Does our t(w)otalitarian political system, where Republicans and Democrats trade running the country, work?

 I call it t(w)otalitarian because our current two-party system works like a one-party dictatorship except that both the Republicans and Democrats do the dictating. Every four years the United States holds a contest to decide who gets to "win," and usually (but not always) the "winning" side shares power with the "losing" side until the next election.  

This is the scenario the Democrats play by - at least since they almost destroyed themselves in the 1850s. When the Whigs - the original centrists - dissolved as the second party of power, the Dems had a great schism, splitting into two bitter branches: Southern (pro-slavery) and Northern (pro-emancipation). Then some upstart capitalists co-opted the pro-emancipation principles of a third party we know as Republicans and won the election of 1860. And the rest was... you know.

But we had two separate parties again, which was how the rabble wanted it, apparently.

For a while the power dynamic was lopsided. The Republicans ruled for quite a few decades, only losing whenever the capitalists foment chaos and destruction and scandal with their unchecked greed. Then they started - and failed to stop - the Great Depression, and the Democrats took and held power for a few decades until the events of 1963-1964 caused another split between Southern and Northern Democrats, at which time the Republicans - now fervently anti-emancipation - co-opted the remnants of the Southern branch of the Democratic Party. And the rest is... still unfolding.

But while the Republicans have agreed to share power, they have a funny interpretation about the Democratic "sharing power" rules: they ignore them when they are in power and insist on them being followed to the letter when the Dems have power. Just like laws and Commandments, Republicans love breaking rules, just as they love finding a way around laws they themselves passed or Commandments they are too holier-than-thou to follow ("you shall not commit adultery").

Most Democrats prefer sharing power with Republicans, because they believe in following rules. (Set a good example for the rabble, noblesse oblige, and all that.) As you saw from the recent budget "fight" and will see in the healthcare battle, the Democrats go out of their way to include Republicans in lawmaking even when - especially when! - the Republicans do everything in their power to oppose it. They throw tantrums, vote against it, then happily take their share of the loot (money, power).

The Republicans do everything in their power to prevent Democratic rule, but if they can't prevent it they insist on sharing power. If they can prevent it - and they are the ones with the power - they tell the Democrats to go fuck themselves.

T(w)otalitarianism.  

I bring this up because the British, it seems, are having a t(w)otalitarian problem of their own. According to Adrian Hamilton

Every political leader in Britain starts by saying they're going to move away from Punch and Judy politics. Gordon Brown did it when he became Prime Minister, going as far as trying to create a ministry of all the talents, regardless of party. David Cameron made a great virtue of his wish to be consensual wherever possible when he became leader of the opposition. And we all know what happened to that promise.

He notes: "Adversarial politics are supposed to draw out difference and illuminate options. ... But the extraordinary thing about the British party debate at the moment is that on virtually all the key issues there is no worthwhile difference between the two main parties." Funny, that's what our t(w)otalitarian system is like!

Ultimately, both parties - whether Democrat/Republican or Labour/Tory - agree on only one thing: the status quo works for them. Plus they get to keep their heads!

When the peasant rabble becomes angry at the party currently wearing the crown, instead of going for the guillotine they rush to the party out of power and demand "change." Then go home happy - until nothing changes, at which time they rush back to the party of the first part.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Ad infinitum, it seems.