Conscience and Consciousness

Praying for an Election Christmas Miracle

—

by

Philip Goff
in

My political philosophy is simple and evidence based. For 40 years after the war, we (UK, US and much of Western Europe) had highly regulated capitalism with high taxes on the wealthy, and society become more equal and more prosperous. From 1980s onwards (my lifetime), we’ve had Wild West capitalism, resulting in massive inequality and perennial financial crises, culminating in 2008 when bankers brought the west to its knees. We’ve now reached a point where most of the population know the economic model isn’t working for them and are crying out for solutions from the radical left and the radical right. Either we persuade people the solution to their woes is to ‘take back control’ with a radical democratisation of the economy, or we’re going to get fascists in parliament. I feel tomorrow is the UK’s last chance to go for the former rather than the latter.

I don’t know what’s electorally possible tomorrow. But I’m going to bed tonight praying (A) the youth get out to vote, (B) the tactical voting that’s needed happens (see this), and (C) that people don’t believe the bullshit demonisation that happens every time someone dares to try to make the lives of working people better.

No photo description available.

Comments

One response to “Praying for an Election Christmas Miracle”

  1. Lee Roetcisoender Avatar
    Lee Roetcisoender

    Democratic republics across the globe are in crisis, not just in the UK or the USA. Do you find that surprising Philip? I mean, a democratic republic is a blue print for corruption and abuse of power. Have we learned nothing from history?

    What I find ironic, is the intellectual and academic communities unwillingness to consider anything else other than a democratic republic, like that is the only alternative on the table, and that somehow, some way, we have to make it work. That position is the height of absurdity. There is a better system, it’s called democracy, the same type of democracy that was practiced in Athens, Greece. It was a system where the legislative body was not elected, but selected through a well devised lottery system. The legislative body had absolutely no power to pass any legislation. The only power that body possessed was the power to recommend and draft policies which we then voted upon by the public, one man, one vote, where every vote counted. The citizens were all invested in the system.

    Greeces’ democracy was only a brief flicker of light in a dark history of corruption and abuse of power. It lasted less than one hundred (100) years. The democratic system of Athens did not implode because it was flawed like a democratic republic is flawed, it failed because a foreign invading army defeated the homeland. That light have never shown ever since the fall of Greece.

    Peace

    Reply

Leave a comment