The Kintyre Forum

My old friend and comrade on Democracy...............

Electronic and Athenian Democracy
Paul Cockshott

Weakness of conventional systems
. Power in hands of politicians not ordinary folk
. Parliaments unrepresentative in terms of sex, race
and class when compared to population
. Major issues like taxation, war and peace, are
decided without reference to public opinion
. Model of democracy has been the US constitution.

More to follow - however I thought that this titbit may provoke discussion ( then again )

yes,and your point is?

The misconception of democracy.

Thank God for that. I thought we were just going to have another incoherent ramble.

I thought that it may prove interesting...... How we perceive the meaning of the term, it's true definition.....
At the end of the day, it's what they, ( politicians ) keep referring too. Yet can we agree, on one true definition of democracy ? ( I wonder )

Nah!

The root meaning of the term democracy takes us back to ancient Greece, although it would be fair to say that, other variants existed prior to this period of 507 BCE. However Athens is generally regarded as being it's birthplace. The word is a composite of demos and kratos, which loosely translates people power. This is where problems and divergence begin, particularly with the term demos. The original or true translation has been lost - either deliberately by those that hold sway - or by passage of time. Demos in it's truest form equates Poor People, and kratos - Rule, I think that it would be fair to say that our own version in Scotland ( Britain ) falls far short of, poor people rule.
Any thoughts anyone ?

Rome or Athens
. US constitution framed by slave owning
gentlemen like Washington. They wanted a
Roman style Republic not an Athenian
Democracy.
• The Roman republic appealed to them as the form
best suited to the collective rule of a slaveholding
aristocracy.
• But there is another ancient model Athens, not
republicanism but direct democracy.