Agree to disagree – why I believe in more democracy and less political correctness

AS we slip into 2021 the hopes and aspirations of most people will involve receiving the Covid-19 vaccine asap.

2020 is a year to forget for many, me included. 15 close friends and relatives died, including my old friend comedian Eddie Large. Many of the others died from contracting the virus directly, and some from other causes. All, however, were affected mentally or physically by the pandemic. Sadly my sister was also among the dead.

I dislike lockdowns because they are wrecking our economy and that of other western nations, where democracy makes it more difficult to get the population to obey government directives than in totalitarian states such as China and

North Korea.

Totalitarian regimes have an advantage over democracies when it comes to controlling populations but usually fail in the end because pent up anger erupts into major civil disobedience when the given regime is toppled. Hopefully, but not always, they are replaced by a democracy.

I have visited many communist totalitarian states where there is no democracy, including the former Soviet Union. I remember driving the inner German border route through East Germany into West

Berlin. In those days you weren’t allowed to stop during the 97-mile drive.

My visa at the time allowed me to visit East Germany so when I was in West Berlin I went through Checkpoint Charlie which was the de facto border control area between East and West Berlin. It was a tense trip which seemed filled with danger. There was a distinct feeling that one slip up or slight misdemeanour could send me to Siberia.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, most people thought that democracy had won the day but I always wondered.

Over-reaching political correctness has caused many to wonder whether democracy still works, which is a very dangerous road to travel down.

Sometimes it seems those with a powerful lobby behind them can say what they like, whereas others remain silent on the given subject, until that is, a general election or referendum is held when the result is often quite different to what was predicted.

This is largely because some believe their opinion is held by everyone and are shocked into disbelief when they find that it isn’t. Voting is anonymous so many vote quite differently than others, often including the media, expect.

In a free society everyone must be able to practice free speech, even those we personally don’t agree with.

As Voltaire allegedly said: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.

If there is one wish I have for 2021, it is that people support the hard-won democracy which still exists in Britain and reduce the burden of overbearing political correctness.

Whether we agree with someone is largely irrelevant providing we have the right to disagree.

Bristol is a great city but sometimes its politics seem confused and great opportunities for advancement are lost. Not including North Somerset in the Combined Authority is just one example in my opinion. But then, as I say, others have every right to disagree.

That is, after all, democracy.