We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, January 18, 2016

Davos and Its Threat to Democracy

Click here to access article by Nick Buxton from Common Dreams.

While headline for this article makes the ridiculous implication that what we have had is some meaningful democracy, Buxton's essay does make clear that our capitalist masters are prepared to move away from any pretense of democracy. This is actually good unless their media manage to convince most of their subject populations that this is a move to more "democracy". It's good because more astute and awake members of the public will no longer be fooled by the present democratic fakery of managed elections, but it's bad if most of the public swallows more of their lies. The main problem is that capitalist rule intentionally creates a passive, misinformed population over time.

Buxton shows how undemocratic the board of Global Redesign Initiative which is the body that is spearheading this drive with the support of Davos members:
While half of the Board (12) are currently corporate executives, if you look at their career history, this rises to two-thirds. Only one member can be said to represent civil society (Peter Maurer of Red Cross). There are no representatives of trade unions, public sector organizations, human rights groups, peasant or indigenous organizations, students and youth.

It is therefore no surprise when multi-stakeholder policy groups rarely, if ever, recommend any binding regulations that would damage corporate profits.
Regarding the one Red Cross representative based on my personal experience with the Red Cross, this organization is thoroughly infiltrated at the highest levels by corporate representatives.