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The Forum > Article Comments > Lobbying elites: the fast track to extinction > Comments

Lobbying elites: the fast track to extinction : Comments

By Robert Burrowes, published 6/12/2013

Any organisation committed to genuine grassroots empowerment and mobilisation would not waste its time lobbying delegates at a UN conference given that the UN was captured by elite interests a long time ago.

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Very bad news indeed, but not unexpected.

There's an informative article on this subject in the current issue of JAPE, no.72.

'The Rise of Illegitimate authority and the Threat to Democracy' by Susan George.
Posted by mac, Friday, 6 December 2013 1:27:27 PM
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Strange that the author has raised violence as a climate change issue. Is that like animal liberation as a violence issue?

As to the results of Gandhi's "non-violent" Indian independence campaign - Gandhi's overtly Hindu "holy man" approach contributed to an extremely violent independence-partition process between Indian Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Independence#Partition_and_independence
Posted by plantagenet, Friday, 6 December 2013 2:18:18 PM
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Another perceptive, excellent article by Robert.

Americans would really appreciate his observations given the extreme violence of their police against most of those who participate in large rallies.

And of course, if it were made a crime to lobby any Government officials or Departments that would improve things dramatically (though it would spoil the lucrative after-Parliament antics of many ex-Ministers).

And if we stopped all political donations from Corporations and Robber Barons like Murdoch, that would also help the democratic workings of the political process.
Posted by David G, Friday, 6 December 2013 3:06:44 PM
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Robert Burrowes is a leftist elitist pretending that he is "grassroots". Since when has the "Occupy" movement been seen as anything more than a bunch of inner city neo hippy, tree hugging, capitalism hating, world savers? I doubt if any of the real grassroots working class and lower middle class people who constituted the Australian One Nation Party or the US Tea Party would consider the "Occupy" people to be fellow travellers.

But it is encouraging that Elitists like Burrows seem to be figuring out that the Elitist philosophy that they advocate is becoming increasingly on the nose with the electorate. So, this article seems to represent an attempt by Burrows for the elitists to pretend to be ordinary people who are fighting bravely against the evil forces of capitalism.

I don't think that is going to work, Robert. You see. the psychology of Elitism is the compulsive need to think that you are better in every way to the Great Unwashed. Pretending to be regular Joes who are "grassroots" does not sit well with social climbing Socialists.
Posted by LEGO, Saturday, 7 December 2013 5:56:22 AM
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Speaking of the REAL elites in the USA me thinks Lego should read the interview with Chris Hedges titled The Pathology of the Rich. And listen to Beyond Savage Politics & Dystopian Nightmares by Henry Giroux with Bill Moyers.
Because in Truth & Reality those on the left have zero power in the USA, and hardly anywhere else in the world too.

The masters of war rule OK!
Posted by Daffy Duck, Sunday, 8 December 2013 6:34:46 PM
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