Archive for March, 2013

Less politics, more community, better society

Friday, March 29th, 2013

Modern politics is turning into an undemocratic farce. Principles of government based on we the people, individual vote, open process and wide participation is turning into a narrow ritual for the few. New vigour is needed, and although the basic principles of one vote one man may stay the same the practical realities must change.

Some good ideas are easily found, namely the way of council and common pool resource administration. Combine this with a broadly based democracy and things will start to improve.

In most countries the political dimension has outgrown the ability to govern. All matters are political matters, there are rules for every little detail and the burden of all these rules are so heavy that society is starting to choke off.  The exception is that when you have rules made specifically to suit your purposes you thrive and all is well. So some few succeed, but the majority is choking or down right suffering. Increasingly the haves are growing powerful and their influence will soon be all-encompassing. The outcome is then that we the people are no longer a force.

The solution is simple to find, but near impossible to realise, and that is to pull a major part of all activity away from political influence, and to realise that politics is not an end in itself and that there should never be any liftetime politicians because their interests will then become fully vested. First we must is to abolish a major part of rules so that people are left to cooperation and their own devices instead. Then we introduce broadly based people’s councils with strong powers in all other political matters.

These councils should be found in all parts of all countries for both local and national matters. They will be based on the the way of council where everybody is allowed to speak (or not) in turn, and participants in councils wil be selected randomly from all walks of life, and will be changed on an ongoing basis. The aim is to start fostering and developing the idea of common or public wisdom, considering deeply all sides of a matter, all ideas that people have in a matter. This has to do with group dynamics and the processes that may start between people physically and spiritually. All competition between parties and person is taken away, and a true consensus is sought. The principles of council should also be introduced in other matters like school, business and organisation as a way of deciding common matters.

Futhermore the principles of management of common pool resources should be adopted whereupon areas of common interest is managed by a group of engaged users of the resource, service or facility that we have. Forests could be managed in this way, and the principles could easily be adopted to a number of fields like fisheries, schools, roads or the internet. Members of the groups should also here be continually changed so as to avoid vested interests.

These methods could reduce corruption, special interest influences, short term considerations or power mongering. They are good and sound principles that have been tried for millennia under other circumstances in many places, and it is time to seek adoption of them in our times and circumstances. All citizens should have the right to call a council in serious matters, to be heard and have their concerns enlightened.

The way we run our societies today is full of negative consequences and this should be changed. The best way to start is to adopt these three principles and let it grow from there.