OCCUPY or ACTION?
I have tried to get my head around the Occupy movement,
something that should simply excite me, as I have always believed change, in
our world, has now become reliant on mass people power standing firm for our
future, yet this new movement as it rolls across the globe, does not feel like
the answer.
I became part of the initial planning forum in SA, being run
by a group of people I have yet to meet in the lobbying arena, all there posts
and site link to a movement called Zeitgeist, from my brief investigation, the
group is based on a movie ideal, something I suggest each person study for them
selves.
My many years experience in the political arena and during
my study of world politics, leads me to the rather firm belief, our problems at
a grass roots level are based around the corruption of the democratic process,
occupy screams the word Democracy, but demands no reforms to our electoral
system.
The ideal of democracy works well at the grass roots level,
the election of local candidates by an informed electorate, and those elected
representatives standing up for the best interests of their constituency, is a
well founded concept, and while those representatives fear the peoples ability
to also remove them from that position, if they stop doing the peoples will, or
what is best for their electorate, keeps them in line.
With the slow growth towards party politics, this connection
with the people slowly eroded, the candidates for these party machines accepted
their new role of doing the will of the party, to secure endorsement by their
selected parties, and with the very same parties in control of electoral law,
structural biases crept in and furthered the divide away from representative
government to a more dictatorial system.
The mighty media machine saw the opening to secure increased
power over the political system, as did the corporate world, combined the media
and the corporate sector could now control the agenda, make or break political
parties, with media control and funding, they could also ensure no new
organizations could get strong hold, by controlling the source of information
and their mighty wallets.
The story from here is well known, and the problem escalates
each and every year, to combat any opposition to the system, the parties keep
re-writing the electoral law to protect their strong hole on the political
arena, ensuring the minor parties and Independents have no chance of a level
playing field, the people no chance of a free or informed vote, the
corporations that fund the major parties enjoy financial and economic
privileges, and the media play piggy in the middle, destroying any group that
dare challenge the system, at the same time wielding heavy control of the
political agenda.
Yet when we look at the Occupy movement and their use of the
word Democracy on a regular basis, there is not talk of electoral reform or
political intervention other than control of the banking cartels, expecting
brought politicians to bite the hand that feeds them, and even those goals are
limited to the demands of the American movement, in Australia, it is more the
case, if Occupy stands on the moral high ground, some one will listen, and the
world will change.
I have to admit that I am some what proud that the younger
generation are standing for something, but at the same time, they do not seem
open to debate or ideals for change, as if they are led by a higher cause than
educated debate.
Maybe it is more that case they blame the older generation,
there fore are unwilling to listen, or is it more the fact, I have no bloody
idea, and they have it all right, if that be the case, what exactly am I
missing here?
It is more than fair to say the corporate sector need a
swift kick in the ass, the banks need regulation and enforced accountability,
the Media are already loosing control through the internet, so we must ensure
the net is kept free and unregulated, but the power to perform such tasks is
held by the government, have we forgotten they are our representatives?
The people may have had their rights diminished by the very
people we employ to protect them, but united we can restore democracy, if we
demand the right electoral changes and force new elections, such reforms will
bring more changes than may appear on the surface.
Amongst our current representatives there are some
well-educated and patriotic people, whose performance is only bound by the
current corruption and power of the 2 party system, let alone the many good
candidates that would stand up if the shackles of the corrupted electoral
system were lifted.
The fact is, opening the doors to compassionate and educated
people to stand up as candidates, and the extra choice it would bring with it,
would be inspiring in itself, something any future demands could address.
It is our job as the citizens of this world to free up the
system and educate aspiring representative as to the direction we wish them to
take, rather than feeling shackled by the current biased two party crap we now
endure, at the same time such change will go a long way in addressing the
apathy resulting from the 99% of people feeling helpless to initiate change.
The ideal of such change and the Alliances “Three Twelve
Eleven” protests is well founded, the simplicity of demanding the abolition of
current parliaments, a genuine democratic re-election process which by passes
the current structural biases and empowers the people to free and informed
choice is sound and effective, the fact will remain that some of the media and
financial biases will remain, but the accountability possible under an honest
democratic system, wont take long for the people to overcome.
Maybe ‘”Three Twelve Eleven” should be re-named “Occupy
Parliament” but other than the obvious marketing issues, the adoption of these
ideals as the Australian direction of occupy, would also hold similar
possibilities in other supposed democratic countries.
If my ideals are not the answer, don’t bag them, educate me
as to how I am wrong, if you support the issue, spread the word, and attend
Parliament on the 3/12/11 at lunch time, with supplies and a balanced sense of
humor, and lets see if people power still has a place in our political arena,
because change isn’t just necessary, it is bloody urgent.
It matters not what direction you wish to see, who the
candidates end up being, we at least deserve to be empowered to cast a free and
informed vote, the only winners of such denial of our most basic rights and
liberties, are corruption and greed, and the detriment of our planets future in
every respect.
Mark M Aldridge
Proud supporter of the Alliance.
“In the
pursuit of Unity” See draft demands at https://www.markmaldridge.com/3-12-11-The-Demands.html or see www.australianalliance.org |