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The Forum > Article Comments > Dark times for democracy > Comments

Dark times for democracy : Comments

By Richard King, published 17/7/2015

In the contest between democracy and an increasingly globalised economic environment, it is democracy that is losing out.

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Globalisation spreads the wealth around. And inasmuch as wealth is a (very crude) proxy for freedom, we can say that it spreads freedom around too. But residents in nations which currently have a high degree of wealth and freedom are entitled to complain when some of it is exported overseas, and to prevent that if they can.

That's certainly possible in the short term, but whether it's feasible in the long term to maintain a nation with closed borders remains to be seen. Certainly the examples we have from past and present history -- early Japan, China, Albania, North Korea -- indicate that closed borders don't provide any benefits to ordinary citizens, no matter how much they may enrich the oligarchs.
Posted by Jon J, Friday, 17 July 2015 7:43:39 AM
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Democracy is an illusion that only works well in small groups, even then there is usually one person that takes control. In dictatorships and in places like China control is by the central government and one or a small group of men. In most countries those who hold the purse strings hold the power. The central banks in Europe are the autocratic power behind the individual countries. Canberra holds the purse strings in Australia and thus to the power over the states. The media and large companies that finance the parties hold the purse strings for elections and so is the autocracy behind the government in Australia. To a certain extent this is the same in the US. When control is benevolent people will put up with minor dissatisfaction but when control is seen to be corrupt and the rights of individuals suffer individuals will begin to want change. As the world is becoming more centralised and power is in the hands of a few, the illusion of democracy will die, if it is not already dead.
Posted by hospas, Friday, 17 July 2015 7:54:18 AM
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If we find it acceptable that some people may control others against their will, then why should it matter who the controlling party is?
Posted by Yuyutsu, Friday, 17 July 2015 12:39:45 PM
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Greece might have been the birthplace of democracy - although I understand that it wasn't much like the democracy we know today - but it now appears to be run by greedy mobs which caused all Greece's problems in the first place.

As for the EU, that never stood much of a chance of being very democratic, the way it was muscled in; and we all now know that is run by faceless people, and member countries and, more Iimportantly their citizens, don't get much say.
Posted by ttbn, Friday, 17 July 2015 1:15:51 PM
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Firstly you cant have true sovereignty without complete control over the creation of currency, and of control of your nations foreign policy.
Without these 2 things, any suggestion of democracy or sovereignty really is a joke, and we in Australia have neither.

The biggest scam played on citizens of the planet was the idea that WE NEED private central banks to create currency.
They never sent us any gold or anything of value.
They created currency out of almost worthless pieces of paper and plastic, and we pay them interest on bonds off the backs of ours and our childrens hard labours.

Think about it.
If I print up a billion dollars on my home printer and lend it to you at face value with 1% interest, then you owe me 1 billion dollars + 10 million interest.

Even if you manage to gather up ever single piece of currency in the country and pay it all back, you still owe 10 million dollars.

That 10 million can never be paid.
The money doesnt exist.
It was never in circulation.
And its subject to the effects of compound interest.

The only way to get that money is by exports and of finding a way to profit from trade with other nations.
How the hell can every single country do that?
Someone has to lose out.

The system is flawed, but flawed by design, to enslave nations.

What do you think democracy does for these private bankers who now have all this free money at their disposal?

Well they are now free under democracy to buy out our nations infrastructure and wealth WITH OUR OWN MONEY.

Democracy is one big sham.
We need to start putting them (politicians) in jail when they do the wrong thing.
Start with Bronwyn Bishop - for stealing taxpayers money for helicopter riders to go to party fundraisers.
If politicians don't have to obey the law why should anyone else?

And we need to start educating people properly instead of feeding them cute cat videos and Bruce Jenners.
Posted by Armchair Critic, Friday, 17 July 2015 1:37:46 PM
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Armchair we've discussed this before, but you seem to have developed amnesia. Australia is financially sovereign. We own 100% of the RBA (our central bank). The USA is the only major country, indeed probably the only country in the world, to still have any private central bankers. Linking to any website listing central banks and claiming the Rothschilds own them is evidence of nothing other than your gullibility.

Money paid in interest remains in circulation.

More money can be created at any time by borrowing it into circulation. Interest rates discourage this; higher interest rates discourage it more. This is useful because to control inflation we have to have some way of limiting the amount of money in circulation.

Australia also has control of our own foreign policy, although sometimes our politicians have ignored this and just aligned ourselves with the USA.
Posted by Aidan, Friday, 17 July 2015 2:08:36 PM
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