Search Results: long lasting

Or do you think that it's merely an English-speaking political preference that has been sold, with varying degrees of success, to the rest of the world as "a good thing"?

I ask because it seems that, as a system, it is neither well-practiced, not deep-rooted, in most other countries?

The English-speaking world (and Scandinavia) have a long tradition of representative government that was not generally replicated elsewhere, to any lasting extent until recently.

Many other countries pay lip service to it, but in most, it's either used to bolster a strongman, as per Russia and Turkey, for example.

Or to keep a cosy establishment stitch-up in power, as per most European countries, where voting takes place, but where nothing ever really seems to change, as demonstrated by the EU getting various countries to vote repeatedly, after they got the result "wrong".

There exist a number of important exceptions to this rule, such as Switzerland, a direct democracy, a few isolated examples in other parts of the world, such as Costa Rica and Botswana, where democracy arguably has established itself, and most importantly, in India, where it has endured, despite some formidable obstacles.

But these ARE the exceptions, I feel. The jury is still out most everywhere else.

What do you think, G@G?

I will be turning 24 later this year and NEVER had an actual girlfriend before.

There was this awkward "relationship" if you want to call it that, lasting a week in duration. I was 19 and she was 16, I think. She became a butch lesbian later, long story short.

I have been intimate with girls but nothing serious.

I have pretty much thrown in the towel and given up. I set standards really high and do not compromise. I cannot get over a woman's romantic past, especially if it was from her youth.