printable version PDF version

The Failure of Nations
by peptide Saturday, Mar 29 2008, 8:36pm
international / social/political / opinion/analysis

Democracy is majority rule via elected REPRESENTATION. Democracy only exists in societies where people are able to make INFORMED decisions. What then of societies where governments intentionally obfuscate, withhold information or brazenly LIE to their populations? Clearly whatever these social systems claim to be, they are NOT democracies!

Rudd and Bush -- leading puppets

Based on the above simple but accurate definition we are easily able to determine that no nation today fulfils the principal criteria to call itself a democracy! In fact nations that tout their democratic status loudest are in most cases subverters of the democratic process!

Almost every ‘free and fair’ democratic election in the past decade has been managed by manipulating information or by direct intervention into ballot results. In view of the clearly fraudulent nature of today’s ‘democracies’, the question is, do people DESERVE better?

The short answer is of course, NO! People have not been vigilant in preserving their hard won rights and freedoms, in other words they have not EARNED their democracies!

It becomes apparent that democracy is a continuous PROCESS involving social participation at every level; without this absolutely necessary participation democracy very quickly loses its integrity.

Failure to participate allows (fragile) democracy to be hijacked by those who have the means to challenge it – the primary means include ownership or commandeering the mass media and 'governing' internet search engines. Once the reins of information have been taken the rest is easy!

The failure of nations should be attributed to the collective failure of the people not to the inadequacy of leaders!

Few people today have the 'stomach' to accept responsibility for anything – the result is a world unravelling at the seams! Those interests that have successfully laid siege to democracy and prevailed now maintain their positions by installing compliant governments in office. The people have chosen the ‘easy’ option of surrendering their sovereignty for a barely tolerable lifestyle. However, that lifestyle today comes at an incredibly high price, which is evident in a one-sided economy and disastrous foreign relations, which includes unsustainable invasive warfare that in turn guarantees to attract the permanent wrath of other nations. The current situation is clearly untenable yet the people continue to forfeit their inalienable democratic prerogatives!

Surrendering democracy/responsibility has a hidden price – majority rule ensures the welfare of the people and the nation as it implies. However, minority rule ensures horrendous inequities, deceit and fraud based on self/individual interest at the EXPENSE of the majority interest -- the capitalist ideal! A faulty paradigm from the beginning; one which is unravelling as I write!

It remains to be seen whether the people will accept responsibility for their lives or allow themselves to be led to certain ruin by the forces now in power.

The odds, however, clearly favour the destructive status quo; nevertheless, an infinitesimal chance exists that it may go the other way! But that chance is even less likely than George W Bush or any other leader telling the truth!

George W Bush today confirmed the Australian-American alliance remains strong; he added that the reason Australia is pulling its troops out of Iraq is due to the “successes” of the alliance in Iraq to date!