Australian Politics Forum - So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?

MeisterEckhart

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So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?
Oct 9^th, 2024 at 7:37am

All government is, by its nature, a threat to democracy.

Legislative assemblies, executive heads of state and heads of government in all democracies test the limits of tolerance for their arrogation of power.

They use slogans like 'extraordinary times', 'national emergency', 'state security', 'existential threat', 'national identity' and the like to soften the people's resistance to their legislative arrogation of power, limitations of rights and/or curbing of freedoms.

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MeisterEckhart

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Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?
Reply #1 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:21am

Thomas Jefferson, himself, feared that his new nation's governance was in danger of degrading into being no different to the British Parliament over time.

Yes, all the founding fathers knew that King George III was not a tyrant... that it was the British Parliament that had imposed taxation without representation on the colonists, not the king himself.

And Jefferson was right. Soon after the 13th and the 14th Amendments were ratified, the southern states quickly found state legislative ways to convert the former bonded slaves to economic ones and maintain their status as the lowest class on the social ladder with little to no possibility of upward mobility.

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tallowood Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6048	Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then? Reply #2 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:31am Technology when used to disseminate fake news and drive polarization. disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion are barriers to effective communication and corrosive to democracy. AI is a threat when coupled with gerontocracy of political elites, just look at US now.
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MeisterEckhart

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Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?
Reply #3 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:49am

tallowood wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:31am:

Technology when used to disseminate fake news and drive polarization. disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion are barriers to effective communication and corrosive to democracy.
AI is a threat when coupled with gerontocracy of political elites, just look at US now.

Fake news has existed since the beginning of human history.

'Nero fiddled while Rome burned'.

'The Christians set fire to Rome'.

'The Jews killed Christ'.

'A Jewish Pole burned down the Reichstag'.

'Saddam Hussein was storing weapons of mass destruction'.

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tallowood

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Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?
Reply #4 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 10:01am

MeisterEckhart wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:49am:

tallowood wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:31am:

Technology when used to disseminate fake news and drive polarization. disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion are barriers to effective communication and corrosive to democracy.
AI is a threat when coupled with gerontocracy of political elites, just look at US now.

Fake news has existed since the beginning of human history.
...

Yes but technology made dissemination global, in real time plus collecting personal data for individual targeting.

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MeisterEckhart

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Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?
Reply #5 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 10:32am

tallowood wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 10:01am:

MeisterEckhart wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:49am:

tallowood wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:31am:

Technology when used to disseminate fake news and drive polarization. disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion are barriers to effective communication and corrosive to democracy.
AI is a threat when coupled with gerontocracy of political elites, just look at US now.

Fake news has existed since the beginning of human history.
...

Yes but technology made dissemination global, in real time plus collecting personal data for individual targeting.

Should we return to the days before the printing press?

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chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11768 Armidale Gender:	Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then? Reply #6 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 10:39am No we just need 1 printing press for Putin News. This is civilisation.
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Grappler Deep State Feller Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 85011 Always was always will be HOME Gender:	Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then? Reply #7 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 11:44am Government......................
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tallowood

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Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?
Reply #8 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 12:11pm

MeisterEckhart wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 10:32am:

tallowood wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 10:01am:

MeisterEckhart wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:49am:

tallowood wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 9:31am:

Technology when used to disseminate fake news and drive polarization. disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion are barriers to effective communication and corrosive to democracy.
AI is a threat when coupled with gerontocracy of political elites, just look at US now.

Fake news has existed since the beginning of human history.
...

Yes but technology made dissemination global, in real time plus collecting personal data for individual targeting.

Should we return to the days before the printing press?

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thegreatdivide

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Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?
Reply #9 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 12:34pm

MeisterEckhart wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 7:37am:

All government is, by its nature, a threat to democracy.

That's because the 1% can buy government, to maintain policies on behalf of their own self-interest.

So the 10% (more like 50% in a cost-of-living crisis) living in poverty are chronically dissatisfied, leading to breakdown in social cohesion and political hyper-partisanship.

Government needs to free itself from indebtedness to private capital (via taxing and borroing) , in order to ensure access to basic material standards for the lowest income groups.

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« Last Edit: Oct 9^th, 2024 at 1:26pm by thegreatdivide »

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chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11768 Armidale Gender:	Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then? Reply #10 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 1:09pm Dictator Donald governs by the Trump for Trump and pays himself great.
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Grappler Deep State Feller Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 85011 Always was always will be HOME Gender:	Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then? Reply #11 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 1:36pm .................. "The greatest threat to government is democracy...... conversely the greatest threat to democracy is government" ................... Lord Grappler's extension on Michael Herron's assertion in Spook Street ......
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MeisterEckhart

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Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then?
Reply #12 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 3:31pm

thegreatdivide wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 12:34pm:

MeisterEckhart wrote on Oct 9^th, 2024 at 7:37am:

All government is, by its nature, a threat to democracy.

That's because the 1% can buy government, to maintain policies on behalf of their own self-interest.

That, among other things... Those who hold power tend to want to keep it and arrogate more of it.

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chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11768 Armidale Gender:	Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then? Reply #13 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 3:54pm Oz Government in Sep 2024 held $93,966mill. but all donations are welcomed.
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tallowood Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6048	Re: So, What's a Threat to Democracy, then? Reply #14 - Oct 9^th, 2024 at 4:16pm Warm flat beer.
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