Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Can Canada's self-congratulation please stop?

Imagine a country, a large resource rich country, say surrounded by three oceans.


Now imagine that this country is ruled by a right-wing government with well-known connections to xenophobia and ultra-nationalism. Say like the Golden Dawn or Shiv Sena or the Taliban.

Next imagine that the government is dissolved and the ruling party kicked out on charges of corruption and contempt.

In a closely fought election, the right-wing corrupt party, strangely comes back as a majority government.

Soon after it begins to pass laws that are decried by the vast majority of the people; that would jail many, are blatantly racist, and pave the way for corporations to steal resources and destroy the environment with impunity.


While this is happening -- it is revealed that the right-wing party -- now the government again, actually won the elections by running a massive, automated vote-grab scam. Its chief ethical officer is caught fudging his own campaign finance rules and the right wing party quietly pays a fine for the corruption.

Despite a few mass protests in larger cities, the official opposition, so-called progressives, continue to participate in parliamentary processes and a government agency is asked to investigate the vote-grab scandal.

More egregious laws continue to be passed.

Then suddenly, the head of the government agency investigating the vote-grab scheme resigns and a man well-known for his ties to the right-wing party and one of the architects of its all-encompassing lock-em-up "crime" bill is brought in to investigate the government crimes.

Here is what happens next:

1) The Opposition refuses to participate in parliamentary democracy and calls mass-protests across the country which quickly escalates to riots. The police, with its extended powers, steps in carrying out extreme violence on protestors (like, say, in Egypt) but the protests continue. With the country sinking in to civil conflict (and being resource rich), a NATO-led force flies in and bombs the right-wing forces installing a people's government.

2) Military officers and high-ranking police officers enraged at the lack of response from political forces carry out a coup disposing the corrupt party and installing a transition to democracy. All old political parties are outlawed and new grassroots forces are organized to participate in new electoral politics.

3) Lawyers seeing inaction on the part of all others take a challenge to throw out the government into the country's highest courts. In a surprise ruling the court backs the lawyers and deems the right-wing ruling party in contempt of the constitution for passing multiple laws against it. The right-wing party refuses to adhere to the decision, causing mass protests on the streets, as well as online attacks by cyber-activist group Anonymous.

4) Trade Unionists join with the mainstream press and student groups and call an unlimited general strike until the right-wing party resigns. Striking students and environmentalists across the country join them. Mass police repression results in most of the population joining forces with the students and trade unionists and new political parties emerge. A protracted battle ensues in the streets.

5) With most social forces complacent (complicit?), young people begin to form ultra-left wing underground cells across the country working with others being targeted by the right-wing government. Various foreign governments begin to provide arms while these cells build mass public support for their cause. Eventually things come to a head as multiple attacks on the capital result in the ruling party falling and being replaced by a people's government.

6) Everyone in the country says that though they have some problems, theirs is the best country in the world and complains about the heat wave.

You decide.

Original Article
Source: rabble.ca
Author: Syed Hussan 

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