What has free speech and democracy ever done for us? Apart from
given us the space to argue and organise for human emancipation,
given us a discourse of equality that we can struggle to make real,
given us our own organisations, our own voices, our own tools of
struggle, given us the right to challenge and block the powerful.
Apart from that - what has free speech and democracy ever done for
us?
I certainly feel concerned when people seem to want to let go of
the the benefits that previous generations have struggled for - and
won. Surely the argument is tom democratise the economic realm, from
the World Bank and WTO down to the smallest business (not to say the
universities) - not to argue that democracy is a cover for domination
that we should regard as suspect. Closure.
We should be headbangers for more democracy and free speach.
Pete
ps - as they said in the 60s, "Free, free the LSE - free it from the
bourgeoisie". Feel free to add your own instititional affiliation,
destruction of rhyme notwithstanding.
_________________________________________
Peter North
Local Economy Policy Unit
South Bank University, London
Tel: 020 7815-7706
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://www.sbu.ac.uk/~lepu/
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