Local Elections

Down with the beard, up with the mustache!

Isn't that a beautiful saying?

It is one of the best expressions of the dilemma.

A stick with two ends of shit on it says the same thing, but the word for "shit" is a bit rude, so it is not appropriate in articles like this.

That's why I preferred the beard-mustache dilemma.

***

In life we are often stuck between two options. Because both options involve something that we cannot predict the outcome of.

Sometimes these unknowns are good things, we can't decide which is better.

But most of the time we are forced to choose between two bad things. In such situations, it's almost as if whichever of the two paths we take will lead us into a quagmire. We know that we are bound to get into trouble. But we still have to make a choice. 

Which is the lesser of two evils? 

I chose this one! Because at least this option is less bad! 

I'll get in less trouble if I do that! Or is the other one less bad?

***

And is it not possible to create a third option?

Sometimes it is, but usually no, most of the time there are only two options.

At the end of the day, what we call the third option becomes part of the two main options in one way or another.

Especially when it comes to choices!

***

How many political movements are there in Turkey?

Apparently two! 

Those in favor of the current government and those against it!

Why should there be only these two options?

I say political currents, aren't there many more political currents?

For example, there are many political currents that I can name off the top of my head.

There are nationalists, there are those with Islamic views, there are democrats, there are supporters of modern Turkey, there are conservatives. 

Then there are those with socialist views, there are those who feel ethnically different. There are those who are much more to the left or much more to the right. 

Although I think that these terms of left and right have lost their validity, but there is and there is, there is a movement in Turkey that everyone feels close to. Some are marginal, some are in the middle, some are a little to the right, a little to the left, there are many parties that say they are in the center. Each of them claims to represent a movement in their own way.

But most of them are members of the money movement party.

So at the end of the day, society is divided into those who are in power, in a sense those who enjoy the benefits of power, and those who are against power, in other words those who cannot find a place for themselves in the existing system.

If the balance is disturbed, as in Russia, the government will be relieved, but for now in Turkey this division seems to be in balance, slightly in favor of the government.

In Russia, people are not interested in politics. They live their lives slowly. Of course, there is no polarization in Russia like in our country. Putin, who is in power, for some reason does not feel the need to polarize. Even his party is called United Russia. He probably decided that integration is more correct.

***

Russia aside, we have a very fragmented structure.

In this situation, everyone's concern is to come to power.

Although the aim of all parties is normally to come to power and govern the country according to their ideals, it is naturally not possible to do this alone in such a fragmented structure.

It would be nice if they could, but if they could come to power, they would benefit from the opportunities of power and never leave it again. 

But it just doesn't happen. The government won't give that seat to anyone.

In this situation, some parties have to resort to other means. Well, at the end of the day, there is benefiting from the blessings of power.

Look at this, even the countrymen of years ago preferred the government of today, which they had said so many bad things about years ago, and now they are enjoying the blessings of power comfortably.

However, what were they saying? No milk from the goat, or what was their slogan?

Anyway, everyone has their own opinion. 

After all, others are not so much of a man of their word either.

I'm telling you, we don't have ideology parties, we only have those who are members of money parties.

Politics is a terrible thing, you have to say what you said yesterday, today you have to say this, you have no character, no human stance.

***

Politics aside, being in power, especially in recent times, requires really dirty relations.

In the past, old politicians used to play all sorts of dirty tricks, but I think there has never been such a dirty relationship as there is today.

In the recent elections, we all clearly saw these dirty relations and the dirty methods used by politicians to stay in power. 

Even though the result was in favor of the government, both sides had to bring parties to parliament that we don't have today.

In other words, those in the opposition had also gone out of their way to overthrow the government and after the elections all these dirty dealings were laid bare.

Anyway, as it seems, there is no alliance left.

So all that alliance talk was just until they crossed the bridge. Today, there is no alliance at all.

(By the way, esame means name, an Arabic word with the same root as name. It is used in the sense of not being mentioned. I thought I would explain it in the meantime in case the new ones don't know its meaning).

***

Now we are on the eve of another election. 

Local elections!

Again a lot of dirty relations, negotiations, all kinds of political maneuvers.

Behind these dirty relations, there is actually a rent sharing fight.

Those who hold the fountainhead are doing their best not to leave the waterway. 

There is really nothing people won't do for money.

And this is where we come to the dilemma!

Either you will be in power or the others!

Even ideologies have no value after a certain point. 

Those who yesterday stood in the squares and said we are like this, we are like that, you people in power are so bad, when they take power, they start doing the same things as those they criticized yesterday.

This is politics! Is there any other kind of politics? 

Of course, seizing power is one thing, but staying in power is quite another, and staying in power for a long time is a very different virtue.

Staying in power can only be possible by paving the way for those around you who are seeking profit.

I rule better!

What do you govern better? The country?

Who cares if the country is better governed?

Tell me about money! Tell me how I can make more money! And if you want to run a country, run it the way you want. I don't care how you run the country!

Make the country a mafia country if you want!

Put sects in schools if you want!

If you want to rule the army with cults!

As long as you make me money, the rest doesn't matter!

If I get you elected, you'll make me money!

Why should I elect you if you'll make the money and not me? Why should I get you elected? Why should I go to all that expense so you can win the election?

But look, I call for a social state! I say we should all share the profits equally!

If we divide the money equally, I won't make much money! Why should we divide it equally?

This is fine, the current system suits me, I can earn as much money as I want in this system, I don't care what the rest do!

I do whatever it takes to keep the system like this, and I always will!

Isn't this the reason why the current government has remained in power all these years?

The people choose the government!

Of course, the people do. But how are those people brainwashed 24/7? 

Can we call the elections held by brainwashed superimposed cadres a democratic and fair election?

This is not a matter of whether my vote is the same as the vote of the shepherd in the mountains. It is a completely different issue.

Since this is not the subject of this article, I will leave it for now.

***

Down with the beard, up with the mustache. 

Pick and choose!

Take the bad from the bad. 

These are the options, either you are in power or they are!

Who are you? Who are they?

I wrote recently that unfortunately there is no way yet to understand people's intentions from the outside. It's not that easy to tell from the outside, just by their behavior, that they have good intentions.

Anyway, good intentions don't feed you either. 

As I said, the most well-intentioned people say it is a social state, but that means sharing the earnings and shared earnings means less earnings.

In other words, the promise of a social state does not fit the dreams of the general public to earn a lot of money.

If you want a good life, you have to earn more than others, and the only way to earn more is to take the labor of those who work hard, theft of labor! You cannot go up without stepping on someone else's back! You can't get over that wall!

There is no other way. There is no way to create a synergy together, to work together, to earn a lot together!

This is the rule of nature! 

In nature, plants get energy from the sun, they work hard to accumulate energy, they themselves become food, then the animals that eat that plant can access energy a little more easily. It is difficult for herbivores to grind plants. But the ones who get energy most easily are the carnivores, the ones who eat the animal that eats the grass. 

And then the rule in nature is that the big fish eat the small fish.

That is the rule! 

That's the rule of nature, can you go against it?

If you want to survive, you have to grow! 

The small can't swallow the big! 

At least not unless the big one gets weak and unwieldy.

This is also a balance in nature, every creature has a chance to reach a certain size, anything more and it becomes unwieldy, anything less and it becomes weak.

***

Is there a third option?

I don't know. For now, each party is running its own candidate for the local elections.

If you don't trust the parties, vote for independent candidates. But there is no guarantee that independent candidates won't be aligned with a party after winning the elections!

Local elections are not about governing the country, of course, but rent sharing is the main motivation of these elections.

Unfortunately, parties are more comfortable financing their politics with their cadres in the local administration.

Especially if it is an opposition party, it has no other choice.

The ruling party has a chance to get the financing it needs from the mechanisms in the national administration, but the only chance for opposition parties is through the municipal mechanisms they win in local governments.

Especially in big cities like Istanbul and Ankara, these mechanisms to get a share of the rent become much more important.

The government was forced to hand over big cities to the opposition last time. 

It did its best not to give Istanbul, but even though it had the election illegally repeated, it did not have the courage to say no, I do not accept this result.

Let's say it was a result he did not expect, he was caught unprepared.

In these elections, I think he will use all the state mechanisms at his disposal, maybe he will quietly settle the matter in other ways without taking any chances.

Maybe the government may be thinking of some unimaginable tricks, it's not that it doesn't do anything. If you ask me what they will do, I cannot say anything. My mind doesn't really work on evil.

When the election results are announced, people will probably have to accept the result, saying, what can we do, this is how it turned out. It will not occur to anyone to examine how this result came about. After all, what will happen if you examine it afterwards, didn't our Mr. President once say that the horse has already passed Üsküdar? 

If you don't take precautions from the beginning, you will be left staring afterwards.

***

Because it's too big! 

The rent is too big! 

The rent-seekers crowded around the government do not have the patience to wait another five years!

And these are not just the three or five big contractors mentioned as a gang of five. There are a lot of rent-seekers around the government.

So what will happen if the people actually elect the opposition again and the opposition's vote is so large that it cannot be disputed?

Then I think the rent-seekers around the government will completely break away from the government, and there will be those among them who will turn and approach the opposition. 

Because no one cares how the city is governed! 

You tell us about rent! 

It will happen! Do you think it is only the contractors close to the opposition who are building all the subway constructions in Istanbul right now? 

Aren't there those close to the government among them?

In fact, most of them must be pro-government contractors, because most of the subways were started during the time of the government, and even if they were not started, the tenders were made in a hurry at that time.

Most probably, Mr. Imamoglu continued with the same contractors.

***

If the result doesn't make a difference, then as a citizen you should look at who promises you what, but empty promises don't fill your stomach either. 

It is best to look at the actions!

Are you satisfied with the administration of the big city in Istanbul so far? 

If you are satisfied, Imamoğlu, if not, whoever you trust.

This also applies to other cities, if you are satisfied with the administration in the last five years, vote for the current mayor, choose him regardless of his party, if you are not satisfied with the current municipality's actions, vote for whoever suits you best.

Will anything change after the elections?

I don't think so. 

If he fails to win Istanbul, of course our President will be a bit angry, after all, he loves Istanbul very much. He loves it, but instead of showing his love for the city when he had so many opportunities, he looted the beautiful city. 

So it seems to me that his love is not a flat love, at least not a horizontal love, but more like a vertical love.

The important thing is that he can make it a matter of pride if the results don't turn out as he hoped. I don't know, maybe he might try to restrict the powers of local governments' spouses more by laws or something.

Still, nothing much will change.

If anything will change, the real change will be in the country's economy, and since there are no elections on the horizon for a long time, maybe this electoral economy order can be abandoned and moves can be initiated to get the economy back on track.

What could these moves be?

What will happen, of course, is that you will starve the poor a little more, money will be taken from the poor and put into the pockets of the rich, austerity will be tightened, taxes will be increased, new hikes will be made...

And conversely, to leave wages as they are.

Look, there is already talk of restrictions on credit card limits after the elections. Electricity and natural gas prices will be raised to who knows what level!

Will there be an additional increase in pensions? Yes, wait, they will definitely do it! Until the elections, maybe they will put another finger of honey in your mouth, that will be all. Don't expect any wage increases after the elections.

Is there any other way for the capitalist system to get out of crises?

Capitalism is a modern slavery system, a state of being a slave willingly, willingly.

Let's divide the profits equally!

Whoa whoa, are you a gomonist? What do you mean, let's divide equally? 

We are in favor of liberal economics!

That's the world order!

***

There is still a long time to go, but I wish everyone good elections in advance, and I probably won't write another article on the elections. At least let me say that I am not planning to write another article at the moment. 

I don't think these elections matter much.  Yes, if the opposition can take the municipalities, at least there will be a balance.

But the government is hitting at the most crucial point, openly saying that if you don't elect me, don't expect any service, that I won't allow the opposition municipalities to serve, that I won't allow them to make the necessary investments.

The opposition is also fighting for seats in the places they see as guaranteed. The fight for rent is not only between the opposition and the government, but also within the opposition and within the components of the government.

The choice is yours, down with the beard, up with the mustache!

Can not making a choice be a choice? Yes, if your preference is for the winner from the beginning, why not? Because not making a choice is the same as choosing the winner.

Should we shave off the beard and mustache and try spitting like that?

Why do you spit, brother, isn't it shameful to spit?

Make your choice, but think carefully. The fate of politicians is in your hands!

Love and respect to everyone from Moscow.