It's not just our leaders who are in a crisis. Democracy itself is failing

[marmar]

It's not just our leaders who are in a crisis. Democracy itself is failing
The world's statesmen no longer shape events but merely respond to them, in thrall to market forces

Peter Beaumont
The Observer, Saturday 19 November 2011


Are the following intimations of a global crisis in the legitimacy of western democracy? Ireland's confidential budget plan, unseen by the Irish electorate, is leaked by European finance officials to the German parliament where the proposals are examined by the German finance committee.

In Italy, Mario Monti, the country's unelected new prime minister and a former international adviser to Goldman Sachs, stands in the Giustiniani Palace as head of a cabinet of similarly unelected technocrats. Imposed in place of the corrupt, useless and seedy Silvio Berlusconi to satisfy the "markets", Monti promises what we are told the markets want, and that is "sacrifices".

In Greece, both left and right of the country unite against their own technocrat, the former head of Greece's Central Bank, Lucas Papademos, brought in, too, at the behest of the markets. And in Berlin on Friday, David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative party, which could not manage to secure a mandate to govern the UK on its own, sits down with a German chancellor, Angela Merkel, whose countrymen do not trust her to handle the eurozone crisis.

If the picture of our leaders in the midst of a worldwide crisis is not a terribly inspiring one – politicians with clay feet or in hock to business interest, unelected bureaucrats and politicians lacking support – it is because western democracy itself, by and large, is not looking very pretty either. All of which leads to a question, one that has more commonly been posed by those on the farther reaches of the left, but is now infiltrating the mainstream debate: has the intimate partnership between democracy and neoliberalism, the prominent dogma of our age and one which has shaped most of our politicians, has been toxic to democracy itself? ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/20/peter-beaumont-democracy-in-crisis

[PDJane]

1. We're in thrall to the one percent, not 'market forces'.

[bhikkhu]

2. The results of democracy are not always ideal - think Berlosconi or Bush

...or the victory of the GOP in the 2010 mid-terms here. Which you could say is "failing". But over time, democracy will address all problems more effectively than any other form of government. You can complain all you want about what the people of Italy and Greece (and the US) have to endure, but its all at the hands of leaders who were elected by the people, and who can be replaced within a reasonable period of time. A little patience, and a trip to the voting booth.

[MedleyMisty]

3. Actually, the current leaders of Greece and Italy were not elected

They were installed by bankers.

[izquierdista]

5. When it's one dollar, one vote, that's what happens

Some people have a quaint notion that its supposed to be one man*, one vote.



* And since 1920, women. And since 1965, black. And since 1971, over 18.

[bhikkhu]

6. Misinformation serves no one. The 2008 election results are here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_general_election,_2008

It is a very complicated system, as ours is as well, but Berlusconi won the general election by popular vote. Implying that bankers control everything is a fiction that dismisses the ability of a democracy to function, and makes the people seem powerless.

Perhaps there is some comfort in powerlessness, as powerless people are responsible for nothing, but the fact is Berlusconi and the Italian government was elected by the people. Likewise, we here elected our own nearly worthless and dysfunctional congress. The solution is rather obvious.

[bhikkhu]

7. The details of the Greek elections in 2009 are here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_legislative_election,_2009

...again, another complex system, but a popular vote determined the results, not "bankers".

[PDJane]

8. As long as you believe that, they will

steal the vote, manipulate you with propaganda and generally promote the corporate agenda.

[darth marth]

4. Democracy is failing? They stole our democracy with diebold central tabulators

and now Goldman Sachs is attempting to take over Europe as well as America.

I'd hardly call that a failure of democracy, but a failure of the people to hold our corporate media and corporate politicians accountable.