Now in Montevideo, Uruguay, repair cafes are taking hold as a new, sustainable, shorter path to preventing discarding what’s broken. These community-driven workshops welcome people to bring in their broken items to be fixed instead of tossed out. Part of the purpose is to further the initiative’s environmental stewardship. It creates a deep sense of neighborhood and community as residents pool skills, talents and resources.
Against this cultural backdrop, President Yamandú Orsi has been making headlines for his radically collaborative style of governance. Like his predecessors, he has been spotted walking around the streets of Montevideo without bodyguards or a security detail, talking directly to citizens. This practice is indicative of his desire to keep an openness and accessibility to the public alive, especially in such a partisan-heavy time.
Orsi’s passion is cultivating civil political discourse. He personally engages political adversaries by inviting them to lunch at neighborhood cafés. In an increasingly polarized society, he is a passionate advocate for fostering civil discourse. His commitment to civility reminds us just how important civility is for good politics. Through these positive dialogues, Orsi seeks to fill in the voids and bring people together from all sides of the issue.
Though President Orsi’s eyes are turned toward local matters, the clock ticks forward on the international stage as well. Former President Donald Trump is in England from September 16th – 18th for his second state visit, albeit with decidedly muted pomp and circumstance. In that time, he’s become known for his freakouts over posters promoting trans rights and defunding the police and for celebrating the death of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk. Trump remembered in color the time he found out in an Oval Office meeting that Kirk had been shot. He highlighted the personal impact on political leaders that such events can have.
It wasn’t enough for Trump to simply neglect the international arena. He even lamented how President Vladimir Putin has handled the whole Russia-Ukraine situation, claiming the Russian president “let me down.” This sentiment is representative of the continued backlash and fear surrounding international relations.
When Trump touches down on English soil, he can expect to be greeted by traditional bagpipe music—a fittingly radical welcome for this momentous visit. This contrast between local movements such as repair cafes and global political events, including the war in Ukraine, highlights the complexity of today’s governance.
