Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Democracy
"Democracy" has been one of the most cherished acquisitions of European liberal nations for over a hundred years. After the fall of the Soviet Empire in the 1990s and the "democratization" of eastern Europe, all of the Old Continent -and a big chunk of the New-has become one great democratic wonderland, with voters and politicians prancing about in a fairy-filled world of economic success, civil rights, equality, fraternity and candy.
At least this is the vision that the Fearless Leaders of this world would have us believe. And for a hundred years we have (mostly) been inclined to believe them. Capitalism and the incredible growth it brought to the European Powers and the United States seemed to go hand in hand with the growth of liberal democracies. Indeed the relation that we have been taught to believe is: More Democracy EQUALS More Wealth.
This idea was reinforced and, to a large extent, created by the necessity of the Cold War as Western (Liberal Capitalist Democratic) Powers battled with the 'Evil Empire' that was the bloc of 'Communist' countries. So much relentless propaganda was pumped into the civilian populations of the 'West' that eventually they actually came to believe it. The current generation of World Leaders are direct products of this propaganda. The result is disastrous.
Democracy has come to be seen as a miracle cure to poverty, economic stagnation and Islam. This is part of the pipe-dream we were discussing earlier. The perceived outcome of this delusion is that the absolute application of liberal democracy in all countries will create wealth, like some kind thermodynamically impossible horn of abundance. The truth is that democracy is an excellent system- for keeping things the same.
In our liberal bourgeois - to use the Marxian term - democracies governments come and go, laws are passed, senators, members of Parliament and congressmen/women elected from a myriad of parties (or not) and-
And nothing changes. Whether the government is from the left, or from the right the mechanism remains the same. The State, when at the mercy of the Mob and more importantly economic interests, will do nothing to change, or create instability. Two main factors are responsible for this. The first is the fundamental dynamic of democracy. People vote, governments are elected. Then the governments implement policies which will ensure they get reelected. The second factor is Big Business which will try to maximise profits by putting pressure on governments to take steps in that direction.
Political entities will attempt to court, flirt with, bribe, threaten and do anything they can to ensure their voters make the right choice. They will do what the voters and corporations want rather than what they need, or is in the best interest for society. This means that a democratic government will not do radical, extreme things. They will not alter the mechanism of the State, reduce bureaucracy, increase citizen participation, reduce their own power, change the dynamics of neoliberalism in their countries because all this means instability and nothing scares investors, voters and corporations more that instability. Even the madness of Nazism was ultimately born from this (mostly corporate) need for stability. Radical transformations are the product of revolutions- or dictatorships.
Far from my intentions to suggest that totalitarian and authoritarian governments are our salvation. The only thing they are good for is the creation of sufficient material wealth for democracy to function properly. The number of rich nations that managed to achieve considerable wealth without a period of dictatorship in the last three centuries is limited to Switzerland and a handful of other microscopic European oddities. The birth place of the Industrial Revolution was absolutist Great Britain, the powerhouse of pre-World War One Europe was Imperial Germany, and Bolshevik Russia made more progress in 50 years of pretend-communist rule than it did in over a century under weak tsarist government.
Applying democracy like you apply your crayola on a map is stupid in the extreme. Democracy cannot make a poor country rich. This is the terrible tragedy of decolonisation. In Africa the Imperial Powers (France, the UK, Portugal etc) left their troublesome colonies with a copy of "Democracy for Dummies" and a number of interesting mass graves for forensic anthropologists in training to practice on. How thoughtful. Unfortunately for everyone involved some idiot had ripped out all the pages in the book and replaced it with one bad crayon drawing of a house with the caption: Demmocrasy mak U Hapy. Not helpful. And so the African nations had to try and sort out this democracy thing without the necessary economic background and support. Hence poverty, ethnic tension and general unpleasantness. Let us not even go into the Middle East where democracy has been flown in on the tip of a bayonet or in the warhead of a SCUD.
Nothing can be changed through democratic rule. But we are told we can and will: this is the Great Illusion which has kept the politically aware from actually changing anything. The best, brightest and most dedicated people are sucked into this Illusion. Their attempts at reform are steadily absorbed into the Process, integrated into the System and thrown into the Chasm of Power, where all good intentions come to die. Political activists are told join the system, to integrate. They are encouraged to change things from the inside. Ultimately their dreams are dashed in between the dual hammers of Partisan Politics and Power Play.
This mechanism is not an accident of the evolution of Power, Politics and the State. The systematic suppression of any form of radical change, whether it be at the hands of ambition, greed or sheer bureaucratic momentum is as carefully crafted as the most intricate watch. As tension rises throughout society, as change is called for, the Powers that Be carefully listen to the ticking, to see when the spring is sufficiently wound up. And that the opportune moment they will use the spring's energy to propel themselves further. They will do this by offering government jobs, integration into the political process funding for yet another political party or integration into a preexisting one. And little by little the energy, vigour and strength of revolution is integrated into the steady clockwork of the Watch. And no one, not the cogs or the spring or even the hands of the watch realise what is occurring.
Religion may be the opium of the masses, but democracy is our Vicodin.
At least this is the vision that the Fearless Leaders of this world would have us believe. And for a hundred years we have (mostly) been inclined to believe them. Capitalism and the incredible growth it brought to the European Powers and the United States seemed to go hand in hand with the growth of liberal democracies. Indeed the relation that we have been taught to believe is: More Democracy EQUALS More Wealth.
This idea was reinforced and, to a large extent, created by the necessity of the Cold War as Western (Liberal Capitalist Democratic) Powers battled with the 'Evil Empire' that was the bloc of 'Communist' countries. So much relentless propaganda was pumped into the civilian populations of the 'West' that eventually they actually came to believe it. The current generation of World Leaders are direct products of this propaganda. The result is disastrous.
Democracy has come to be seen as a miracle cure to poverty, economic stagnation and Islam. This is part of the pipe-dream we were discussing earlier. The perceived outcome of this delusion is that the absolute application of liberal democracy in all countries will create wealth, like some kind thermodynamically impossible horn of abundance. The truth is that democracy is an excellent system- for keeping things the same.
In our liberal bourgeois - to use the Marxian term - democracies governments come and go, laws are passed, senators, members of Parliament and congressmen/women elected from a myriad of parties (or not) and-
And nothing changes. Whether the government is from the left, or from the right the mechanism remains the same. The State, when at the mercy of the Mob and more importantly economic interests, will do nothing to change, or create instability. Two main factors are responsible for this. The first is the fundamental dynamic of democracy. People vote, governments are elected. Then the governments implement policies which will ensure they get reelected. The second factor is Big Business which will try to maximise profits by putting pressure on governments to take steps in that direction.
Political entities will attempt to court, flirt with, bribe, threaten and do anything they can to ensure their voters make the right choice. They will do what the voters and corporations want rather than what they need, or is in the best interest for society. This means that a democratic government will not do radical, extreme things. They will not alter the mechanism of the State, reduce bureaucracy, increase citizen participation, reduce their own power, change the dynamics of neoliberalism in their countries because all this means instability and nothing scares investors, voters and corporations more that instability. Even the madness of Nazism was ultimately born from this (mostly corporate) need for stability. Radical transformations are the product of revolutions- or dictatorships.
Far from my intentions to suggest that totalitarian and authoritarian governments are our salvation. The only thing they are good for is the creation of sufficient material wealth for democracy to function properly. The number of rich nations that managed to achieve considerable wealth without a period of dictatorship in the last three centuries is limited to Switzerland and a handful of other microscopic European oddities. The birth place of the Industrial Revolution was absolutist Great Britain, the powerhouse of pre-World War One Europe was Imperial Germany, and Bolshevik Russia made more progress in 50 years of pretend-communist rule than it did in over a century under weak tsarist government.
Applying democracy like you apply your crayola on a map is stupid in the extreme. Democracy cannot make a poor country rich. This is the terrible tragedy of decolonisation. In Africa the Imperial Powers (France, the UK, Portugal etc) left their troublesome colonies with a copy of "Democracy for Dummies" and a number of interesting mass graves for forensic anthropologists in training to practice on. How thoughtful. Unfortunately for everyone involved some idiot had ripped out all the pages in the book and replaced it with one bad crayon drawing of a house with the caption: Demmocrasy mak U Hapy. Not helpful. And so the African nations had to try and sort out this democracy thing without the necessary economic background and support. Hence poverty, ethnic tension and general unpleasantness. Let us not even go into the Middle East where democracy has been flown in on the tip of a bayonet or in the warhead of a SCUD.
Nothing can be changed through democratic rule. But we are told we can and will: this is the Great Illusion which has kept the politically aware from actually changing anything. The best, brightest and most dedicated people are sucked into this Illusion. Their attempts at reform are steadily absorbed into the Process, integrated into the System and thrown into the Chasm of Power, where all good intentions come to die. Political activists are told join the system, to integrate. They are encouraged to change things from the inside. Ultimately their dreams are dashed in between the dual hammers of Partisan Politics and Power Play.
This mechanism is not an accident of the evolution of Power, Politics and the State. The systematic suppression of any form of radical change, whether it be at the hands of ambition, greed or sheer bureaucratic momentum is as carefully crafted as the most intricate watch. As tension rises throughout society, as change is called for, the Powers that Be carefully listen to the ticking, to see when the spring is sufficiently wound up. And that the opportune moment they will use the spring's energy to propel themselves further. They will do this by offering government jobs, integration into the political process funding for yet another political party or integration into a preexisting one. And little by little the energy, vigour and strength of revolution is integrated into the steady clockwork of the Watch. And no one, not the cogs or the spring or even the hands of the watch realise what is occurring.
Religion may be the opium of the masses, but democracy is our Vicodin.
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