government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

 Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

These words are famously from The Gettysburg Address, by Abraham Lincoln on 19 November 1863 when the civil war was still happening in the USA. For me personally, although not born in the USA and indeed I have never visited it, they are the greatest words about democracy ever written. 

So many of us watched what we hoped would be history making this week when a new President and Vice President were formally shown to be that by the final act of the recent election in the USA. When we tuned in to watch the build up we saw yet another attempt by the present president to over turn the results and the results of what happened. Many, others have written about this and many more will do so, because yes we watched history, it wasn't the history we wanted to watch nor took any delight in doing so. 

The autopsy of these events and the reasons behind them is being done now and will continue for many years. I do not feel qualified to add my voice to this, but rather concentrate on the positive that came out from this.

Firstly the current Vice President rather than being bowed did his duty as did the members of the Congress in the USA . There will be a new President and Vice President sworn in on 20 January 2021 and history will turn a page as it always does.

The attempt of what many call a coup, failed and the leader of that coup, was shown up to be what many have told us and what many have known for years.

For all the good he might have done the soon to be ex president will not be remembered for that, only remembered by this coup attempt. 

I was going to pontificate further, as is my want to do so, but if we remember anything from recent events we should remember this:  government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. It didn't that day, because more people carry these words in their hearts than those who don't and until those words are unwritten by others Democracy will prevail.

So rather than the horror of that day perhaps we should all remember the success not the horror of it.