Real Democracy now! Athens and the world!

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Monday June 06, 2011 10:48

by Costas A. - personal capacity

Last night in Athens, took place the bigest gathering i ever witnesed myself in 37 years.

People flooded the centre of Athens and all the streets and roads around it. Their main demand is for direct democracy (Real democracy), against political parties the government, the European central bank (Banks) and the IMF. For more photos, desisions made by the people on the assemblys, live feedback from the cities and towns of Greece, please visit www.real-democracy.gr

The following is a rough translation of an article from "Anarmodios" blog, and a small adjustment that brings it to Irish understanding. It reflects my thoughts and beliefs that I wish to share with you. I hope you understand my English and forgive me all the mistakes.

The parties, even the most "progressive" ones are Oligarchic political mechanisms. Not democratic.
They operate within the system, having among their ranks "elected representatives" serving them for long time periods. Their leadership and "leaders", which are elected and re-elected time and time again, have no interest to serve the people, their only interest is to remain in their comfortable seats. That kind of thing has nothing to do with democracy!

If anyone thinks that if you have power that is being permanently located on the "same faces" for decades, under central committees of parties, political offices and leadership of a parties is democracy, is either naive or has other interests hidden behind such beliefs.
This continuity of centralised power as such constitutes oligarchy.
"I beg your pardon", but SP, Sinn Fein, FF ,Labour, FG and others, they do not know what democracy is all about whatsoever!
The same applys to trade unions, city and county councils, the parliament and government, the student unions, and NGO groups.

There is nowhere within our current system on any aspect of public life, that popular will can be heard.
There is not even a chance in hell that parties, trade unions, municipalities, students union etc will change anything for better from within, the are oligarchies that hold power and their main focus is to sustain the oligarchy. They have no other interests to serve. Not popular anyway.

On paper and in their declarations and manifestos they look so good. In practice though, the whole situation is a different ball game altogether. True direct democracy, from the people and for the people, is not part of their agenda. Here is a short summary of a definition of what democracy is:

Democracy is a specific process of implementation and monitoring of decisions making as well as judiciary decisions, with direct involvement on all aspects of public life, of all people, direct and without representatives!