After the little offers of reforms from the major parties it reminded me of the democratic studies I did at university.
Two things stick in my mind. Firstly, democracy is dependent on civil society not on political parties. Secondly democracy, in history and in practice, is never given it is always taken.
After reading Zarathustra two quotes stick in my mind.
'A right that you can seize yourself you should not let yourself be given!'.
I agree. When politicians milk the system and then promise to change it when they are caught, do not be fooled. They have not had a moral revelation and are not doing a good thing for our country by changing our system. Our democracy is a right not something we should be thankful for or have to plead for. We should take it back not wait till we are offered it.
Secondly,
'but though it is old and smells musty, therefore it is all the more honored. Antiquarian chatter still counts as wisdom.'
Did we not trust our gentry and institutions too much simply because they were traditional, noble and right honourable?
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To deal with your secondly firstly:
ReplyDeleteMe thinks the system was not so much trusted by people as tolerated by them. Like a holey, paint-stained, ragged old pair of jeans the mother of all parliaments was long past its best, but it was comfortable and investing time in repairing it lost out to getting nice new shoes (health service) and a decent leather jacket (education). Now the old jeans have worn so much that the national arse(s) is (are) exposed, the nation can finally stop planning for the HDTV or holiday in Spain and devote some resources to the long-overdue repair job.
And with that the metaphor is over-extended. Now secondly and finally to move on to your firstly:
Aye we should always realise representative government is a right that citizens hire politicians to implement, not a benefit in the gift of political masters to grateful subjects. But it only works if the citizenry are interested, which thankfully they seem to be today. The system is democratic and allows people to be governed by who they want, so all the numpties saying they don't vote cause "they're all the same and it doesn't make a difference" are the real problem. Scheming, weasley politicians only get in because their constituents are so apathetic they refuse to exercise their power. Government of the people, by the people, and for the people can only vanish from the earth if the people stop holding government to account.