demo:democracy

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-# The democracy problem+This topic is part of [[gt:philosophy|Philosophy & politics]]. 
 +====== The democracy problem ======
  
  
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-## What is the ‘democracy problem’?+===== What is the ‘democracy problem’? =====
  
 The problem is that this system isn’t democratic. It delivers ultimate power to people who have never been elected, because wealth concentrates via giant banks and corporations, and then that concentrated wealth corrupts the political system. The problem is that this system isn’t democratic. It delivers ultimate power to people who have never been elected, because wealth concentrates via giant banks and corporations, and then that concentrated wealth corrupts the political system.
  
-### 1. How wealth concentrates+==== 1. How wealth concentrates ====
  
 Our communities are full of corporate branches – supermarkets, banks, chain restaurants etc., that suck money out to pay shareholders. The same thing happens with online corporate retailers. Our communities are full of corporate branches – supermarkets, banks, chain restaurants etc., that suck money out to pay shareholders. The same thing happens with online corporate retailers.
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 Why do governments do this? Well….. Why do governments do this? Well…..
  
-### 2. How the political system is corrupted+==== 2. How the political system is corrupted ====
  
 The three main ways are: The three main ways are:
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-### 3. Why voting won't change this+==== 3. Why voting won't change this ====
  
 The removal of the constraints on the global movement of capital has created the conditions whereby states have to be very attentive to the needs of capital to ensure that it doesn’t move away from their country. The removal of the constraints on the global movement of capital has created the conditions whereby states have to be very attentive to the needs of capital to ensure that it doesn’t move away from their country.
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-## What are the consequences of the ‘democracy problem’?+===== What are the consequences of the ‘democracy problem’? =====
  
 The main consequence is that governments act on behalf of banks and corporations rather than ordinary people. The main consequence is that governments act on behalf of banks and corporations rather than ordinary people.
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 </WRAP> </WRAP>
  
-## What can I do?+===== What can I do? =====
  
 Instead of having wealth sucked out of communities, then attempting (and failing) to claw it back via taxation, and re-distributing it to communities, let’s build infrastructure that doesn’t allow it to be sucked out in the first place. Instead of having wealth sucked out of communities, then attempting (and failing) to claw it back via taxation, and re-distributing it to communities, let’s build infrastructure that doesn’t allow it to be sucked out in the first place.
  
 This is called ‘[community wealth building](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/the-case-for-community-wealth-building-review/)’, and is supported by a growing number of [local authorities](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/preston-model-frances-northrop-nef/). But it’s something that we can do ourselves, by not supporting the institutions that are responsible for the concentrated wealth. Instead, we can support businesses and institutions that keep wealth in our communities, and help to build a new economy, that doesn’t lend itself to political corruption. So…. This is called ‘[community wealth building](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/the-case-for-community-wealth-building-review/)’, and is supported by a growing number of [local authorities](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/preston-model-frances-northrop-nef/). But it’s something that we can do ourselves, by not supporting the institutions that are responsible for the concentrated wealth. Instead, we can support businesses and institutions that keep wealth in our communities, and help to build a new economy, that doesn’t lend itself to political corruption. So….
-### 1. Buy from non-corporate sources+==== 1. Buy from non-corporate sources ====
  
 We can’t continue to support banks and corporations if we want to solve the democracy problem. We can’t continue to support banks and corporations if we want to solve the democracy problem.
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 [This is a story](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/what-post-covid-communities-could-look-like-if-enough-of-us-want-it/) of how communities might operate in a democratic, non-corporate world. [This is a story](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/what-post-covid-communities-could-look-like-if-enough-of-us-want-it/) of how communities might operate in a democratic, non-corporate world.
  
-### 2. Leave the left vs right battle behind+==== 2. Leave the left vs right battle behind ====
  
 This is not a left-wing or a right-wing position. Those labels are irrelevant to this issue. It suits banks & corporations for the population to be split into left and right, battling each other rather than challenging them. It's not anti-American either - corporate power denies democracy to Americans just as it does everyone else; and it's not against the 'free market' - in fact corporate power makes a truly free market impossible. This is not a left-wing or a right-wing position. Those labels are irrelevant to this issue. It suits banks & corporations for the population to be split into left and right, battling each other rather than challenging them. It's not anti-American either - corporate power denies democracy to Americans just as it does everyone else; and it's not against the 'free market' - in fact corporate power makes a truly free market impossible.
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 As [David Harvey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Harvey) explains, Neoliberalism isn’t an ideology – it’s a project to concentrate power. And he locates that power in the state/bank nexus. He’s right – look what happened when it seemed that the neoliberal project was going to fall over in 2008/9. Many on the left and right said ‘let the banks die’. George Bush (obviously) had no idea what to do. It needed Ben Bernanke (Federal Reserve) and Hank Paulson (Treasury Secretary and ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs) – two men who have never been elected to anything - to step up and say ‘this is how it’s going to be - ordinary taxpayers all over the world are going to give their hard-earned money to bail out the banks’. And that’s exactly what happened. They rescued the neoliberal project, and no-one could stop them. Least of all presidents or prime ministers. As [David Harvey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Harvey) explains, Neoliberalism isn’t an ideology – it’s a project to concentrate power. And he locates that power in the state/bank nexus. He’s right – look what happened when it seemed that the neoliberal project was going to fall over in 2008/9. Many on the left and right said ‘let the banks die’. George Bush (obviously) had no idea what to do. It needed Ben Bernanke (Federal Reserve) and Hank Paulson (Treasury Secretary and ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs) – two men who have never been elected to anything - to step up and say ‘this is how it’s going to be - ordinary taxpayers all over the world are going to give their hard-earned money to bail out the banks’. And that’s exactly what happened. They rescued the neoliberal project, and no-one could stop them. Least of all presidents or prime ministers.
-### 3. learn more about it and talk to more people.+==== 3. learn more about it and talk to more people. ====
  
 To be obsessed with party politcs is to be stuck in a realm of superficial change. To believe that the party political system can bring about the changes required, you also need to believe that we live in true ‘liberal democracies’ in the West, and that concentrated wealth has no influence in the political process. We’re not saying don’t vote, we’re saying that we have to join, support and consume from grassroots institutions in our communities right now, rather than relying on politicians to initiate change from above, which may be a long time coming, if at all. To be obsessed with party politcs is to be stuck in a realm of superficial change. To believe that the party political system can bring about the changes required, you also need to believe that we live in true ‘liberal democracies’ in the West, and that concentrated wealth has no influence in the political process. We’re not saying don’t vote, we’re saying that we have to join, support and consume from grassroots institutions in our communities right now, rather than relying on politicians to initiate change from above, which may be a long time coming, if at all.
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 We don’t believe that the necessary change can come through voting, or through overthrowing anything, but by ‘[transcending](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/transcender-manifesto-dil-green/)’ - building a new economy from our [communities](/comy/community). We don’t believe that the necessary change can come through voting, or through overthrowing anything, but by ‘[transcending](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/transcender-manifesto-dil-green/)’ - building a new economy from our [communities](/comy/community).
  
-## Further resources+===== Forum ===== 
 + 
 +This topic belongs to the section [[gt:philosophy|Philosophy & politics]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/philosophy). 
 + 
 +===== Further resources =====
  
 - [Center for Corporate Policy](http://www.corporatepolicy.org/) - working to curb corporate abuses and make corporations publicly accountable - [Center for Corporate Policy](http://www.corporatepolicy.org/) - working to curb corporate abuses and make corporations publicly accountable
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 - [Think Tank Watch](https://thinktank-watch.blogspot.com/) - informing about corporate think tanks  - [Think Tank Watch](https://thinktank-watch.blogspot.com/) - informing about corporate think tanks 
  
 +===== Related topics =====
 +
 +- [[coec:Commons economy]]
 +- [[soci:Sociocracy]]
 +- [[indy:Independent media]]
 +- [[syst:System change]]
 +- [[smal:Small|Small is beautiful]]
 +- [[phil:Philosophy]]
  
-## Related topics 
  
  
-## Specialist curators of this topic+===== Specialist curators of this topic =====
  
  
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