The accursed power which stands on Privilege
(And goes with Women, and Champagne, and Bridge)
Broke—and Democracy resumed her reign:
(Which goes with Bridge, and Women and Champagne).

**

It is nice to see American democracy, flawed as it is, starting to restore itself. Welcome back, America! We don’t entirely trust you and your archaic mindset, but you have a lot of strengths.

Hilaire Belloc (1870 – 1953) was a prolific Anglo-French author, best known today for his ‘Cautionary Tales for Children‘ (“Matilda: Who told Lies, and was Burned to Death”, etc). His 1923 ‘On a General Election’ has a universal and timeless quality to it – though the introduction of women as players instead of game pieces over the past 100 years has arguably raised the level of honesty and morality… somewhat. You may disagree with the politics of both Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz, but there is still a difference of political character between them.

Image: “Corruption box” by watchsmart is licensed under CC BY 2.0.