Pete North wrote:
> 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.
1. Argument for emancipation is not a substitute for emancipation.
2. The freedom to organise for emancipation is not a substitute for emancipation.
3. A discourse of equality is not a substitute for equality.
4. Forming organisations can not substitute for justice or the Good.
5. The freedom of the starving, to voice their own request for food, is not a
substitute for food. The beggar's right to speak can never compensate for the
necessity to beg.
6. 'Tools of struggle' are never a substitute for political change.
7. The right to challenge the powerful is not power itself.
8. If I could 'block the powerful' then by definition I would be the political
power-holder: but democracy confers no such power on me.
The political liberties of democracy do not legitimise it: that would be a
simple error of logic. What you are saying, ultimately, is that democracy is
democratic, that democracies have democratic processes. That is of course
true: but it is no reason to accept democracy, let alone be thankful for it.
What has monarchy done for you? Given you a legitimate descent of the monarch,
at least the present one in England. Is that sufficient to justify monarchy
against alternative political systems? For centuries people believed it was.
You believe in democracy, that is obvious. But you should not rationally
expect me to share your belief, if you can quote nothing in defence of
democracy, other than to say it is democratic.
--
Paul Treanor
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/dem.wrong.html
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