For weather like this a Jon Snow – a King of the North – seems to be the order of the day, Mancunian levels of precipitation and temperature looking most desirable at present.
Thank you for this analysis. It is the end result of civilisation and the desire of all good men and women. That 10 years ago we managed to get 36% of the people entitled to vote to decide they wanted to be poorer, they wanted their farmers and fishers to be betrayed by charlatans, the entire entertainment industry prevented from touring Europe, etc is incredible. The vote should have required a 67% majority before it was valid. Now we are faced with the task of rejoining, of losing all the options we achieved by Thatcher and Blair, of being an applicant instead of a major asset to Europe. That Europe now knows we are capable of appointing Liz Truss and Boris Johnson to the position of Prime Minister is humiliating to me and most people I know. One hears Hamlets cry “Oh God, that it has come to this” when thinking of the past ten years.
This is an erudite and inspiring post – indeed as was Kant’s Perpetual Peace. Any nation especially the nominally democratic ones should aspire to such but some pretty radical changes are required before we can get any traction on such thinking.
Although perpetual bemoaning the fate of the civilizing tendencies of humanity and notably us British motivates at least AC to suggest ways by which we could improve our lot (eg For the People), the same-olde governing processes linger. AB might just make a little difference.
The fundamental problem goes back to the origins of modern representative democracy and the development of parliamentary sovereignty following the 1688 Glorious Revolution. But the Achilles heel is our failure to evolve democracy sufficiently, especially during the 21st century.
Our current democratic system purposely perpetuates division and dissent across society when in reality there is much greater agreement among the people - its just never looked for. Deliberation is key to fixing our democracy – not just between the people's representatives but between the people themselves.
It is now possible to give citizens a voice, to let them speak on how they feel about their life, what might make it a whole better. They can in fact deliberate on policy at its early stages and also on the processes of government. Using modern technology this can be carried out at scale, if necessary involving millions to produce genuinely representative outputs.
If Abraham Lincoln’s pithy definition “Democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people” is to mean anything, these informed considerations should then be used to steer their parliamentary representatives in honing the legislation which all the people live by. This is the key.
Citizens’ Assemblies have well demonstrated that deliberation between people generally yields broad agreement often with innovative solutions by very large majorities (typically 70-80%) on the best way foreword.
I believe that if this prospect – where everybody is listened to - was included in a party manifesto it would attract overwhelming support at a general election.
Thanks AC - please submit your wonderful words about the “nauseating Trump” for use as his epitaph on his proposed triumphal arch in Washington (or Ballroom)! Brilliant.
Thank you for this analysis. It is the end result of civilisation and the desire of all good men and women. That 10 years ago we managed to get 36% of the people entitled to vote to decide they wanted to be poorer, they wanted their farmers and fishers to be betrayed by charlatans, the entire entertainment industry prevented from touring Europe, etc is incredible. The vote should have required a 67% majority before it was valid. Now we are faced with the task of rejoining, of losing all the options we achieved by Thatcher and Blair, of being an applicant instead of a major asset to Europe. That Europe now knows we are capable of appointing Liz Truss and Boris Johnson to the position of Prime Minister is humiliating to me and most people I know. One hears Hamlets cry “Oh God, that it has come to this” when thinking of the past ten years.
This is an erudite and inspiring post – indeed as was Kant’s Perpetual Peace. Any nation especially the nominally democratic ones should aspire to such but some pretty radical changes are required before we can get any traction on such thinking.
Although perpetual bemoaning the fate of the civilizing tendencies of humanity and notably us British motivates at least AC to suggest ways by which we could improve our lot (eg For the People), the same-olde governing processes linger. AB might just make a little difference.
The fundamental problem goes back to the origins of modern representative democracy and the development of parliamentary sovereignty following the 1688 Glorious Revolution. But the Achilles heel is our failure to evolve democracy sufficiently, especially during the 21st century.
Our current democratic system purposely perpetuates division and dissent across society when in reality there is much greater agreement among the people - its just never looked for. Deliberation is key to fixing our democracy – not just between the people's representatives but between the people themselves.
It is now possible to give citizens a voice, to let them speak on how they feel about their life, what might make it a whole better. They can in fact deliberate on policy at its early stages and also on the processes of government. Using modern technology this can be carried out at scale, if necessary involving millions to produce genuinely representative outputs.
If Abraham Lincoln’s pithy definition “Democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people” is to mean anything, these informed considerations should then be used to steer their parliamentary representatives in honing the legislation which all the people live by. This is the key.
Citizens’ Assemblies have well demonstrated that deliberation between people generally yields broad agreement often with innovative solutions by very large majorities (typically 70-80%) on the best way foreword.
I believe that if this prospect – where everybody is listened to - was included in a party manifesto it would attract overwhelming support at a general election.
And the rest would then be - Democracy.
Thanks AC - please submit your wonderful words about the “nauseating Trump” for use as his epitaph on his proposed triumphal arch in Washington (or Ballroom)! Brilliant.