Is democracy the only good form of government?

[Los Ireland]

So far? Sure.

Depends.

[Bulgislavia]

Growing up in a western "liberal democracy" (New Zealand) I guess Ive enjoyed great privileged and freedom and a life that is very blessed in comparison to those in less fortunate countries

I live under an economic system that despite global financial crisis I still have access to everything I need to survive (and a bit more)
I have exercised freedom from demonstrating, sharing my thoughts and opinions and have been openly critical about the government with no negative repercussions for me or my family.

I believe there is no end goal in human development and that the current system I live under is "Not the final solution" and that there will come a time where the system needs to be refreshed, improved or put back in its place.

Currently I believe that New Zealand Democracy is being subverted by a few power seeking individuals only in it for themselves, the same is true of our economic system which has seen it get ripped off by a few greedy individuals who were able to spoil it for everybody else. So this has opened up a few flaws that have never had to have been addressed by the public in as much depth before and has thrown some old certainties into question

I believe Democracy can fail just like any other government systems can fail (we have seen free nations fall into tyranny time and time again and history is currently being written as we speak so its probably we will see this cycle/pattern repeat itself)

The declining voter turn out meant the 2011 General election saw the lowest turnout since the 1980's. Most of the people who didn't vote were the youth and marginalized and disenfranchised who are beginning to no longer engage in their system (as they no longer see it as their system). While the privileged class did vote and ensured a second term right wing National Government bent on making a surplus in 2014 (no matter what the cost)

I think it takes a significant amount of maturity on the part of a people to maintain a free society.

With so many people taking their freedom for granted, new security laws and expansion of police powers, increase in social precarity and mistrust of the political system, I'm just afraid of where this path might lead us.

It is up to the people to make sure Democracy doesn't fail

[Lord Tothe]

Any form of government is based on the idea that there can be a legitimate territorial monopoly in dispute resolution (including disputes with the monopolists), a monopoly in the legitimate use of violence, and the power to tax. No government, democratic or otherwise, is good. Even when governments are only intended to protect persons and property, an expropriating property protector is a contradiction in terms.

[Bulgislavia]

Any form of government is based on the idea that there can be a legitimate territorial monopoly in dispute resolution (including disputes with the monopolists), a monopoly in the legitimate use of violence, and the power to tax. No government, democratic or otherwise, is good. Even when governments are only intended to protect persons and property, an expropriating property protector is a contradiction in terms.

Is there any way of some mass awakening and a global emancipation from these illegitimate systems of control if they cant be changed from the inside (Or can they be changed from the inside?) Like an establishment directly controlled by the people "like the government was an actually public service and owned and controlled by the people, government is a tool of the people etc" and that an establishment could actively prepare the people to accept some kind of understanding of "Transcending" the idea of entrusting the management of your life to these kind of systems of organization and control?

[Prussia-Steinbach]

Growing up in a western "liberal democracy" (New Zealand) I guess Ive enjoyed great privileged and freedom and a life that is very blessed in comparison to those in less fortunate countries

I live under an economic system that despite global financial crisis I still have access to everything I need to survive (and a bit more)
I have exercised freedom from demonstrating, sharing my thoughts and opinions and have been openly critical about the government with no negative repercussions for me or my family.

I believe there is no end goal in human development and that the current system I live under is "Not the final solution" and that there will come a time where the system needs to be refreshed, improved or put back in its place.

Currently I believe that New Zealand Democracy is being subverted by a few power seeking individuals only in it for themselves, the same is true of our economic system which has seen it get ripped off by a few greedy individuals who were able to spoil it for everybody else. So this has opened up a few flaws that have never had to have been addressed by the public in as much depth before and has thrown some old certainties into question

I believe Democracy can fail just like any other government systems can fail (we have seen free nations fall into tyranny time and time again and history is currently being written as we speak so its probably we will see this cycle/pattern repeat itself)

The declining voter turn out meant the 2011 General election saw the lowest turnout since the 1980's. Most of the people who didn't vote were the youth and marginalized and disenfranchised who are beginning to no longer engage in their system (as they no longer see it as their system). While the privileged class did vote and ensured a second term right wing National Government bent on making a surplus in 2014 (no matter what the cost)

I think it takes a significant amount of maturity on the part of a people to maintain a free society.

With so many people taking their freedom for granted, new security laws and expansion of police powers, increase in social precarity and mistrust of the political system, I'm just afraid of where this path might lead us.

It is up to the people to make sure Democracy doesn't fail

The people are the ones that make democracy fail!

[Lord Tothe]

Any form of government is based on the idea that there can be a legitimate territorial monopoly in dispute resolution (including disputes with the monopolists), a monopoly in the legitimate use of violence, and the power to tax. No government, democratic or otherwise, is good. Even when governments are only intended to protect persons and property, an expropriating property protector is a contradiction in terms.

Is there any way of some mass awakening and a global emancipation from these illegitimate systems of control if they cant be changed from the inside (Or can they be changed from the inside?) Like an establishment directly controlled by the people "like the government was an actually public service and owned and controlled by the people, government is a tool of the people etc" and that an establishment could actively prepare the people to accept some kind of understanding of "Transcending" the idea of entrusting the management of your life to these kind of systems of organization and control?

The more you approach direct democracy, the more you suffer from mob rule and "mightnumbers makes right".

[Bulgislavia]

Well thats true too.

Remaining silent and letting government get away with anything sets precedents and by the time they attempt to speak out its already to late - in that sense the people in gave their consent to bad government

Also the people who dedicate their existence to accumulation of wealth and power and manage to maneuver systems of government also share responsibility - and the citizenry that tolerate their power seeking behavior

But people can also be responsible for ensuring dictatorship fails too

either by changing from the inside and setting in motion a series of dramatic events that lead to the downfall of that particular form of dictatorship (Like the fall of the USSR)

and by the people collectively standing up against it (Various revolutions, even the mass demonstrations in Europe are done by people resisting T.I.N.A (Acronym for "There Is No Alternative")

[Bulgislavia]

Is there any way of some mass awakening and a global emancipation from these illegitimate systems of control if they cant be changed from the inside (Or can they be changed from the inside?) Like an establishment directly controlled by the people "like the government was an actually public service and owned and controlled by the people, government is a tool of the people etc" and that an establishment could actively prepare the people to accept some kind of understanding of "Transcending" the idea of entrusting the management of your life to these kind of systems of organization and control?

The more you approach direct democracy, the more you suffer from mob rule and "mightnumbers makes right".

So can we continue down some path of gradual devolving of power down to the individual and communities begin to make their own destinies and within them every house can pioneer its own life style and people can be free to even administer their own kind of justice or the community agree's to handle matters on its own and have cooperative "Harmonious" approaches with other communities? or something?

and then the power of the Internet to help drive forward a new technological informed society with transparency and honesty, truth, freedom etc?

[Prussia-Steinbach]

Well thats true too.

Remaining silent and letting government get away with anything sets precedents and by the time they attempt to speak out its already to late - in that sense the people in gave their consent to bad government

Also the people who dedicate their existence to accumulation of wealth and power and manage to maneuver systems of government also share responsibility - and the citizenry that tolerate their power seeking behavior

But people can also be responsible for ensuring dictatorship fails too

either by changing from the inside and setting in motion a series of dramatic events that lead to the downfall of that particular form of dictatorship (Like the fall of the USSR)

and by the people collectively standing up against it (Various revolutions, even the mass demonstrations in Europe are done by people resisting T.I.N.A (Acronym for "There Is No Alternative")

Communist/Socialist, totalitarian, tyrannical regimes have been voted in. Thus, democracy has efficiently failed.

[Bulgislavia]

Well thats true too.

Remaining silent and letting government get away with anything sets precedents and by the time they attempt to speak out its already to late - in that sense the people in gave their consent to bad government

Also the people who dedicate their existence to accumulation of wealth and power and manage to maneuver systems of government also share responsibility - and the citizenry that tolerate their power seeking behavior

But people can also be responsible for ensuring dictatorship fails too

either by changing from the inside and setting in motion a series of dramatic events that lead to the downfall of that particular form of dictatorship (Like the fall of the USSR)

and by the people collectively standing up against it (Various revolutions, even the mass demonstrations in Europe are done by people resisting T.I.N.A (Acronym for "There Is No Alternative")

Communist/Socialist, totalitarian, tyrannical regimes have been voted in. Thus, democracy has efficiently failed.

The Last part of a life cycle for Democracies is an intense period of dissatisfaction, mistrust in a bloated, inept and inefficient government perceived by the people as corrupt. This is when emergent groups then claim to have the answer to all of societies problems and the people have blind faith in something other then what they know (sometimes this plays into the hands of a charismatic power seeker) and then rapidly the old order is replaced with something that sets up the emergent group as societies new leadership (and in a dictatorship cycle this leadership must be perceived as faultless and enlightened)

Where once the news papers condemned everything the government was doing there is then a radical change of seeing nothing but the Government doing everything right - I guess that's how you know your free society is starting to close (or has already closed)

But once dark times run their course something new, fresh, euphoric and revolutionary then breaks through the monotony so.... the cycle continues and humans will continue to write and reflect back on their history

[The United Soviet Socialist Republic]

Oh my God yes! I totally agree.

Funny. Are you actually a Communist, or Socialist?

You should know I am only economicly socialist. I am conservative on all other political aspects.

[Prussia-Steinbach]

Funny. Are you actually a Communist, or Socialist?

You should know I am only economicly socialist. I am conservative on all other political aspects.

I have no way of knowing that.

[Lord Tothe]

The more you approach direct democracy, the more you suffer from mob rule and "mightnumbers makes right".

So can we continue down some path of gradual devolving of power down to the individual and communities begin to make their own destinies and within them every house can pioneer its own life style and people can be free to even administer their own kind of justice or the community agree's to handle matters on its own and have cooperative "Harmonious" approaches with other communities? or something?

and then the power of the Internet to help drive forward a new technological informed society with transparency and honesty, truth, freedom etc?

Pretty much. Agorism, mutual aid societies, competing security and dispute resolution organizations.

[The UK in Exile]

Growing up in a western "liberal democracy" (New Zealand) I guess Ive enjoyed great privileged and freedom and a life that is very blessed in comparison to those in less fortunate countries

I live under an economic system that despite global financial crisis I still have access to everything I need to survive (and a bit more)
I have exercised freedom from demonstrating, sharing my thoughts and opinions and have been openly critical about the government with no negative repercussions for me or my family.

I believe there is no end goal in human development and that the current system I live under is "Not the final solution" and that there will come a time where the system needs to be refreshed, improved or put back in its place.

Currently I believe that New Zealand Democracy is being subverted by a few power seeking individuals only in it for themselves, the same is true of our economic system which has seen it get ripped off by a few greedy individuals who were able to spoil it for everybody else. So this has opened up a few flaws that have never had to have been addressed by the public in as much depth before and has thrown some old certainties into question

I believe Democracy can fail just like any other government systems can fail (we have seen free nations fall into tyranny time and time again and history is currently being written as we speak so its probably we will see this cycle/pattern repeat itself)

The declining voter turn out meant the 2011 General election saw the lowest turnout since the 1980's. Most of the people who didn't vote were the youth and marginalized and disenfranchised who are beginning to no longer engage in their system (as they no longer see it as their system). While the privileged class did vote and ensured a second term right wing National Government bent on making a surplus in 2014 (no matter what the cost)

I think it takes a significant amount of maturity on the part of a people to maintain a free society.

With so many people taking their freedom for granted, new security laws and expansion of police powers, increase in social precarity and mistrust of the political system, I'm just afraid of where this path might lead us.

It is up to the people to make sure Democracy doesn't fail

The people are the ones that make democracy fail!

their the ones who make autocracies fail too.

their pretty much the weak point in any political system, the bastards.