Politics Sleepless Nights

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You love politics? No problem. Whatever you do, don't run for Congress or Parliament. You won't be able to sleep. Politics is a numbers game that overrides everything.

Men and women that dabble in politics don’t sleep well because cards they shuffle during the day keep moving at night, aces turning into queens and vice versa. Sleepless nights are worth it though. A man becomes a governor of a state or a woman becomes a senator. So, a few trades won’t harm anybody. Politics takes us back to days before coins with the Queen’s head were the means of exchange.

Ancient people used to barter. I had a good corn harvest, you have a goat I need for my grandson’s naming ceremony. Let’s exchange. Your family is famous for making canoes, mine excels in fishing. You make a canoe for us and we give you a portion of our daily catch.

Politicians have sleepless nights because some of the positions they trade is basically selling out. They had a certain stand on an issue, but they could only go to Ottawa or Washington, if they adjusted them to suit the ‘economic and fiscal realities of the global economy.  Translation. It means jack. I used to be a speechwriter in two Canadian provinces so I know how to craft chameleon language.

It’s a free country. A politician can wear blue T-shirts today and red tomorrow, no problem. What gives politicians sleepless nights is the knowledge that the party is using them and will easily discard them and get another pawn in the next election. It is knowing they sold their soul to the devil and the devil doesn’t give a damn.

Night night! Don’t let bed bugs bite. 

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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