Rights, Freedoms and Repression Woman whose soup run fed 250 homeless in Dublin told to cease or face €300k fine 21:35 Feb 07 2 comments Germany cannot give up it's Nazi past - Germany orders Holocaust survivor institutionalized over Cov... 23:31 Jan 14 1 comments Crisis in America: Deaths Up 40% Among Those Aged 18-64 Based on Life Insurance Claims for 2021 Afte... 23:16 Jan 06 0 comments Protests over post-vaccination deaths spread across South Korea 23:18 Dec 26 0 comments Chris Hedges: The execution of Julian Assange 22:19 Dec 19 1 comments more >>Blog Feeds
The SakerA bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Public InquiryInterested in maladministration. Estd. 2005RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony Waiting for SIPO Anthony
Human Rights in IrelandIndymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy
Lockdown Skeptics
Is the Muslim Vote Abandoning Labour? Tue Jul 30, 2024 11:00 | Frank Haviland
Bridget Phillipson is Wrong About the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act Tue Jul 30, 2024 09:00 | Dr Julius Grower
No, Ed Miliband Does Not Have a ?Mandate? for His Net Zero Lunacy Tue Jul 30, 2024 07:00 | Ben Pile
News Round-Up Tue Jul 30, 2024 00:49 | Richard Eldred
Huw Edwards Charged With Making Indecent Images of Children Mon Jul 29, 2024 19:00 | Will Jones |
The Dilution Of Democracy
international |
rights, freedoms and repression |
opinion/analysis
Saturday August 13, 2005 10:38 by Peter McCrossan petermccrossan at gmail dot com
Democracy is the only feasilbe wepon in the fight against terror. Moves by several nations recently, most notably America and Great Britain, but not excluding our own little nation, to combat the threat of International terrorism have sought to protect our democracy and freedom by removing and altering some of the most basic things which define it. The underlying logic is that to curb abuses of freedom by those elements which would seek to harm us, removing some of that freedom will eventually lead to the removal of the problem itself. Most recently the British Governement have adopted a shoot-to-kill policy for suspected suicide bombers which led to the death of Jean Charles de Menezes an innocent Brazilian man.He was set upon by police officers and shot several times in the head after attempting to flee from them as his visa had expired.This was not as a result of unsure or over enthuasiastic police officers but as a result of the policy in place. A similiar policy exists in the United States where the rough guidelines identify people in unseasonal clothing or walking unnaturally as potential bombers. Remind you of any homeless people in Dublin? |
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2that if the "democratic process" as we understand it, was present in many states of the middle east, mid asia, and central to northern africa, you would see not only parliamentary representation for groups committed to armed conflict with the west but moreover would see such groups take power in many states.
& when we realise that such conflict finds its roots as much in expropriation of resources, and historical imperialist meddling as the more commonly perceived return to religious extremism.
I reckon the trick is to realise that all democratic states are "emergent", be they like Egypt or Israel, the UK or Russia or for that matter Ireland or Spain. & I reckon it is very important to realise that "our democracies" have not really excelled themselves on many key points, and as such with little more than superflous successes are not well placed to "lecture" others on democratic transition or the rule of law or to preserve themselves from quickly transforming as you warned into authoritarian "security states".
The primary differences between what was once termed "the second world" and the first seems to be the prevailing conditions of "peace" or more accurately "absence of conflict" and the official extension of franchise to the resident population which mean that states such as G8 Italy boast more corruption and per capita child poverty (according to the World Bank) and more state media inteference (according to rsf) than either Egypt or Israel yet still is thought of as a western democracy because as a weak but poignant example : women can vote and get elected to office.
We might need to learn very bitter home truths on representing "the wishes of the people", and who the democrats really are.
Bush: "God Bless Amerika, Apple Pie, and Mom. Except Cindy Sheenan and other Pinko Commie Fag Liberal Terrorist, who disagree with me."