‘Be prepared’. Should we be?
How else can we deal with the unexpected?
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• When I was a Girl Guide, many years ago, being prepared meant having a clean handkerchief and tuppence for the telephone. These days, we are told to store tinned food and bottled water in case of a major disaster. But how do we prepare ourselves against political disasters?
Joan Dawson, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
• When I was a child, my mum used to say “always have clean knickers on, in case you get hit by a bus”.
Avril Nicholas, Crafers, South Australia
• Being prepared means thinking about what is unthinkable or incomprehensible. Muddling through is our best bet.
Margaret Wyeth, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• What do you mean by springing that on me?
Nigel Grinter, Chicago, Illinois, US
• Well I, for one, am ready to hear the answer.
John Benseman, Auckland, New Zealand
You’ve really got me stumped
Where is the best example of a functioning democracy, and why?
On the stage, when the actors feed each other their lines, remember their cues, and hope to be rewarded with applause for thus having hung together.
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• As in Europe in the 1930s, great democracies now have fallen or are falling into rightwing demagoguery. A fad has emerged for ill-advised and destructive plebiscites to undermine good government. No democratic government seems immune from these maladies. Best functioning democracy? You’ve got to be joking.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia
• My family. Everyone has their say and I decide what to do.
Pat Phillips, Adelaide, South Australia
• A beehive.
Ted Webber, Buderim, Queensland, Australia
• It would be hard to beat Norway or Sweden, because of free and fair elections, healthcare and gender equality and civil liberties such as freedom of speech.
Ursula Nixon, Bodalla, NSW, Australia
• Nowhere. Functioning democracy means active participatory, informed control of decision-making, eg instant recall of liars.
Eva Durant, Kiskassa, Hungary
• You’ve got me doubly stumped.
Terence Rowell, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Where indeed, in light of recent events in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe?
By elimination, therefore, New Zealand – probably a reflection of my ignorance.
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
• The United States has the best democracy that money can buy.
David Tucker, Halle, Germany
We live in a post-factual age
Why do so many politicians find it necessary to lie to their electorates?
• Because the ones that tell the truth don’t get re-elected.
Niall Quiery, Melbourne, Australia
• Because of the popularity of preposterous post-fact pronouncements.
Joe Harvey, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Any answers?
Which of your vices would be hardest to relinquish?
N I Fisher, McMahons Point, NSW, Australia
What happened to merrymaking?
Edward Black, Church Point, NSW, Australia
Send answers to weekly.nandq@theguardian.com or Guardian Weekly, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, UK
