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WORLDWIDE Vol. 9 (No. 1), March 2007
(by Jiri Polak) Recently, a commission consisting of some of the most prominent scholars of the globe, working on behalf of the UNO, issued a new report concerning the climatic changes noticeable all over the world. Their conclusions were shocking. All doubts about the role of human activities have been removed. It is these activities, especially in the field of energy supply, transports, and agriculture, that are responsible, at least to a great extent, for the global warning. If the trend continues, we can expect the following: Further spreading of deserts, causing increased famine, ethnical conflicts, civil wars, and possible emergence of new deadly epidemics, not yet known; possible collapse of economic and social systems; the rise of the surface of the seas by several meters, submerging countries like Bangladesh and the Netherlands; increased number of tornados, much more devastating than at present; torrential rains in some areas and increased shortage of water in others; increased spreading of environmental pollution .... Experts say: We are running out of time. If no radical change takes place within the next ten, fifteen years, it might be too late. More and more voices are being raised, urging politicians to take the necessary measures. However, if we don´t do more than complain and beseech, we are in trouble. Let´s understand. The most important countries are run by multi-party political systems. Basically, political parties are interest organizations which try to seize power by promising to ameliorate the living standards of specific categories of citizens (workers, peasants, entrepreneurs .... ) within their respective nation states or locally. It is on the basis of these expectations that people vote. Strictly speaking, the party politicians´ mandates only concern limited issues and the measures promised benefit some to the detriment of others. Consequently, the whole system is based on group conflicts. Without permanent group conflicts, the system cannot survive. Therefore, the elites are anxious not to resolve conflicts, but to nurture and preserve them. The never-ending interplay of "government" and "opposition" is a stationary shadow boxing. Except in Switzerland and, to some extent the USA, the system has been put in place by party bosses without asking the people. Naturally, they have created a system assuring their power monopoly, regardless of which party runs the show. When in power, party politicians pretend they have got the mandate to make decisions about everything, including foreign, defence and environmental policies. The people are powerless, no matter what happens, even when sent to be butchered like cattle in absurd wars. To call this system "democracy" is one of the biggest impostures known to history. The global ecological threat we are facing concerns all people alike, regardless of citizen category or nationality. Therefore, it cannot be handled by conflictual party politics. It requires cooperation based on the awareness of our common interest, not group interest. Parties are unable to deal with this situation. They are - and have always been - responsive to vested interests, not to the common interest of any kind. Their power positions depend on the support on the part of specific clients: oil industry, automobile industry, agriculture, weapon industry, the preservation of jobs inside this or that election district etc. It is these short term vested interests they will protect and indulge to the bitter end. Should they cease to do so, they would lose their raison d´être.For these reasons, if we want to save our civilization, we have to transfer decision-making to the level of individual citizens. As individuals, if given responsibility and relevant information, the citizens are able to disregard short term specific interests and become anxious to find solutions benefiting society as a whole. Dozens of Planning Cells organized since the 1970s in Germany and elsewhere have repeatedly shown that. We must go beyond discussions and abstract reasoning. Our strategy should be able to use all sorts of non-violent actions: Demonstrations, public speeches, petitions, selective voting for DD-minded politicians. We should found and develop DD parties, try to recruit celebrities ...; in the USA we should support the National Initiative for Democracy, Mr.Lee Gottlieb´s organizational and educational activities, the project of Direct Deliberative e-Democracy promoted by Prof.Becker and Prof.Behrouzi, the campaign for Citizen Power run by Mr.Mark Antell etc.; in Europe and elsewhere, obviously, we will go on focusing on local and national DD initiatives; besides, we should also make efforts to put in place People's Constitutions (the Czech People's Constitution might become a model) etc. It would be most useful to hold a third major CICDD Conference (after Pribram 1998 and Greece 2000). For this purpose, insightful sponsors would be needed. It is true that the specialized DD organizations active in Western Europe are rather well off, but the generalists and globalists, who organized the above two conferences, have been, so far, forced to almost exclusively rely on their own (more or less empty) pockets. Even so, we have achieved encouraging results. With a sufficient support, we could achieve a break-through. Decision-making process likely to take
place in True Democracies of the Future Sen.Gravel´s Presidential Campaign: 7 December 2006, information from Mr.Elliott Jacobson: STATEMENT - U.S. SENATOR MIKE GRAVEL (Democrat, Alaska, 1969-1981) "The nation has awaited breathlessly for the "Oracle of Houston" - James Baker - to advise us how to extricate the nation from the disaster of the ´Bush War in Iraq´." ........ "Instead of the mandate for peace the American people desire, the Iraq Study Group, and their enablers in the Democratic Party Establishment, offer us a future of more of the same, only more so." ......... "Blood for Oil. Treasure for Oil. Honor for Oil. That is the measure of the Bush policy, and it´s sadly the same for the report we have just received - from the ´Prince of Oil´ for the House of Bush." 11 January 2007, information from Mr.Elliott Jacobson: STATEMENT - A Blind President - Deaf Democrats "President Bush´s call for 20,000 more troops to continue the tragic misadventure in Iraq, reveals a myopia not seen in the White House since President Hoover failed to adequately respond to the Bonus Marchers and the Great Depression." ......... "And even more disappointing and disheartening is the tepid Democratic response." ..... "As for the current and prospective democratic presidential candidates, they are all taking cover behind the new Democratic Congress and its leadership. In other words, the Democrats, despite their posturing, seem to be on the verge of endorsing more of an unwinnable, unending, costly and murderous war before any serious action is taken." ......... 1 February, information from Mr.Alex Colvin, Press Secretary: "The Winter Meeting of the Democratic National Committee (DCN) is designed to showcase potential presidential candidates to members of the DNC 20 of whom are Super Delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The Candidate presentation will take place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 2-3. The Friday morning schedule includes: Chris Dodd, Barack Obama, Wesley Clark, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Mike Gravel, and Tom Vilsack will be speaking Saturday morning. There will be extensive press coverage." ............. "The National Initiative for Democracy is a proposed legislative package, a Constitutional amendment and a federal statute, that a majority of American voters would need to vote for before it could become law. The National Initiative does not abolish representative government. It would allow citizens to also pass laws on major issues that affect our lives. The National Initiative would reform our democracy, adding another Check to our system of Checks and Balances: We, The People." ............. 19 February, information from Mr.Alex Colvin for immediate press release: Democratic Presidential Candidate Mike Gravel Calls for a ´Constitutional Confrontation´ to stop Iraq War ................................... "The Constitution grants the Congress the power to declare war and implicitly to end war. The Democrats in the House have the numbers to pass legislation to end the war. They don´t need another week of debaters, the subject being amply covered," Gravel said. ........ "After passage by both Houses of Congress, the bill is sent to the President, who can either accept the bill and end the war in an orderly manner, or can veto it. ..... In the event of a veto, the bill ending the war goes back to the Congress and can only become law with a two-thirds vote of the House and the Senate." ....... "Gravel called the Democratic leadership's tactic of passing a non-binding resolution ´meaningless´." .............. "I predict, if the vote is properly handled, the Congress will override President Bush's veto" ...... "Any tactic that is less than crystal clear about ending the war is politics as usual in Washington." 1 March, information from Mr.Alex Colvin for immediate release: Democratic Presidential Candidate Mike Gravel calls for Congress to demand an End to Torture ............... "Under the U.S. Constitution, all enemy combatants fall under the jurisdiction of the Congress. It is abhorrent that the United States government today continues to torture human beings in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and other secret C.I.A. prisons." ........ Gravel made reference to, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution which reads, The Congress shall have power to .. declare war ... and make rules concerning captures on land and water.´" ............ Mike, we all keep our fingers crossed! (JP)More information from the USA: 11 November 2006, a letter from Mr.Lee Gottlieb (quotations): "The question has been posed: DD political party, or not. For one reason or another, too many of our members believe a political party would be the wrong way to go. Whether because a political party is an undemocratic way of governing, or because party members usually place personal desires and needs before the needs of the people they represent, or because they believe true democracy can flourish only if it begins and grows from small, independent groups of people making their own political decisions and governing themselves, they are all wrong. Under current circumstances, a political party is the only way to breathe life into the DD movement. Yes, a political party is essentially a hierarchical system and undemocratic. But speaking as an American, it is the only legal way to quickly form the necessary political force to take control of the U.S. This method should be effective, if the people were made to understand that such an organization was created exclusively to create a political system that would transfer political decision-making from representatives directly to the people, and be dissolved as soon as a true self-governing system was established." ...... "The need for urgent and drastic change is obvious. It is time for those of us who understand the situation to do more than merely write down our thoughts about the problems we face, or discuss it among ourselves. We must quickly make a plan and decide a course of action. We must make the general populations aware of the urgent need for action and gain their support." "On my website ( www.voicesfordd.com ) is a proposed plan of action. There is also a design of a DD political party with a preamble that contains strong reasons designed to gain the understanding and support of ordinary working people. Also, on the website, probably somewhere within my four books, are strong reasons why people should support a DD political party. Of course, my suggestions are merely a beginning, the skeleton upon which my DD associates, and the people, are expected to put the flesh." "My fellow DDers, time is quickly running out on us. Let's put some urgency into our efforts. Let's do what we, alone, know must be done. Let's do it, and let's do it now." Read and comment upon Prof.Ted Becker´s Journal of Public Deliberation - www.auburn.edu/jpd 26 February - a book review received in Spanish from
the Sin Permiso newsletter - Prof.Chalmers Johnson, former professor at the University of California, San Diego, has just published a book named Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic Quotations (translated): "History tells us that one of the most unstable political combinations - like the current United States - is that which tries to be a democracy inside its borders and an empire abroad."... " The USA has 737 military bases round the world and about half a million troops and other types of personnel ( beside those operating in Afghanistan and Iraq)." ... "During these years, it has become increasingly clear that George W.Bush, Dick Cheney and their adherents were claiming and actively assuming plenary powers explicitly denied them by our Constitution. It has become not less clear that the Congress has almost renounced their responsibilities for counterbalancing the executive branch of the Government."... "We are losing our democracy in order to maintain our Empire. Once a nation embarks upon this path, the dynamics inherent in all empires is set in motion - isolation, overburdening, alliance of local and global forces opposed to imperialism, and finally, bankruptcy." ..."There is an alternative." (I.e. the British experience.) "The central idea of the history of Great Britain is clear:" (After WWII) "The people of the British Isles have chosen democracy and gave up imperialism." ... (Military dictatorship, despite what we witness at present, has never been an option in our history.) "It seems to me that the most plausible outcome is the maintenance of a constitutional facade until the USA is surprised by financial bankruptcy." ... "For sure, such a bankruptcy will cause a drastic decrease in our living standards, resulting in the loss of control of external affairs, a sudden necessity to adapt ourselves to the rise of other powers, including China and India, and, consequently, a discredit to the idea that the USA is somehow exceptional compared to other nations." 8 February, information from Mr.George Sagi: New website: http://georgesagi-writings.ca An unusual, but fruitful approach: The vision of a DD society presented in the form of fiction: Mr.George Sagi is one of the most prominent political thinkers of our time. He has also published a book called Quantum Geometry - Elements and Philosophical Implications. The assessment of that work would require expert knowledge we do not possess. 13 February, information from Mr.Miroslav Kolar: "HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, February 11 - The Atlantica Party today released the party´s first policy platform articulating political and electoral reform vital for the future of Atlantic Canada. The Atlantica Party will introduce Single Transferable Vote (STV) for provincial elections and ban election contributions from all sources in favor of equal election financing for each candidate. .... The Atlantica Party will also institute in a prudent fashion several direct democracy tools for use by citizens, including Citizen´s Initiative and Recall. ....." http://www.atlanticaparty.ca 21 February, information from Mr.Miroslav Kolar, quoting a letter received from Mr.Alexandre R.Labrie, leader of the Populist Party of Canada ( http://populist.ca ) "We will form Canada Vote Direct, and we will add the following to our constitution: "The Members of Parliament must: The worldwide DD movement has suffered a terrible loss. On 13 December 2006 died Prof.Peter C.Dienel at the age of 83 years. His work will live on, not the least in the Czech Citizens´ Constitution. Democracy International Newsletter (edited by Mr.Ronald Pabst) 13 November: Editorial: European Citizens´ Initiative 30 January 2007: Editorial: Europe not without the people "Currently the German government is holding the EU Presidency. The German officials still hope to revive the EU Constitution - in spite of the clear rejection by the Dutch and French voters. So it is high time to develop alternatives. Democracy International calls with more than 110 supporting associations for an immediate introduction of the the European Citizens´ Initiative. But this would only be a very first step towards direct democracy. In March we will organize a conference in Berlin to stimulate the exchange of ideas between representatives of the civil society. The results will be presented publicly as the "Berlin declaration". ...... Berlin - Conference in March 26 January - information sent round : "Former Scottish Liberal Democrat press officer and MSP Parliamentary Aide, Duncan Thorp, has launched an independent bid for next May's Holyrood elections. Explaining the decision Duncan said: "Its true to say that most people in Scotland are bored with tribal party politics. As politicians play their games the political system continues in decline. People simply don't vote anymore and there are good reasons for that. There is something fundamentally wrong." ...... "I will campaign for policies that give positive power
to every individual in Scotland and take it away from politicians."
.............. 3 March - information published in Swedish press (translated): "Bristol in western UK is one of the European towns that have achieved most progress concerning electronic democracy. It means that the citizens can use the internet to discuss with their politicians, examine and comment on proposals put forward by politicians and administrative officials, hold political debates in electronic discussion groups etc. The politicians can consult their voters before making decisions on various issues. E-democracy can increase the citizens´ opportunities for speaking their minds at an early stage of the decision-making process." .... It has been reported that a Swedish delegation will visit not only Bristol, but also the University of Edingburgh "which belongs to the world's leading centres in the field of research into e-democracy". SWEDEN: Maffia-like Unions Recently, much of the public debate has focused on blatantly anti-democratic practices of the Unions. Increasingly, the word Maffia has been used in this context. Example 1: If a construction worker gets a job anywhere, he has to pay each month 1.5 % of his gross income to the respective Union, whether he is a member or not. There is no escape. Half this amount goes automatically to the Social Democratic Party, the other half remains in the pockets of the Union bosses. This is a situation suitable for presentation by Jay Leno: The worker: "What is this? Why do you deduct 1.5 % from
my wages?" Example 2: A small town signed a contract with a Latvian enterprise to build a school. (Both Sweden and Latvia are members of the EU.) The Swedish Union discovered that the enterprise had not signed a collective contract in Sweden. The wages the Latvian workers´ got were higher than those paid in Latvia, but not so high as the wages paid in Sweden. Since the enterprise could not afford to pay Swedish wages, the Union put the work place under blockade, so that the construction was interrupted owing to lack of supplies. The enterprise went bankrupt. So much for international solidarity! Example 3: A small restaurant was run by a few young women. Neither the owner nor the employees wanted to sign the collective contract with the respective Union. The result was again a Union blockade. Jay Leno: "You have to sign the collective contract!" "There is no need, we get better paid than stipulated in the contract and we are perfectly happy with our working conditions." "Shut up! Don't think you are special. Everybody must get the same wages and it's us who decide how much it is! Sign the collective contract or we'll destroy you!" A few weeks later, the owner sold her restaurant. The Unions are a holy cow no politician, not even the current "right wing" government, dares touch. But what can you expect in a country where it is forbidden to buy sex, but permitted to sell sex, where it has been decreed that hairdressers have to charge both men and women the same price for a haircut, and where a house owner can be punished for not having removed ice from his door-step, causing a burglar to break his leg when carrying out stolen goods? Of course, how inconsiderate to expose poor burglars to the risk of injury! Sure, even in Sweden there are people dissatisfied with the system. An example is Mr.Fred Blomson, discovered by Mr.Kolar. ( http://fredblomson.spaces.live.com ) Quote: "Representative democracy is a self-elected dictatorship; after a long period it has failed to better the society at all the levels and can never better the society, that is why it should be replaced by e-democracy. The representative democracy and the political party system belongs to history. Not any persons but the e-democratic LAW should govern at all the levels. Employed administration should administrate the e-democratic will of the world citizens." Bravo! But when will the Swedes stop "clenching their fists in their pockets", as they say, and begin to really do something? (JP) CZECH REPUBLIC: Polarization Two issues have shaken public opinion recently: The project of an American anti-missile radar station to be placed on Czech territory and the 14 Swedish JAS Gripen military planes leased by the Czech Government from the Swedish Government some time ago. The Radar station. This project is being foisted on the Czech Republic by the Bush administration. According to polls, most Czechs do not want it. Some groups demand at least a referendum. The government says no. Interestingly, the former president Vaclav Havel is in favor of the station and rejects the requirement of a referendum as "bizarre". Havel, who still enjoys a good reputation abroad, had long ago lost his credit in his own country. He was a mediocre writer and a token dissident during the communist era. He turned out to be a political opportunist. In 1989, he struck a deal with the communists: The dissidents obtained power in exchange for impunity granted to communist criminals; the communist bosses would also keep in their pockets the money they had accumulated by stealing from the nation. A new ruling elite emerged trying to transform the country into a US satellite. But voices are being raised: Where is the enemy likely to attack the Republic by missiles? Iran? North Korea? A minority of Czechs supports the station because "the USA liberated us from the Nazis and the Soviets. Now we should help the USA to fight against terrorism." These people confound the idea of America as a beacon of democracy and liberty with the propaganda spread by the neo-conservative junta now in power there. Increasingly, however, the Czechs are beginning to see through the myth. The Gripen planes. Two Swedish journalists, pretending to be clandestine weapon dealers, approached high level representatives of the Czech regime and, while filming with a hidden camera, lured out of them the admission that, when the deal between Sweden and Czech Republic was being concluded, "money changed hands". (What an admirable wording!) One of the Czech politicians involved was Jan Kavan, former foreign minister and even chairman of the UN General Assembly. The deal, concerning deficient planes which the Swedes were unable to sell anywhere else, was worth billions of crowns and had to be paid by Czech tax-payers. The scandal was amply documented by the Swedish television and later even by the Czech television. The Swedish journalists referred to the Czech capital as "the corrupt city of Prague". According to polls, even 82% of Czechs do not trust their politicians, considering them as corrupt. Quo usque tandem .... Fortunately, there are groups and individuals who, without any sponsors and boycotted by the big media, try to enforce a change of the system. Petr Czasch Mr.Czasch, inventor of an anti-corruption program called Internal Offset, co-founder of the Democracy Association and one of the most important Czech DD activists has been elected Vice-Mayor of the Moravian town Karlovice. He has declared that he wants to introduce DD in his town, i.e. direct electronic voting, electronic discussions on the grass-root level, and direct personal election of the Mayor. This program provoked a furious attack on the part of the Mayor, a member of the Conservative Party and a former MP. Mr.Czasch says he is ready for confrontation. 4 March, information from Dr.Doug Everingham, quoting Kate Connoly in The Guardian: "The tiny Baltic nation of Estonia, whose parliament once declared internet access a basic human right, has become the first country to allow voters in a general election to cast their ballots online. More than 30,000 people had voted via the internet three days before tomorrow's parliamentary poll, officials said. Voters used their state-issued digital ID cards, which are swiped on readers that can be bought for about 4 euro, and input two passwords. Estonia says security issues are dealt with by this use of microchip cards and by allowing multiple votes, each cancelling out the previous one." A new book published by Mr.Aki Orr is available
at Mr.Orr calls his DD model Autonarchy "Those who oppose oppression, exploitation, and inequality must now suggest an alternative to Socialism as well as to Capitalism, to Nationalisation as well as to Privatisation. The pamphlet addresses this need. http://www.autonarchy. org.il/#IS%20AUTONARCHY%20POSSIBLE 14 January, information sent by Mr.Bruce Eggum (quoted from Venezuelanalysis.com ) "The Venezuelan government announced Monday that $ 5 billion dollars will be available for the new participatory democratic institutions the Communal Councils in 2007. The Intergovernmental Fund for Decentralisation (Fides) will be responsible for distributing the money. .... Part of the increase can be accounted for due to the expected increase in the number of Communal Councils in Venezuela. At the end of last year there were a reported 13,000 across the country. This is expected to increase to 21,000 by the end of this year. The Communal Councils came into being in April 2006 with the passing of the Communal Council Law by the National Assembly. They are intended to provide a participatory democratic body for communities to manage and develop themselves. Prior to the law being introduced there were separate projects such as the Social Missions and the Urban Land Committees. The new institution is designed to pull these distinct programmes together so a strategic view can be taken of what the community needs as a whole. The funds will be for education, construction, transport, health, agriculture and housing related projects. .... The idea is that there is a community of around 200 - 400 families for each Communal Council and all members of each community over the age of 15 can participate in the process and put forward ideas for development. .... 23 January: An information came from Venezuela referring to a bulletin issued by the Ministry of Communication and Information on 13 September 2006. (Translated) "First Worldwide Conference on Direct Democracy" "From 13 to 15 September, a group of representatives coming from 17 countries will exchange experiences in the field of democracy and socialism for future election processes within their respective nations. One of the most interesting items is "The Venezuelan Revolutionary Process" presented by William Izarra. The conclusions reached during this event might have bearing on other settings." Well, President Chavez is wrong. The First International Conference on Direct Democracy was held in September 1998 in the town of Pribram, Czech Republic; it was chaired by Prof.Ted Becker. Participants came from all continents except Africa. The above mentioned bulletin suggests that the source of Chavez´ DD ideas is Libya. The Libyan President Muhammar Kaddafi claims to have established DD in his country. Even his model is based on a type of Communal Councils. The system is described in Kaddafi´s Green Book. For outsiders like ourselves, it is not possible to judge to what extent real DD is evolving in Libya, Venezuela and other remote countries. 29 January, information received from the Sin Permiso newsletter: On the 22 January 2007, at the occasion of the first anniversary of the latest presidential election, President Evo Morales declared, "Compatriots, now it is we who are the President!" Representatives of the current Bolivian regime speak about a democratic revolution having taken place in the country. It is too early to judge whether the new system contains elements of true direct democracy. Further development is certainly worth watching. For the time being, we can see that President Morales maintains friendly relations with President Chavez. Evidently, an anti-USA, or rather anti-Bush common front is emerging in Latin America. 14 February, information from the Swedish press: "The Congress in Ecuador has voted by a large majority for a referendum about a new Constitution. A large part of te opposition boycotted the debate and voting in Congress, protesting against the leftist President Rafael Correa´s attempts to curtail the political parties´ power. If the referendum authorizes a new Constitution, a special people´s Convention will be put in place to write it. The President, who does not belong to any party, tries to address directly the people at large in order to change the political system. ... Correa believes thorough reforms are necessary to break the political elites´ grip on important institutions like the Supreme Court and the Election Authority." Europa-Magazin 2/2006 http://www.europa-magazin.ch published twice a year by the Forum für direkte Demokratie. Editor: Dr.Paul Ruppen. "Das Forum für direkte Demokratie ist eine überparteiliche Bewegung von Leuten aus dem ökologisch-sozialen Lager, die der offiziellen EU-Politik gegenüber kritish eingestellt sind." Articles: WDDM The idea of a transnational DD organization lives on. Focus is now on the formulation of a WDDM Charter. Regrettably, only a small number of activists dedicate their time and efforts to this task. The sceptics, particularly Mr.Bernard Clayson, say that the project can hardly succeed without any support from the grassroots (the public does not even know that this organization exists), without media coverage, and without any sponsors. The discussions can be maintained almost only thanks to the disinterested support lent by Mr.Miroslav Kolar. Only the future can tell whether this project can make a difference. Letters can be addressed to wddm@world-wide-democracy.net New websites: The ecological threat in the form of global warming is undoubtedly the greatest danger our civilization faces at present. Let's hope that the consciousness of this threat will eventually induce the leading oligarchies to take a simultaneous action according to the Simpol idea! Vol.9 (No.1.) March 2007 |
