s done a very brilliant job.’ ibid. Trump
Russia Hacked Voting Systems in 39 States Before the 2016 Presidential Election. ibid. Vox online article
‘Story after story after story. Totally creepy falsehood.’ ibid. Hillary Clinton
‘Over the past year the Supreme Court in more than one case has tackled gerrymandering.’ Field of Vision: Crooked Lines, Berra & Richen & Olive, short 11.38, PBS News 2018
Covington v North Carolina, Val Applewhite: ‘It impacts their lives.’ ibid.
‘A mass of crooked lines.’ ibid.
‘Egregious to the democratic principles of this country.’ ibid. Val
‘Drawing the lines in order to dilute the voting power of a minority, of a racial minority.’ ibid. lecturer
‘The Supreme Court directed the North Carolina legislature to redraw the maps.’ ibid. Val
Following the hearings, the federal courts ruled the state legislature’s drafts of the new maps invalid. ibid. caption
These new maps will be used in the midterm elections. ibid.
In 2017, national elections are held in France. The National Front, a far-right party, is defeated. Shortly after the official results announcement, its leader, Marine le Pen, is spotted on the dance floor. She received 33.9% of the vote, continuing her party’s rise in French politics. Field of Vision: Dancing with Le Pen, short 22:20 2018, captions, Nora Mandray