Are we living in a fake democracy?

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Please see that question as a rhetorical one as the answer is not only yes, yes, and yes, but that we have nowhere, and I repeat and mean nowhere, democracy. Not in a single country of the world at this present moment.

Being permitted to vote every four or five years for the next captain and crew of the ship only to have it continue on the same course towards the abyss is not democracy. The truth of the matter is that we are not even living in a fake democracy; we do not live in any democracy at all.

As Mark Twain said, if voting would make any difference they would make it illegal. And as they have not made it illegal in all those years it must mean that it does not make an iota of a difference.

The fact is that not a single country that claims to be democratic and have democracy is and has nothing of the kind. They who claim that and they who believe that have no idea what democracy actually means in reality.

With every year that passes, another corrupt politician or political scheme is exposed. With increasingly right-wing political parties serving the interests of capitalism over the basic humanitarian needs of the people, is it possible that our system, for democratic it is not, is rigged against the majority in favor of an elite minority? I think the answer here is also a very loud and definite yes.

We only need to look at the European Union and especially with regards to the way they are dealing with Greece. Predominately the reason for having made it is difficult as possible for the Greek government under Syriza is that the great majority of Euro-Zone member states wish to remove the radical left Syriza from power in Athens.

Other methods of the EU are also more than undemocratic, even in the way democracy is seem by most at the present time, in that they, if there has to be, in a country, a referendum will, should it be a negative outcome, as in Ireland with regards to the Lisbon Treaty, force the member state to keep holding a referendum until the outcome is a positive one. If people still believe that we have democracy anywhere then they must be rather daft.

Now, let us look what democracy actually means. It means “the people govern themselves” as the word democracy comes from the Greek “demos” which has two meanings, in the same way that the second part of which the word is made up, “kratos”, has a second meaning. “Demos” means either “the people” or “the village” and “kratos” means either “govern themselves” or “pulls the cart itself”. So it is either “the people govern themselves” or “the village pulls the cart itself”. In both cases it is the people who do the governing, if you get the meaning.

And now someone show me any country where such democracy exists, where the people actually govern themselves. Such a self-government of the people also means that there is not state. The state and its apparatus are diametrically opposed to true democracy and it is this that we need to understand before we can even look at establishing democracy.

Democracy came from the village and to the village it must return, I wrote a while back, and this because true democracy can only work in small groups, in the village or the city block, which must become the village in the city. You can read my articles on this subject of democracy needing to return to the village here and here.

© 2017

Soros urges EU to give more support to Ukraine and not concentrate on Greece

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

An unelected (please insert your own choice of expletive here) of a billionaire tells the European Union what to do. Sorry, run that by me again very slowly.

While this may, in the light of the events that have been unfolding with regards to the Greek “crisis” and the Troika and the European Union vehemently refusing to budge but an inch as far as rescheduling the Greek debt is concerned, be already a little old the fact remains that this particular individual is taking upon himself far too much power to tell not just one government but an entire groups of governments what to do.

And seeing the influence that this man has over the leaders of the European Union and other nations shows the farce that our so-called democracy actually is. Unfortunately most people never get to hear about those shenanigans by such “powerful” individuals, as well as corporations, play and the influence they have over those people that are supposed to be answerable to us, the people.

Instead, however, our “representatives” do not represent us but work on behalf of those that pay them brides or otherwise put pressure on them to do as they want, and refuse to answer and be answerable to us, the electorate.

That should tell everyone who is not blind or deaf that we do not, anywhere, live in any form of democracy, not even by a long stretch, and that totally aside from the fact that being allowed to once in every so many years to cast our vote for the next captain and crew to run the ship, who then decide to just carry on as is regardless on the same course, does not a democracy make.

Democracy means, in its original, that the people govern themselves and I doubt that anyone will be able to list but one country on this Planet where this is actually the case. In the main the countries are but governed, and thus none of us are free people but slaves to the state, by more or less oligarchs.

Time to wake up people!

© 2015

Britain playing the Magna Carta as rights for all

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Trying to claim that the 800 years of Magna Carta gave any freedoms to the British people and being the foundation to democracy is a lie, and that is no lie.

Magna Carta and the subsequent Bill of Rights were never intended to do anything for the ordinary British people but was (and still really) for and applies to the aristocracy. The fact that those rights were extended as privileges to the ordinary people makes no difference in that.

Privileges are not rights and rights are not granted by any monarch or government but are unalienable and thus can neither be given nor taken away. We are born with them, such as the right to life, and others. Theoretically anyway. On the other hand privileges can be granted but also can be taken away again just as the Home Secretary said as regards to the so-called Freedom of Speech.

This so-called Freedom of Speech everyone, almost, seems to believe to mean the freedom to say almost anything without impunity as long as it is not slander and such. However, in reality, Freedom of Speech never applied to the general public but only to the Members of the Houses of Parliament and that only in the confines of the House and was granted to them so that they could not be had for treason should they say anything against the monarch.

Time and again the British government, politicians, the media and some others, keep mentioning a British constitution – based on the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights – but the truth of the matter is that Britain does not – repeat does not – have a constitution, period. It is all but smoke and mirrors to lull the British public to sleep believing that they have a democracy, but nothing could be further from the truth.

The political system in Britain is also referred to as a “constitutional monarchy” but without an actual constitution this is rather a fallacy and more precise a lie. Britain is a monarchy that happens to have a parliament, but has no, repeat no, constitution.

On top of that the British people are nowadays referred to, also a fallacy, as British citizens. The truth is, regardless of what the government has declared, a British person is and remains a “subject of his or her majesty” and please check want the word subject in this context means.

So, let's all wake up and see this entire celebration of the Magna Carta and the supposed right of the British people emanating from it for what it really is, namely a face to make the people believe that they are free and that they live in a democracy. Neither of it is the case.

The British people are subjects of the crown and thus not free and Britain is not a democracy for the people do not actually rule themselves. It is as simple as that. But then again neither are the American people free and they neither govern themselves, so also no democracy, not even a true republic, even though they have a constitution. Smoke an mirrors everywhere and the people believe just because they have been given the “privilege” to vote themselves a new set of masters every five years or so they have a democracy and a free.

We need, and not only in Britain, a new system. A system where people will rule or govern themselves or, as another meaning of the Greek word “democracy” puts it, where they pull the cart themselves. And where all people are equal and have and equal share and where also the Planet is taken care of.

© 2015

Are we all living in an Ochlocracy?

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

The term ochlocracy appears to have been coined by Polybius in his Histories (6.4.6) and he uses it to name the "pathological" version of popular rule in opposition to the good version, which he refers to as democracy.

In ancient Greek political thought ochlocracy was considered as one of the three "bad" forms of government (tyranny, oligarchy and ochlocracy) as opposed to the three "good" forms of government (monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy).

The distinction between "good" and "bad" was made according to whether the government form would act in the interest of the whole community ("good") or the exclusive interests of a group or individual at the expense of justice ("bad").

In his cycle of constitutions Polybius depicts the ochlocracy as a form of decay or degeneration of the democratic systems. In it the orientation of the actions of the government for the common welfare of the people is lost and instead self-interest and greed of one group or individuals govern the actions of the government.

This, I am sure, we can see day in day out in the actions of most of our politicians where they are more interested in lining their own pockets with backhanders from business that come their way by the lobbyists and also though other channels.

Banks are being bailed out because they are “too big to fail” while the working class has to take the hit as if it was the workers and not the bankers that cause the problems and the crises. The poor have to bail out the rich because they, the rich, seriously screwed up by trying to get richer and richer. So, instead of letting them pay their price for their greed and the subsequent losses that they have incurred the poor members of society have to pay for their mistakes.

That is the way the cookie crumbles under this ochlocracy and oligarchy that has replaced all semblance of a democratic system in our countries today. Not that we ever have had true democracy in most of the countries that call themselves democratic and the people of which believe that, simply because they are allowed, every now and then, to vote for a new crew to take over the ship, which then appoints a new captain, while all the wile they continue the same course of that ship, straight towards the abyss.

Elections not a democracy make, let's get that straight. Democracy is a word derived from the Greek language – and even the ancient Greeks, alas, did not apply it properly – and is made up of two Greek words, namely that of “demos” which can mean “the people” or “the village” and “kratos” the meaning of which can be “rule themselves” or “pulls the cart itself” depneding on whether “demos” is seen as “people” or “village”.

However, either way “democracy” means, thus, that it is total self-rule and not being ruled or governed. A free people have no rulers or governors, only slaves and serf have masters, rulers and governors.

The current system that everyone seem to think is a democracy is about as far away from democracy as the Earth is from the Sun, probably further even. But don't for a moment believe that “our” system is broken. It is not, it was designed this way. It was designed to give but an illusion of the people being in charge while, in fact, there are people behind the scenes who, actually, make the decisions well before anyone goes to the polls.

Evidence to that effect can be seen in the “Budget” that George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the current British government, presented as the Budget for the next parliament, even though we are about to have a new general election, and by Labour stating that they would not make no changes to this Budget whatsoever should they become the “ruling” party.

We are living in an illusion of democracy which, in fact, is an oligarchy that, at the same time, is an ochlocracy and vice versa. Democracy does not exist, neither in Britain, nor in Germany, nor in the USA nor in most other countries that claim to be democratic in nature.

© 2015 

Political parties are obsolete

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Political parties may have once had their place but today they are, basically, all the same in that once they gain power they become corrupt, regardless of what their slogans and purported aims may have been prior to the elections.

Also, when only 36%, for instance, of the electorate go to the games that are called elections and then a little over 50% of those that go vote a party in that is not a majority by a very long shot. 51% of, say those 36%, is maybe 19% of electorate as a whole and cannot be seen as the decision of the majority of the people.

The problem with political parties is also and especially that they divide the people, one from another and put them in matchboxes, so to speak, similar to the way religion does. In addition to that party members who become parliamentarians are always forced to vote as the party decrees, and that is just anything but democratic.

However, despite of political apathy and what I have said before as to parties more and more political parties crawl out of the woodwork in a variety of political shades but neither old or new benefit anyone for, as soon as they get a foot on the ladder and into any position they are as bad as the previous lot and the next.

Political parties also cannot be reformed from within as often more left and socialist leaning Labour Party members wish to do with that party. It is not going to work and will not make one iota of a difference. The system is designed this way to make no difference.

What is needed is a new and different approach. One without political parties but of people, independent but interdependent, working for a Co-operative Commonwealth.

© 2015

Government: It's all about control

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Government is all about control and absolutely nothing else regardless what we are being told.

A free people do not need to have anyone lord it over them, no king and not government, however democratic it claims to be.

Democracy is but an illusion to keep the masses quiet and does not and cannot work with groups larger than 150 individuals. The monks of old learned that and that was why, when that number was being reached, they sent out groups of monks to form sister monasteries and abbeys.

The so-called people's representatives, the elected ones, are about as much representatives of the people as Monsanto is a charity and the knight in shining armor protecting us from pesticides.

A free people, theoretically, can do as they wish as long as they do not infringe on the liberty of others and harm others. However, find me a country, a place, where this is the case. Everywhere government of one kind or another tells the people what they can do and what they cannot do and for most activities the people require a permit – against payment – from said governments.

You have hens and want to sell eggs to your neighbors. Can you, legally? No! You need a government license to do so and that license will cost you money and government interference.

The same goes for growing produce in your garden or allotment and wishing to sell surplus. You cannot do so, legally, without a paid-for government permit.

You need a government permit, called a driver's license, to drive a car and another license to actually run the car on the road. And the same goes for motorbikes. You need a license to get married, you need to have your birth registered or you cannot leave the country and reenter it; that is to say you cannot get a passport without this piece of government paper.

If you have children they can be taken away from you if you do not raise them as the government tell you to and do not send them to school (in many places).

In order to – legally – get a job in the great majority of the countries, even so-called democratic ones, and especially in those, you need a government number, the social security number, and that is almost not possible to get without the aforementioned birth certificate. And the same goes for a bank account and many more things.

Even if you have committed no crime, are not even in the slightest a terrorist, the government is more than likely to spy on you and your every move, and even more so if you express dissident thoughts or read books that they may consider “bad” or visit websites your government does not like.

There is an old saying that the enemy at the gate we do not have to be afraid of as we know them but the enemy within we have to watch and the enemy within are, predominately, our own governments.

As far as the governments are today concerned all citizens are potential criminals and terrorists and are guilty until and unless they, the people, can prove themselves innocent, and even then the control will continue.

Those who think that they are free think again... and I have only touched upon a small amount of government control here.

We do not need a new government; we need a new system without government. A new true system where men are truly free...

© 2013

The failed democratic experiment

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Democracy is but an illusion to keep the masses quiet and it will never benefit anyone bar the wolves that run the show.

When we talk here about democracy we are talking about the so-called democracy as it is being advocated under capitalism, and by leading proponents such as the USA and the UK, and the European Union.

However, the latter have a very strange view of democracy such as when Ireland rejected the Lisbon Treaty in a people's referendum which, theoretically, should have spelled the end of this treaty and eventually of the EU the latter told the government of Eire to keep having referendums until the people would vote an overwhelming yes. Duh?

This is what democracy is like in many of the countries that claim to be the cradle of modern democracy, such as Britain and the USA also, not just in the European Union.

In Britain, at the time of writing in late Spring of 2013, the people and many of the members of parliament of the Conservative Part are requesting, nay demanding, an “in/out” referendum with regards to the European Union but Prime Minister David Cameron says that he will only give the people such a referendum once the Tories win the next election and not until he has renegotiated the terms of Britain in the EU. That, however, is NOT what the people are asking for. And Labour? Well, they rule out any such referendum, even though the people want one. So much for democracy and the will of the people.

Alone the election results for the anti-EU party, though also a seriously racist and fascist one, for UKIP, the so-called UK Independence Party show that they people want Britain out of the EU but that is not what the politicians want to hear, especially not those that want to control the people, such as Labour.

We must not forget that it was the Labour Party, disguised as New Labour, that wanted to force every man and woman in Britain to have an ID card with fingerprints, iris scan and DNA profile on it in digital form. The government under Cameron and Clegg at least had the sense to toss that one out. Not that the control of the people has lessened.

The Liberal-Democrats also, though having not so much a people control agenda, do not wish to entertain a referendum as to Britain's membership in the EU. One can but wonder why they all want so desperately stay in federation that is doing more harm than good. Somewhere the brown envelope manufacturers are making a fortune.

The aim of the EU and its forerunners, which were but ways of getting the federal Europe established for which Germany and France developed the blueprint just after World War Two, is nothing short of a fascist superstate of a united states of Europe though, probably, not necessarily by that name.

To those of us who have been watching the European Union and its shenanigans over the years, and already under the previous guises of the European Economic Community and then the European Community, it has been clear from almost the very beginning that they were heading to complete what Hitler had begun, only without a war.

People used to say, when it all began and the writing could be seen on the wall, that Germany had won without firing any further shot, and now better than ever before this can be seen clearly.

The European Union is not even a failed democratic experiment; they never intended the European Union to be a democracy in any way, shape or form. From the very beginning those who wanted to be in charge saw to it that they called the shots and when something does not go their way then governments will be told to keep going until the people acquiesce.

When we learn to look behind the scenes then, and only then, will we see the real truth as to each and every so-called modern democracy and will realize that they are but a smokescreen to make the people believe that they, the people, have a say and are in charge.

We need a new system, not any kind of new government. In fact we need no governments at all.

© 2013

Trade Union elections and democracy

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Over the last couple of decades a rather undemocratic process has entered the British Trade Union Movement and that is that in elections candidates are on the ballot papers that cannot be voted for (or against).

Those are the so-called “reserved seats” in elections to regional and national bodies of the unions that I speak of here.

Reserved seats are something you may have in a restaurant or a theater or such venues but not on committees and executive bodies of supposedly democratic organizations.

Those candidates, often ethnics, GLBT, or women, or all of the above, are listed as “elected unopposed” without any of the members, aside from may be those at the executive, having had a say in the matter. This is not democracy. It is a farce and tantamount to Stalinism and indeed fascism.

But, time and again, in fact each and every time such ballot papers arrive at member's addresses, this goes on despite the fact that members have raised objections to this practice. This imposing of people on the members is nothing more than fascism, period!

One might have thought that we had gotten rid off any form of Stalinism and fascism in the Labor Movement and the Trade Unions by now but, apparently, this is not the case.

If Labor Unions want to be democratic and all inclusive, and the same goes for political parties also, the practices such as this one and similar ones must be thrown into the trashcan and that now. Otherwise no claim of being democratic can be made and those groups have lost their mandate.

© 2013