picture : Pericles speaking in AthensDemocracy and Class Struggle endorses the statement of the Co-ordination Committee of the Revolutionary Communists of Britain which exposes the fraudulent character of the Parliamentary Election Process in Britain in 2010..
We however believe that it is important to explain what Democrcay means at the beginning of the 21st Century has it has been mistakingly seen has synonmous with Elections.
We should remember that the idea of democracy in its first Athenian slave based incarnation was not about elections but principally about participation in the governance of the City State.
Selection by lottery was the standard means as it was regarded as the more democratic: elections would favour those who were rich, noble, eloquent and well-known, while allotment spread the work of administration throughout the whole citizen body, engaging them in the crucial democratic experience of, to use Aristotle's words, "ruling and being ruled in turn" (Politics 1317b28–30).
The allotment of an individual was based on citizenship rather than merit or any form of personal popularity which could be bought. Allotment therefore was seen as a means to prevent the corrupt purchase of votes and it gave citizens a unique form of political equality as all had an equal chance of obtaining government office within the limits of Greek slave Society.
Democracy ans Class Struggle suggest that the jury system which selects people to judge their peers could be extended to other spheres of social life to energise the new concept of mass democracy.The random selection by computer or other means of individuals for public service would be one such mechanism for developing mass democracy in the 21st Century.
We should learn from the past to give democracy in the 21st century real content to aid our principal task the overthrow of class based corporate power and the monooply finance capitalists which have subverted the limited democratic process in Britain and which dominates the politics of the three leading parties Conservative , Liberal or Labour.
The current capitalist political monopoly of the three leading parties ensures that no systemic solutions to capitalism's systemic problems in the economy or the environment are put onto the British political agenda.
Democracy and Class Struggle says Don't Vote - Organise and Fight Back against monoply finance capitalism in Britain and the World.
Read the following contributions on Democracy from Wilf Dixon and Harry Powell
We however believe that it is important to explain what Democrcay means at the beginning of the 21st Century has it has been mistakingly seen has synonmous with Elections.
We should remember that the idea of democracy in its first Athenian slave based incarnation was not about elections but principally about participation in the governance of the City State.
Selection by lottery was the standard means as it was regarded as the more democratic: elections would favour those who were rich, noble, eloquent and well-known, while allotment spread the work of administration throughout the whole citizen body, engaging them in the crucial democratic experience of, to use Aristotle's words, "ruling and being ruled in turn" (Politics 1317b28–30).
The allotment of an individual was based on citizenship rather than merit or any form of personal popularity which could be bought. Allotment therefore was seen as a means to prevent the corrupt purchase of votes and it gave citizens a unique form of political equality as all had an equal chance of obtaining government office within the limits of Greek slave Society.
Democracy ans Class Struggle suggest that the jury system which selects people to judge their peers could be extended to other spheres of social life to energise the new concept of mass democracy.The random selection by computer or other means of individuals for public service would be one such mechanism for developing mass democracy in the 21st Century.
We should learn from the past to give democracy in the 21st century real content to aid our principal task the overthrow of class based corporate power and the monooply finance capitalists which have subverted the limited democratic process in Britain and which dominates the politics of the three leading parties Conservative , Liberal or Labour.
The current capitalist political monopoly of the three leading parties ensures that no systemic solutions to capitalism's systemic problems in the economy or the environment are put onto the British political agenda.
Democracy and Class Struggle says Don't Vote - Organise and Fight Back against monoply finance capitalism in Britain and the World.
Read the following contributions on Democracy from Wilf Dixon and Harry Powell
Wilf Dixon on Democracy and the Franchise and Parliament and Elections
http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.com/2010/04/wilf-dixon-on-democracy-and-franchise.html
Harry Powell on Real Democracy
http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.com/2010/04/for-real-democracy-by-harry-powell.html
Statement of the Co-ordination Committee of the Revolutionary Communists of Britain on the British General Election 2010
http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.com/2010/04/british-general-election-dont-vote.html
No comments:
Post a Comment