EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY AT A CROSSROAD

DEPLETED EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY 

Politicians are getting increasingly tired, citizens increasingly frustrated, the pace and action requirements dictated bythe financial markets increasingly dominant – High time for a strategy of slowing down.

Related topic:

REGIME CHANGE IN EUROPE, FROM DEMOCRACY TO FINANCE DICTATORSHIP?

http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/11/regime-change-in-europe-from-democracy.html

THERE ARE CURRENTLY 22 STATES IN THE WORLD WHICH EARN OVER 60% OF THEIR RESPECTIVE GDP FROM OIL (AND GAS), AND ARE RULED BY NON-DEMOCRATIC, AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES

http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/europe-and-arab-spring-that-never-sprung.html

Democracy as a form of government, whose law emanates from the people, has ceased to exist, according to the perception of a growing number of EUROPEANS. Thelaw is no longer derived from the people. People are just invitedto participate in elections, regardless of whether this means to have an actual choice on subject matter. 

A SPECTER IS HAUNTING EUROPE: THE SPECTER OF HETERONOMY – IMF, ECB AND THE WORLD BANK

After all, a specter is haunting EUROPE: the specter of heteronomy. The EUROPEANS, especially GREEKS, IRISH and PORTUGUESE, perceive their governments no longer as Governments per, but as a lobbyist or even advocate of international organizations such as the IMF, the existence of which is not democratically legitimized. Politicians, even in those European countries that are economically well off, follow obediently to the shouts of "financial markets" for fear of international rating agencies downgrading the credit rating of their country or increase the interest rate on government bonds.

EVEN THOSE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES THAT ARE ECONOMICALLY WELL OFF, FOLLOW OBEDIENTLY TO THE SHOUTS OF "FINANCIAL MARKETS"

Democracy in the eyes of many EUROPEANS, not only in GREECE, IRELAND and PORTUGAL and ITALY, has become unfair. Docility is deemed appropriate, otherwise and increase in debt service coverage margin is imminent.

A political statement of the legendary Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky (22 January 1911 – 29 July 1990)

"I prefer dept of a couple of billion shillings rather than a few hundred thousand unemployed" is no longer conceivable. "Deficit spending" to support the welfare state to pay for a "New Deal" would be severely punished by the "markets".

For the markets don’t feel obliged to heed to demands by society, not even the ideas of the founder of “National Economics”, Adam Smith seems to prevail: "No society can flourish and be happy, if the vast majority of its members are poor and miserable."

SOCIAL DEMOCRACY, CAPITALISM OR CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD KIND?

Heteronomy equals loss of freedom. And thus the central achievement of liberal societies is at stake: liberty. Liberty, of being able to choose over one’s own future and that of future generations: To preserve a socialNational-State, or submit ourselvesto the system of free-market world trade? Or is there a third option? The option which is never up for discussions?

EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY RECEIVED SERIOUS COMPETITION BY AUTOCRATIC REGIMES

The exhausted democracy is represented by a growing number of politicians who have reached the point of fatigue. "Actually, politics is in need to reduce its pace and relax, enter a “reflection loop” in order to think about fundamental topics," says the president of the GERMAN Federal Constitutional Court, Andreas Voßkuhle. And he's right. Democracy takes time, needs - as the former SPD leader Franz Müntefering once put it - a "humanly possible" pace. "Democracy can only survive by not destroying the patterns of action by the speed of events."

The fact is that democracy, in the early stages of the modern epoch and through election processes and dynamic legislation had the reputation for being able to respond promptly to the needs of society, nowadays received serious competition by autocratic regimes. The main criticisms addressed towards the democratic system: democracy is slow in response; produce too much variability - for example, in economic decision-making processes – thus is in the medium terms, politically difficult to evaluate. Which in part explains the attractiveness of RUSSIAN and CHINESE financial markets - the predictability of these political systems promises safe returns.

ALWAYS IN THE LIMELIGHT 

Democracy has evolved of being a "24/7" show. Politicians nowadays are committed 24 hours, seven days a week and are constantlyexposed to the “media – democracy” limelight. For reflectionsbetween cause and effect remain littleor no time. Time pressureand responsibility, workload and the comparativelylow salaries are seldom highlighted in general public debates. This may the reason for lack of potential young successor politicians in the current worldwide democratic political landscape.

A successful WESTERN EUROPEAN style democratic system will only sustain by bethinking its strengths and roots: the equal rights debate and participation by all Democrats in the design of "res publica", our public affairs. This requires dialogue which cannot be done between power napping, speed dating and multitasking. Rejecting "Hurry Sickness" also means to give politicians the chance to cancel two or three not so important appointments without the fear of political repercussions, in order to focus on people and content, rather than heed to the pressures and demands enforced upon politicians by lobbyists.

Such approach in most likelihood will open up new strategies, to oppose the threats of loss of liberty through heteronomy, in order to regain sovereignty, and thus preserve democracy.

By Michael Kerbler, via DER STANDARD

Original article published in German. Translated by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring

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Monday, January 7, 2013