Democracy

Reflections on a political system

How a concept changed through the years

When this system was introduced in
ancient Athens about 2,500 years ago,

it meant that the free people of this city
(there were only a few hundred)

should decide together on each
of the city’s specific problems.

Our present system of government
has nothing to do with this.

Every four years

(under the guidance of the mass media and
the influence of the power of money, and
also of other visible or hidden powers)

about half of the population goes to the polls to

choose between different
interest groups,called parties.

If a party receives about one third of the votes

(i.e. corresponding to one sixth - 17% - of
the views of the population as a whole),

it can

(if necessary after a "commercial arrangement"
called programmatic cooperation)

form a government.

For four years the decisions on every
issue aren't taken by the citizens

(such as the name ″democracy″
makes us falsely believe)

but by the party functionaries
of a certain minority.

For four years

the citizens voluntarily give up the right to
decide for themselves about their future.

They have

transferred it to a few people who call themselves
politicians and are appointed by the parties.

For most of them

the primary and ultimate goal of
their actions is their personal profit,

their re-election.

As a second objective,
perhaps the interests of their party.

For a third goal there is not much time left.

These people, however,

the party functionaries

are the ones who

take the decisions as deputies,
and then apply them as ministers
of the government.

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