21st June 2020

On Friday Americans celebrated what they call Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery. Yet, all week, minds have been heavily focused on continuing reports of racism, encapsulated in the police murder of black southerner George Floyd. Last night I watched a TV drama/documentary set in Selma, Montgomery, about Martin Luther King. I was struck particularly by his interaction with then President Johnson, with the objuracy by the President to King’s simple request that he change the law to allow all black people to vote. National leaders have the power to change mindsets at the stroke of a pen, so why are they so reluctant to do so? I wrote Vichyssoise about a very different country (Vichy France) but it exemplifed a leader with the same problem. Wherever you live, here’s what we, the people, can do: “..People in democracies all over the world, when casting their vote for leader, should choose the person who is the most educated of the selection. It takes brainpower in times of war and enormous reserves of mental control, critical thinking, rationality and good sense..” We should all remember this at election time. mybook.to/vichyssoise