Majorities are always right ....

In 1492 Columbus set off from Lisbon with the intention of getting to India in a westward direction, or at least wanted to.

Getting sponsorship was a problem. The earth was flat. His fleet would fall off the edge of the map. This was the majority opinion at the time, it could not be wrong.

Years ago, during my university days in Swansea, I met a fascinating character who belonged to the Flat Earth Society (universities have their eccentrics even to this day) who had a map that proved that the world was flat and proved that you could get to India in a westward direction, and all this circumnavigation of the inhabited world - not the globe NB - was possible. A minority opinion that flies in the face of science, but I digress. I would love to have a copy of that map, as an artistic creation it was really quite special.

Thousands of other theories that were held by minority opinions that have been discounted over the years have since been proved wrong. Thousands have been proved right (usually scientifically of course! Unless it comes to government and politics!).

Eventually though I see no problem being in a minority on issues. Even being in a minority by a massive margin on issues. Because eventually the minority could well be right.

In some areas being proved right is merely a matter of time, particularly where science and the natural world is involved. On others (see politics and government again) it is far more difficult.

When I am told that the majority of people believe in a God, I shrug my shoulders, let them believe what they want to believe as long as their opinions are not culturally and/or politically imposed (the "Muslim world" please note!) convinced as I am that my minority held opinion is correct.

As for those who believe that the election of a certain politician of wharrever stripe (be it François Hollande in France this weekend or Mitt Romney in the US in November) will improve things, I reserve the right to be sceptical. The French this weekend have an awful choice (though not as bad as the one the Greeks are facing). Will it lead anywhere? An end to poverty, full employment, the end of debt as we know it? Even in five years?

Sarkozy has not delivered (though he ran into the 2008 international financial crisis, so that should be taken into account). I would not support him personally, but I have serious doubts that Hollande will be much or any better.

As for Romney - no thanks. See previous postings for the reasoning. Not my place to get too involved in American politics, but the rest of the world does not need any more unnecessary war-mongering from over there.

And so I return to my proverbial burrow as a minority of one. I want to see a better world, not just for me. I know what the issues are and we should cut the rhetoric and concentrate upon achieving the objectives. Issues, not propaganda in other words.

So in a way, even as an old man I hold on to the idealism of youth. Given that most of the youth here seem more hooked on the sort of nihilism embodied by the Pirate party ("No idea - we'll let you know when we have worked it out"), maybe only the old can afford to be idealistic. We are, after all, the ones who have lived through the era of mistaken majority opinions, and paid a heavy price for them!