[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- As to human nature: "For example the old joke ;If you have three Jews you have five political parties!'.

The way I heard it, "two Jews marooned on a desert island have to build three synagogues. One for the Reform, one for the Conservative, and one neither one would be caught dead in."

--- "Our system basically breaks (and I don't mean breaks down!) out politically along one fault line - Centralized government vs Decentralized government."

Agreed. Towards liberty and away from pervasive rule, as opposed to towards great rule and away from liberty.

[Reily]

My version of the joke was told to me by an Israeli!
He probably has personal experience of it.