[LINK] The demise of Democracy [Was: US & fluorescent light bulbs]

[David Boxall]

On 18/07/2011 10:57 AM, Frank O'Connor wrote:
...
> Sadly we live in a democracy, and so do the citizens of the US.
I believe Winston Churchill once said something along the lines that the 
best argument against Democracy is a brief conversation with the average 
voter.
...

> And they get manipulated by the 'powers that be' ...
Godwin will probably get me for this, but the likes of Stalin, Hitler, 
Mao and North Korea's Kim dynasty showed the way. John Howard refined 
and adapted it for Australia's circumstances and current technologies.

...
> Our own Tony Abbot obviously subscribes to this state of affairs,...
Abbott learned at the feet of the master, then enthusiastically took on 
Howard's mantle as The Great Deceiver.

> ... Last week he said that scientific evidence and impartial
> expert scientific and economic opinion was irrelevant to him ...
Thousands of scientists show that we're smart enough to figure out what 
we need to do. The likes of Abbott reveal that we're not good enough to 
do it.

...
> Sometimes I'm with the bogans ... and do believe that we're living at
>  the 'End of Days'. ...
Abbott is playing politics with global warming. The worst-case global 
warming scenario I've heard of would see humanity suffer centuries of 
increasing misery, leading to extinction. I know of only one entity in 
Christian mythology who might consider that a win. Abbott has devoted 
himself to that entity's pleasure so consistently that I've come to 
think of him as Satan's pleasure-boy.

Abbott studied for holy orders; he was evidently a man of faith. Now, 
he's ignoring Christ (Mark 8:36) "For what shall it profit a man, if he 
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?". He's a pugilist; in 
competition, he acknowledges few limits. That has led him to behaviour 
which I consider corrupt. If he still professes faith, I wonder how he 
reconciles it with his behaviour.

I'm not at all confident that the media corruption evident in the UK is 
not reflected in Australia. The form of corruption may differ, but the 
personalities are the same, so I'll be surprised if it isn't manifest 
here. Media Watch frequently features examples of what I consider 
corruption (or at least abuse of privilege) for example: 
<http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3272258.htm?site=widebay>. To 
characterise what some of the media does as writing crap is to give them 
too much credit.

Without the nanosecond media cycle facilitated by ICT, Abbott's 
hyperactive stunts would not so profoundly affect the electorate. For 
the comparatively small number willing and able to effectively engage 
online, ICT offers fragments of a solution. When it comes to deceiving 
and manipulating the electorate at large however, it's a substantial 
part of the problem.

With both politicians and media corrupting the information that flows to 
the electorate, can democracy survive? The tactics are clear: subvert 
the electorate, then work to bring on an early election.

I don't see many solutions that wouldn't introduce worse problems. For a 
start, we might:
- ensure competition in the media by limiting concentration of 
ownership; say, 10% in any market. Difficult, given media globalisation, 
but worth an effort. And;
- hold those who incite accountable for the consequences. Shock jocks 
say that they're expressing opinions, not reporting facts, but what they 
express is usually peppered with distortions and outright lies which 
their listeners too often accept as facts.

As for the End of Days, it's a toss-up what will get us first:
- global warming;
- air pollution;
- water pollution;
- water supply;
- soil degradation or
- overpopulation.
The list is not exhaustive. For what it's worth, my money's on the last.

-- 
David Boxall                    |  Drink no longer water,
                                |  but use a little wine
http://david.boxall.id.au       |  for thy stomach's sake ...
                                |            King James Bible
                                |              1 Timothy 5:23