John Macgregor (democracy re-design)

Thanks.

If only I had your faith in the Democrats.

#ThirdDraftDemocracy

books2read.com/thirddraft

We're forever going after the plagues.

Maybe our attention should be on the box.

*𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

(𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲-𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝘄𝗮𝗿.)

Presently we focus on addressing war, inequality & social breakdown—but ignore the political design that makes them inevitable.

Time turns a constitution into a Pandora's box. The box releases 'plagues' such as bought politics & captured media. And (downstream) inflation, deficits, crime, war...

I’ve just returned from China. Even one-party rule works better than captured, corrupted democracy.

If we want things to change, #democracy that’s comprehensive—& defends against capture, & mimics evolution—is a weapon we could place in the hands of the people.

- Persuading everyone to join the Left/Right?

I argue that the easiest intervention point is the design of the political system.

That diverse benefits flow out of democratization. (Many birds, one stone.)

The paralysing roadblock to fixing the world is: How to go about it—& which bit do we start on?

- A global federation?

- Therapy for 8.1 billion people?

- Global decentralization?

- More UN projects?

- More activism?

*𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

(𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝘄𝗮𝗿.)

#ThirdDraftDemocracy

books2read.com/thirddraft

But if a coherent, democratic plan is ready this time, it can make for lasting change.

Our pattern to date has been amorphous protest.

To seek change inside a system designed to prevent it.

Without architecture that permits change, no change can occur.

Reversion to the human mean is inevitable, eventually.

Till that happens, history will just repeat the pattern of the last 7,000 years: opulent aristocracies & toiling masses.

When & where the next uprising occurs is unknown. (No-one predicted the end of the USSR, Occupy, the Arab Spring…)

We have egalitarian Stone Age wiring.

Any political design that conflicts with our basic nature will just be a problem-generator.

(Example A: feudalism; example B: neoliberal capitalism; example C: Soviet communism.)

#ThirdDraftDemocracy #Democracy

books2read.com/thirddraft

I don't think we get to survive without a change of system.

*𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

(𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝘄𝗮𝗿.)

Campaigns to right wrongs—war, inequality, inflation, ocean pollution—are gaining less traction than before.

Our captured, compromised political framework has become more like itself with age.

And has now reached the stage of recycling profitable crises.

*𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. (𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝘄𝗮𝗿.)

If that all-important question is not addressed, the next great political philosophy will fail too.

#ThirdDraftDemocracy #DemocraticReform

books2read.com/thirddraft

Great Famines & murderous wars ensued—each with death tolls in the tens of millions

In neither bloc were feedback devices installed. The parts could never affect the whole

The problem was not capitalism or socialism (we’re capable of choosing our own mix, without undue rancor), but power mechanics

And above all how those people are chosen

In both cases, ‘people's democracy’ was kabuki

State capture was baked in, pretty much from the start. Society’s most ruthless groups—for Russians, the power-mad Bolshevik faction; for us, the billionaire .1%—walked in & took control

But neither ‘the invisible hand’ nor ‘To each according to his needs…’ is inherently evil.

The failure generally lies in the execution.

More exactly: neither the Eastern or Western system adequately considered the mechanics of power: Who owns the public conversation; who makes the decisions.

Soviet Communism’s been gone 36 years.

Now the Western system is having its 1989 moment.

These systems affected hundreds of millions of people over centuries.

Their enemies believe they collapse because they’re unfair, exploitative, antihuman, etc.

Lack of a concrete post-uprising plan is the central reason the Arab Spring uprisings (and most uprisings) failed.

An agreed-on plan for the new governance structures: (i) gives rebels an ideal to rally around

(ii) maximises the chances of a victory that is sustainable.

That lightning hasn't struck yet, & it’s impossible to know when it will.

So this is probably the time to work on the detail of change.

So we're on the front foot when the new era is born.

books2read.com/thirddraft

#ThirdDraftDemocracy

‘𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝟭𝟳𝟳𝟱’. - 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚

We won’t escape our polycrisis through tinkering.

A systemic crisis requires wholesale change.

But that requires a new zeitgeist—a general change of mood.

(And we again know what reality is.)

The key to lasting change is not better leaders or better policy.

It’s what those things arise from—which is genuinely democratic architecture.

lnkd.in/gy9EYCwe

hashtag#ThirdDraftDemocracy

It’s a pity, as this would be an excellent elite crisis to make use of.

Used in conjunction with the tools of democratisation, it could propel society (at last) into an era of rational governance.

Power & information no longer in the hands of the wealthiest .1%.

Power resets like the present one generally see deckchairs rearranged (a Bill Gates or a Mandelson are sacrificed): but no significant, structural change.

Everything will NOT be different once all the Epstein secrets are out—just a few faces. There’ll be some new rhetoric.

Agree entirely.

But how do unions (or any non-corporate sector) make any progress within a gamed democracy - within a system optimised for the rich?

Don't we need to fix the architecture first?

There's just the initial psychological hurdle.

Since the Romans, descent into oligarchy destroys society—yet changing things structurally is rarely done.

Ruin is seen as less bothersome.

books2read.com/thirddraft

#ThirdDraftDemocracy #Democracy

That is, in lieu of fighting social problems & war in a made crafted to optimise them, I've designed leverage points by which to shift the system

Compared to what we're doing now—which has the circularity of a positive feedback loop—it's IMO an easier route to rational governance & a happy society.

Constitutions seem set in stone.

Nonetheless, an obsolete constitutional design is, ultimately, the generator of the disaster we now see arriving—on the instalment plan—throughout the Western system.

If I want to solve social problems & war—I avoid trying to solve social problems & war.