In recent days there has been a great deal of analysis dissecting the votes that propelled Donald Trump into the White House. When connecting it to June’s Brexit vote, there seem to be many similarities.
If you would like to read more about those thoughts, some great analysis can be found here, here, here, here and some of my own musings here.
Something that stands out to me is not how disenfranchised many voters feel that they are, but that the issues that many people are unhappy with are just getting started. For example, the loss of jobs and factories overseas from the US and UK has been a huge problem for some regions, but what is going to happen when automation really starts to kick in?
Just a couple of weeks ago an Uber self-driving truck made it’s first delivery. So far, many of the jobs that have left forever are skilled and semi-skilled. What will happen when the economy no longer needs many of the more skilled workers? Taxi drivers? Truck drivers? Legal assistants? Accountants? Nurses? Kitchen staff? All of these roles and many more will come under threat in the next ten years. When these groups of voters has grown even further, what will happen at election time then?
There is a very real chance that it will lead to entire countries being governed by the most extreme candidates possible, as voted for by those in the regions.
Perhaps in the major cities this will not be such a big problem, because big cities will always have more jobs in the local economy. In the regions however, it is hard to imagine that jobs will be replaced, as experience shows in places like the mining valleys of South Wales and the factory towns of Michigan.
What follows is my simple-step plan to get yourself elected in the coming years. It can simply be described as follows.
Be likeable
This ought to be simple for most people, but may be a stretch for those with political ambition…
Explain your belief in equal rights for everyone. Tall people and short people. Old people and young people. Thin people and fat people. Gay people and straight people. Black people and white people. You believe that everyone should be treated fairly under the law and by each other.
Explain your belief in environmental protection. Many more steps need to be taken to safeguard the planet and it’s wildlife for our children and their children.
Explain that you dislike corruption and want to see it tackled effectively. Normal hard working people do not like corruption at all. Trump played this card brilliantly using words like crooked and rigged relentlessly, knowing that many people feel that the system is built to be against them.
Be from the area that you hope to represent. You are just a local boy or girl at heart and can relate to your constituents because you grew up in [enter town and suburb name here], just like them. Understand their frustrations and concerns because you do actually feel and share most of them.
Be transparently honest
Admit honestly that you will not be able to change “the system”. Most decisions are made centrally by a small group of people that revolves around the President / Prime Minister and a small number of Secretaries of State / Cabinet Members. If you are not a part of that group you will not actually be running the country at all.
Therefore, your thoughts on most matters ought not to be an issue. You will not be laying down policy relating to defence, spending, education or much else, so the electorate ought to simply vote for you to do one thing.
You will be a single issue politician and commit to spending at least 80% of your time on just one thing – bringing new businesses and jobs to your town or city. This means that if constituents want to come and talk about a leaky roof or noisy neighbours, they mostly will not be able to. You will be out banging the drum at business fairs, with executives and the like, selling your area as a great place to open a business.
How to behave if elected
This ought to be the simplest part of the plan. Take a long, hard look at the local factors that would make your constituency an attractive location for businesses to be. Are there any government incentives that they can apply for? Can your office help them with the application? Are there any geographic factors to help them? Is there agriculture close by? A hydropower station providing clean electricity? Can you, as an elected representative help them to open doors that they might need opening?
Put together the marketing and communication materials to support and prove those reasons. Lastly, spend the next three or more years visiting and speaking with everyone that might possibly wish to open a warehouse / factory / office / distribution centre etc etc in your area.
Your legacy?
You will never run the world by following this plan, but let’s be honest, you weren’t going to be doing that anyway. At least by following this plan you will get the chance to make a lasting positive impression on your town or city and genuinely help as many people as you can. That can’t be a bad personal legacy, can it…?