BRING ME A DONKEY A novel by Sheila Willar Copyright 2016 Sheila Willar ISBN 978-0-9867101-4-8 Untie them and bring them to me. - Matthew 21:2
CHAPTER 6 ............................ THE FLINT
Erin made the traditional news headlines but not in the way she hoped. Instead of being taken seriously she was seen as a front for Rettel. Journalists said that she couldn’t possibly have access to the information that was posted on her website, and therefore they concluded that she was a cover for an anonymous hacker who wanted to disrupt the election. As a result Erin was not invited to participate in any of the candidate debates, and she was only interviewed so that people could ask who Rettel was.
In contrast, Erin’s online audience had the exact opposite response. They could care less about Rettel’s identity and they were thrilled to have someone who could use technology to unite an audience who had grown weary of the status quo.
Erin’s background did not teach her about government policy but it did immerse her in the people that it governed. She had grown up in one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Ireland in which her mother was a cleaning lady. Erin played hide-and-seek in the dappled light of the stained glass windows and the flickering light of rows of prayer candles, and she often tucked herself away in a covey under the clang of the bells in the bell tower that overlooked the graves, the town and the ocean. She often stood motionless behind granite columns and carved lattice panels, as she witnessed the deepest of sorrows, the greatest of joys and the most desperate turbulence of a people that ebbed and flowed through the sanctuary, as they depended on it for some of the most important events in their lives. She saw what worked and didn’t work and she learned that everyone and everything had a voice, even the stones.
Erin believed that one of the biggest problems with traditional government was partisan politics. She wrote that partisan governments were biased towards serving their own party, rather than serving the people. She said that they measured their success against their own philosophies rather than against how well they run the country, and in order to save face they often ignored the warning signs that said that their own programs were failing.
Erin wrote that every time a new partisan party was elected there was such a complete reversal of government policy, that the entire country rolled over in chaos like a turtled boat, and that many people suffered while the new government tried to bring its deck above water. Vital services were disrupted and tax payers paid billions of dollars in policy revisions and cancellations. Erin said that partisan politics was like being stuck on a train that never arrived at its destination because it constantly changed direction, and yet had the nerve to charge its passengers a new fair each time it turned around.
Erin then wrote about the second biggest problem with government politics, which was the concept of a single leader, with a single thought process and a white knuckle grip on the entire country. She put her thoughts to words and wrote on the Hansel and Rettel website, that no one person should have that kind of policy making power.
Erin did not have a political platform to run on but she hinted at a need to modernize the government. She made up a list of questions in the form of “What If’s?” that she posted for all to read:
1. What if the highest government office in the land was not held by one individual but by the collective voice of the people?
2. What if candidates had to be proven experts in their field of work in order to run in an election or to run a government department?
3. What if individual elected officials could not be “shuffled” across disciplines and departments like a deck of cards?
4. What if candidates ran on merit instead of political affiliation?
5. What if partisan parties had no control over voting within the government?
6. What if multiple government seats were reserved for citizen-led-online-forums that could be given the status of elected officials?
7. What if voters could vote “none of the above”?
8. What if government websites could display real time data and generate real time solutions?
9. What if crowd source fundraising could pay for special government programs?
10. What if government information was public information?
Erin concluded that in order for the government to survive it must shift from protecting itself, to protecting the people it serves. She explained that traditional governments and traditional institutions have made the mistake of focusing on delivering programs, rather than on delivering value. She said that there is a growing pattern in society in which government services have had to be supplemented by private organizations, charities and rogue interest groups in order to meet the overwhelming needs of the people. Erin predicted that governments were at risk of becoming obsolete if they did not become more effective.
The more Erin wrote about the core needs of the people the more she generated an online discussion and the more her influence grew. However, the other candidates refused to formally acknowledge her. They had invested too much of themselves and their money and they were not going to give up their seat of power. The concept of throwing out a historic way of political life was simply too much of a shock for them, and therefore the country was gradually becoming divided between those who supported Erin and those who supported the existing system. Half of the people wanted a change and the other half wanted to maintain a network of partisan parties.
The division of loyalties was quite stark. Some people believed that Rettel was an enemy spy who was trying to topple the government, while others said that Rettel was a breath of fresh air. Some said that Erin was disrespectful of the sacrifices that had been made by previous generations, while others said that she honoured the younger generation and their struggles. Either way the comments were passionate and divisive, and interest in the debate was growing like fire.
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Mrs. Mancinni did not care who was elected as long as they understood that she was in charge. She planned to make her intentions known by hosting a dinner party at her home in Dublin. She sent out eight, hand delivered, gold embossed invitations, which included one invitation to each of the seven candidates who were running for the office of Taoiseach, and one invitation to Father Michael, whom she had asked to offer a blessing over the meal.