From: psperson@old.netcom.invalid   
      
   On Sat, 07 Feb 2026 11:47:28 -0800, The Horny Goat    
   wrote:   
      
   >On Mon, 19 Jan 2026 23:44:30 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D´Oliveiro   
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >>The phrase that’s missing here is “multiparty democracyâ€?. Can you have   
   >>a real democracy with a realistic choice of only two parties, where   
   >>every contest is seen as a zero-sum game? And with so much political   
   >>interference in the election process?   
   >>   
   >>I think the US is an outstanding example as to why the answer is no?.   
   >   
   >Catch is you either have a 2 party state or a multi-party state. Which   
   >would you prefer - the present US situation where the parties are both   
   >deserting the center or the British situation where you have a party   
   >in power where they have managed to dig themselves a pit, fallen into   
   >it and yet are still guaranteed 4 more years of power - and the   
   >opposition parties as much at war with each other as they are with   
   >Labour.   
   >   
   >Because even in the last year of Biden there was little or no talk of   
   >policies remotely in the center. My reaction to the second Biden   
   >debate (which I watched live) was "here I thought Biden had a good   
   >chance - but after tonight this is going to be a defeat of epic   
   >proportions". And I wasn't sure whether his policies or his mental   
   >acuity was his worst problem.   
      
   I would prefer two centrist Parties, one slighly left and one slightly   
   right, both aware that they need to talk to each other and negotiate   
   in good faith.   
      
   But how we get there from here I have no idea. The only role in this I   
   can see for the existing major parties is to dry up and blow away (the   
   time for reforming them is, I suspect, long past); the minor parties   
   tend to be very ideological (in some primaries, we have had several   
   candidates claiming different parties using the exact same statement,   
   which mostly concerns the national level rather than whatever office   
   they are running for).   
   --    
   "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,   
   Who evil spoke of everyone but God,   
   Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)