30/SEPTEMBER/2003. Demopunk
Net analyzes the European Constitutional Treaty draft.
12/AUGUST/2003. Spreading and rating analysis of proposals
for a new Statute of
Catalonia.
8/JUNE/2003. Demopunk Net joins debate on Electoral
Law in Catalonia.
29/MAY/2003. Appeal for the respect of the principles of religious freedom and lay State in the future European Constitution.
25/MAY/2003. Elections in
Spain. Electoral irregularities increase.
9/MAY/2003. Spanish Regime prevents at least 10% of
electors from voting in the Northern of Spain, turning next local
elections into illegitimate.
Go to section "Outlawing of
political parties in Spain"
12/APRIL/2003. European Referendum Campaign becomes
political target of propaganda of spanish Regime.
Several times, Demopunk Net has warned democratic activists of
European Referendum Campaign that referendum of ratification of the
eventual european constitution is a political goal quite modest, even
dangerous. It can be easily used by elites as propaganda tool to cover
their scorn for political freedoms of Direct Democracy.
Facts have confirmed quickly our fears. One of leaders of spanish Regime, as president of Government, has been the first national head of state supporting completely the appeal of the European Referendum Campaign (i.e, to hold a paneuropean referendum the same day of next european elections). However he is a person whose political records -also in relation of Direct Democracy- discredit him all in all. It is virtually impossible this politician supports the appeal of the campaign due to his conviction of value of Direct Democracy:
5/MARCH/2003. Civil rights in Spain, plastic stuff in the hands of elites.
Go to section "Outlawing of political parties in Spain"
09/SEPTEMBER/2002. Democratic
regression in Spain. The Regime outlaws a party backed by 10% of votes
Go to section "Outlawing of
political parties in Spain"
10/JULY/2002. Spanish Regime
approves
bill for outlawing political parties
Go to section "Outlawing of political parties in Spain"
15/FEBRUARY/99 . Criticism to the Constitutive Process of
"Movement V Republic". Venezuela
http://www.demopunk.net/sp/intern/mvr00.html
31/OCTOBER/99. Criticism to Draft Bill of Constitution
http://www.demopunk.net/sp/intern/mvr02.html
3/DECEMBER/00. Analysis of the new venezuelan constitution
http://www.demopunk.net/sp/ley/constitucion_ven00.html
Above documents show a striking range of political freedooms, unknown
in the sickly predemocracies which we are suffering from. Venezuelan
elites, instead of using them, have choosen to close this stage by
means
of weapons.
We know the reasons. And we witness, with discouragement, how is
cancelled other democratic attempt with anticapitalist colourings. The
list is growing disproportionately: Spain(1936), Guatemala(1954),
Chile(1973), Nicaragua(1986), Algeria(1992), Serbia(1999) and now
Venezuela(2002). We call on specially anticapitalist to know to avoid
this poisonous trap. Nobody should state that democratic utopia is
the erroneous way (brasilian PT is a significative example); and
begging your pardon for quoting, it is high time to evoke the sentence
of the anticapitalist thinker Toni Negri: "The alternative to
Capitalism is Absolute Democracy".
Present note could be incomplete without marking this fascist
aggression is the culmination of a process of mediatic harassment
from the "Free World". A mediatic harassment what have been going
to point to military targets which have been eventually reached. In
contrast to the unanswerable democratic analysis offered by
Demopunk Net, propaganda media of spanish Regime have been going to
join in the creation of virtual reality, typicalof their societies of
spectacle.
During this incident, it was on the point of concluding the existence of the constitution which gathers the largest number of political freedoms in the whole of history --if its writers dissapear, in Venezuela we might hope only another sickly liberal democracy. However, fossilized under the liberal mud there will have been one constitution plenty of political freedoms: binding referendum and its popular initiatives: generic initiative, initiative to repeal elect authorities (including the president of the Republic), initiative to endorse legislation and international treaties, initiative to repeal legislation and presidential decrees. Are our painful regime able to be the equal of it?
But if above political freedoms are brilliant, how could we rate the
constitutive rights?. The constitutional reform is possible by means of
popular initiative (it might make our elites drive mad). And even
more, the popular initiative is able to provoke the creation of a
Constitutive Assembly that in its turn may dissolve all of powers
(never our elites will have been able to relinquish such a right
within a constitution).
For instance, the spanish daily "El Mundo" states at headlines
"Venezuela overthrows Chavez"(sic) and goes on "the president of
owners'
organization will conduct the transition government"(sic) --usual
clappers of the fascist transition in Spain, such a speech does
not surprise. The tone of daily "El Mundo" is the same of the rest
of spanish propaganda media; not only during these sad days, also
during the last years. They are the same propaganda media which
indoctrinate population with the illusion that they are living in
democracy.
World democrat community weeps for such a garden of liberties was on
the point of being demolished due to the Chavez's "impudence" to
challenge the liberal preconception which merges democracy with
capitalism. And without a shadow of a doubt, if local venezuelan
elites are eventually overtoken, the USA armies will recover
Venezuela by fire and sword. It is the sign of our ages.
25/OCTOBER/2001. Movement for Participative Economy
The Movement for Participative Economy is an ideological project, started in USA in the 90. It introduces itself as a global alternative to both the capitalist market economy and centralized communist economy.
There is a main web:
http://www.parecon.org , also texts translated to spanish:
http://www.zmag.org/Spanish/indparec.htm
Self-management and participative allocation of resource are outstanding proposals introducing Direct Democracy in the laboral and consumer fields; therefore Demopunk pages echo this movement. Unfortunately, the democratic procedures are introduced quite loose, at least in comparison with more mature initiatives as brasilian Participative Budget.
14/OCTOBER/2001. The democratic champion Fraga Iribarne, symbol of the spanish Fascist Transition
Fraga Iribarne, 1969 (during spanish militar ruling of Franco): "No institution is more dificult to make work, or more fragile during crisis times, than representative ones. It is not dificult, with a well-designed campaign, to move the masses to one or another direction, that later they will lament.", page 56, Political Structure of Spain, Manuel Fraga Iribarne, publishing house: Doncel 1969 (academic book teached in primary schools). A phrase among many ones in a wildly-franquist book.
How can this fellow apply for democratic elections? Specially, with criminal debts. It is high time to remember -again- to the galician people the murder in Vitoria of five workers riddled with bullets by police forces headed by Fraga. Unpunished murders yet. Like murders in Montejurra a few months later. It is high time to remember -again- that being minister of the rebel general Franco, Fraga reports as suicide the assassination of the young Ruano, throwed through the window by police forces (our revolting memory for the owner of the monarchic-capitalist daily ABC, Torcuato Luca who recently argue about this crime). But really, do voters know above information? No. And even many people do not worry. In spite of we will accept democratically the collective ignorance and shamelessness. Collective, and even majority, blindness.
12/MARCH/2001. Anniversary of the Social Poll for Abolishment of the Foreign Debt
First year is reached of the Social Poll for Abolishment of the
Foreign Debt. It was called coinciding with the last legislative
elections, and inmediately it was forbidden by the Regime. In spite
of it, over a million of persons could exercise their political
rights, more info in the following address:
http://www.consultadeuda.org/
http://www.rcade.org/
This popular initiative had a double legitimacy. On the one hand due
to Constitutive Power supporting every act of direct democray. On the
other hand, the very ban of procedures of direct democracy forced by
the
constitucion of the spanish Fascist Transition (1975-1980).
It is painful that a legislative elections of closed lists of party, and low proportionality, were the excuse to suppress this political act. Other time, propaganda media complied precisely with their duties about self-legitimization of the Regimen.
22/DECEMBER/2000. ETA and Spanish Regime. Nauseas by political crime.
Go to section "Outlawing of political parties in Spain"
3/DECEMBER/00. Analysis of the Democratic Revolution in Venezuela
Few months late, Demopunk Net completes a task, which spread up
along over two years. In fall of 1998 we watched without confidence
popular passion raised in Venezuela by Hugo Chavez and the Movement V
Republic (MVR). The regrettable image transmited by the leader Chavez
prejudged the whole process. His religious and patriotic invocations,
his shows in the media, ... have been used suitably by our informative
bubble. It is not rare that from the liberal collective until the
libertarian community is extended the conviction that we stand in
presence of other fellow as De Gaulle, Kennedy, Peron or Fujimori.
We thanks our good friends for insisting on studying, despite of Chavez, the documentation publicly offered by the MVR describing their constitutive process. That piece of advice we would like to renew for the democrat people interested to judge the new venezuelan constitution with regard to the own text and not to the image received. They discover a text full of political freedoms related to Direct Democracy, popular management of constitutive process and considerable effort to define mechanisms of mutual control of powers.
Demopunk Net wanst to make easy the analysis of final text of the new venezuelan constitution, it is the third document that completes the report released in Feb/99 about the MVR's documentation and the analysis of the draft of constitution in Oct/99.
21/NOVEMBER/2000. Borbon fellow and his Regime, view by Vargas Llosa
On the ocassion of 25th anniversary of the rebel general Franco's
death, spanish propaganda media spark a shower of eulogies, praises,
psalms and triumphal canticles towards the actual Regime. One painful
article stands up among this acritical euphoria, from the liberal at
rock bottom Mario Vargas Llosa: "25
years of emotions".
It could be said that the Ortega-like emulo wants, as Gasset did, to
repay to the regime, which harbours and spoils him, with intellectual
coins. Cutted their liberal agenda down at an all low, centred their
tiny speech on economical globalization, the liberals in fashion are
smug and confident in the actual grade of development of the public
freedoms. But, above all, their silence reveals satisfaction of the
sickly range of political freedoms (rights to exercise untransferable
popular sovereignty). Every libertarian activist have got a more
complete speech in defence of freedoms, more consistent and carefully
worked than these liberals at rock bottom. There are few liberals who
support their natural radical capitalism together with critical
attitude
against the actual starving public freedoms, and above all, together
with the missing political freedoms.
Differences between the actual regime and the preceding dictatorship
are obvious, but quite smaller than the historical fiction tried to
sell
to us. And mentioned differences cannot be admitted as the permanent
excuse to justify 25 years with no democratic improvement at all. The
reference to the former dictatorship or to the sibling liberal
democracies, is the permanent slogan to indoctrinate the population
with
the preconception about having reached its ceil, about the actual
regime and its constitution are objects well described by the word
democracy.
As the whole of chorus, Llosa springs the most dramatic hagiography
on us: the beatification of the converted one. He exalts the role of
the
monarch Borbon as the best distilled essence of the actual regimen, and
he has right on his side. Around the monarch is centred the much
trumpeted mythology of the political system born in the Fascist
Transition (1975-1980). Usually, we should resist the temptation to
sharpen the criticism towards the monarch, because actually his
utopian fall could not provoke the evolution of our predemocracy
(certainly, elites pay him with a golden retirement in Lampedusa).
But the intensity of propaganda during these days deserves a small
response.
We have just seen other little episode which ilustrate the function
of propaganda media for democratic self-legitimization of spanish
Regime, a common trouble of every self-proclaimed democracies. "Health of democracy" , is the
suggestive title of a leading article which analyses the draft of law
regulating the petition right, access or request to public
administrations. Absdurdly, the leading article rates this right
as "a traditional right which can be considered as the needed
counterpoint of the representative parliamentary system, because it
connects citizen directly with the Administration, without mediations".
That is all,... incredible. Taking account the spanish Regime forbids
almsot every freedom and right of Direct Democracy (all of popular
initiative, binding referendum, participative budget, ...) the
affirmation of the leading article on the "petition litte-right" can
be rated as stupid thing.
We will resist temptation to see it as mere political lack of culture, because actually it is not so. The writing of the leading article ilustrates as propaganda media execute their daily wrok to indoctrinate the population, seeking the self-legitimization of regime. Within it, preconception about actual Regime is a democracy is underlain, as well preconception about its constitution includes already all of typical procedures of a democracy. Logically they end up replacing Direct Democracy by the petition right. That is all. Analogously they end up replacing the supposed separation of powers by parliamentary appearances of the Executive, when everybody know power actually rests with the drafters of the electoral lists.
There is not political lack of culture in propaganda media. Rather,
they are responsible for democractic lack of culture among the
population. The "democrats of media" are educated in the false belief
that public freedoms (demonstration, strike, worship, ..) are the
own definition of a democratic regime. At the same time it is hiden
from them that their unique political freedom is legislative
elections of closed lists and low proportionality. The premeditated
confusion between political and public freedoms is a permanent feature.
Long time will be needed until the societies of the sefl-proclaimed
democracies succeed in dismantling the farce of propaganda media.
Mercantile things, dealers of audience for companies and political
elite. In Spain, we must start by demanding the end of the ban to
open freely audiovisual media (the majority of "democrats of media"
do not know it is required a political license from Regime to open an
audiovisual medium). And in a far and utopic future we have to attain
propaganda media were not-for-profit organizations.
The trouble of propaganda media is a devilish trap which could put
an to democratic passion before few generations.
12/NOVEMBER/00. Alternative to fossil democracies
Presidential elections in USA have just been worldwide showcase of
grave defects of majoritarian electoral systems (USA, United Kingdom,
Canda, France, ...) Despite of it, propaganda media minimize or avoid
to analyse data as all of delegates will be for an unique
candidate, due to only 17 votes!. We may imagine the feeling of
ridicule for the rest of electors. We may imagine the scorn for
minorities with such "democratic" systems.
Well, in Spain without sense of decency conglomerate PpSOE aspires to establish a majoritarian electoral system, which stresses the meagre proportionality of present system of lists, and which deifies the same two-party, or one-conglomerate, scheme than in the most of fossil democracies.
We live vile ages, elite aspire to replace Force by Delusion.
Propaganda media act as nodes of virtual reality, keeping silent about
democratic ambitions. Their responsability is huge, and until now
people cannot avoid they act as tools of indoctrination in the
service of elite. In the most near political situation, we see how
they hide the achievements (direct
democracy and popular constituent power) of the new venezuelan
constitution, or keep silent about virtues of Single Transferable
Vote (STV/IRV) as electoral
reform proposed by Ralph Nader (the presidential candidate, the most
critical one with actual Regime in USA).
It seems proportionality of vote is not significative for leaders of
the democratic charade which we live in. It was only worth containing
during decades the communist majority in Italy, what had achieved
one-party government having a majoritarian electoral system as the
much-trumpeted fossil democracies.
It is an historical evidence every electoral reforms meet interests
of elite, however we cannot waste when meeting interests of democrats
too. For instance, in 1972 when it was set up Single Transferable Vote
in the regional elections of North Ireland, or most nearly when
basque regional parliament have just reduced from 5% to 3% the big
threshold to achieve representation.
Democratic achivements of the venezuelan constituent process, leaded
by Hugo Chavez, or the proposal of north american Nader (intellectually
supported by Chomsky, Petras, ...) are indicators of democratic
ofensive
is being leaded by idelogical left. Other example is the
Participative Budget of the brazilian PT. It is a pity to check
worldwide right is comfortable with actual fossil democracies,
boringly airing the memory of communist dictatorships, while they
obviate the numerous and forgotten capitalist dictatorships.
Perhaps, this phenomenom is inspired in the proposal of the far left ideologist Toni Negri: "The alternative to capitalism is absolute democracy". Demopunk Net pages try to spread a more generic idea: Absolute Democracy is Alternative to Everything.
1/OCTOBER/00. "Turncoat" y representation
In spanish regime, live goes on languid while democracy only appears in
mouth of drivers of propaganda media. Parties of Regime are negotiating
the new Regulations of Congress of Deputies. Among its novelties it is
worth emphasizing persecution of what they name "turncoat". A
"turncoat-deputy" is the representative who was included within the
list of a party, and later he decides no to maintain the party
discipline, sometimes for joining another party.
Trying to soften the regime of parties, article 67.2 of
the Constitution states representatives "will be not linked by
imperative mandate", the article pronounces representative can
exercise freely and without coercion. But spanish political routine
is daily proof of
mentioned constitutional article is scrap of paper, as many others.
Deputies know their post is mainly due to their inclusion in the list
of the party, they know any discrepance will be punished at least with
no including in the next lists (unique procedure accepted by the
spanish electoral system to postulate a candidate), they know their
political awareness cannot be protected by the secret of vote because
the own Regulations of Congress fordids it, see its article 85. Actually,
the Regime has reduced our unique elected representatives to the rule
of puppets, who stage decisions of the parties elite.
When an elected representative decides not to follow the discipline
of his party, he knows his political death has been signed, what is
carried out when his representation term finishs. Meanwhile he has to
put up with looking down his representative rule from propaganda
media and parties.
The new Regulations of Congress want to go further away, "to cut him off from the world", making the figure of deputy "non-registered" within any parliamentary group. Deputy has ridiculous rights comparing with parliamentary groups. But besides, this new pariah will have only right of vote; his speech right will be almost symbolic, any parliamentary post with additional economic resources will be inaccessibe for him. And over everything, he will not have almost ANY parliamentary activity, such a thing reserved to parliamentary groups, that is to say political parties.
Taking account legislative elections is the unique political freedom tolerated by Regime, this new setback in democracy combines with the serious defects of our electoral system of lists. A step more, may be the definitive one, to turn political parties into sects of robots.
15/MAY/00. New democratic step. Guffaws in presence of absurdity
Spanish democrats attend among guffaws when propaganda media announce a
new democratic "step". The novelty is candidates for several official
post must appear previously before the Parliament (for instance, the
Ombudsman). They have to describe their programme and intentions before
our representatives. Momentarily, it seems we are talking about the
parliamentary ratification existing in USA, where over 250 posts
appointed by the Executive must be approved by the legislative power.
But ilussion is short-lived. Mentioned posts which must be complied
with this new democratic "improvement" are only those ones eligible by
the own Congress of Deputies. Posts appointed by the Government are
excluded!!, that is to say the vast vast majority. A post of indirect
representation, such as the President of Government is, goes on
appointing without control practically whole national Administration.
But, in spite of, the most worrying thing is the informative fantasy from propaganda media of Regime, rating such an absurdity as "democratic improvement". Population is indoctrinated in ilussion of a political system, which actually neither is democratic, nor pretends to be so. Ideological demobilization provoked by Delusion is almost insurmountable, and it make us dip in the society of spectacle.
15/MARCH/00. The spanish
Fascist Transition (1975-1980)
Few hours before last spanish electoral day, one leader of Regimen
acting as president of Government, granted medals for several victims
of
ETA. Among decorated persons appear some members of Franco's
repression forces, assassinated in the last 60.
Leaving the horribe personal tragedies aside, caused by violencia
(something impossible to be asked family and friends for), may be it is
worth remembering during mentioned years Spain was under
dictatorship. Or to remember that, among many ones the
assassination of Grimau or the young Ruano are contemporary crimes
with the mentioned decorations. Fraga Iribarne could witness about all
of above events as Ministry of Information of Franco. May be it is
worth
remembering that during those years, in opposition of actual status,
wide sectors of spanish population felt sympathies for ETA, as main
reference of opposition to the dictatorship.
Above tribute happened few hours before elections. And few hours
after, the same leader stated electoral results buried spanish civil
war
as political weapon. Supreme cynicism. Spanish society is right to
forget its civil war; but it must not forget the dictatorship. A
regime which assassinated, during many years, over 50.000 persons
AFTER ending the war. A bloody repression no overcome by
south-american dictatorship.
Demopunk pages avoid analysing political daily situation, perishable
politics. But above facts are outcrops of a deep root, which explains
aspects of the actual democratic shortage: talking about the fascist
transition.
We must forget the civil war, but not the dictatorship. And
particularly, we must not forget the process which turned that regimen
into the actual one. The fascist transition implied the transit of
every fascist families (including their fortunes) over the
leadership of the monarch restored by the dictatorship. The
constitution suffered by us, was neither written nor voted under
consensus. Rather, it was under the permanent blackmail of regression.
As result, the present constitution permits only an unique politicalo
freedom: legislative elections. There is not separation of powers,
heading of state is hereditary, and procedures of direct democracy are
forbidden. An the worst thing is the constitution was written in such a
way that its modification is practically impossible. With such sources
and formal defects, its legitimacy is minimum.
It is not a question of enumerating surnames repeated in both
regimen. But actually those years, far from brilliance of a real
constituent process, extended the shadow of the dictatorship over
nowadays. By the one hand, it appears the bad example of the
hegemonic liberal democracies, offering as alibi the desirable
public freedoms on condition that minimizing political freedoms.
But by the other hand, the fascist transition is the main reason
explaining our actual democratic scarcity, explaing why there has not
been any democratic improvement along two decades, explaining why even
they has not been considered.
We must forget the civil war, but not the dictatorship. And particularly, the fascist transition to one of the most sickly liberal democracies. Actual democratic apathy which dominates our society is the best breeding ground of such an amnesia.
13/MARCH/00. Electoral irregularities continue on.
Happiness of other pacific electoral day is newly upset by
persistent troubles in the electoral procedures in Spain. As previous
times, we have to inform on severe lacks related to voting booths and
lists of voters. Propaganda media of Regime do not give even one decime
of second for following troubles:
Go to section "Chronic irregularities of electoral processes in Spain"
5/MARCH/00. Participative Budget. Experience in Porto Alegre
29/FEBRUARY/00. Propaganda and birthday
That is incredible, however the vast majority of population unknow
to open a radio ore television emitter requires a license with
political
character, without any technical foundations. They unknown number of
license are severly restricted. In a word, Regime forbids to open
freely emitters of masive broadcasting.
Nowadays is tenth anniversary when every political licenses for
national range televisions were granted to the emitters of Antena3,
Tele5 y Canal+. The dirty law of Private Television in 1988
formalizes this aggression of speech freedom, and shortly after
Constitutional Court proved its bias ratifying such a nonsense was
typical of democratic system. It is not wonder that the procedure of
political license spread to every radio emitter, and regional and
local television. Until today, and supposely during many more years.
Nowadays is tenth anniversary. According the dirty law license
expire. And we guess that they will renovate behind back of public
opinion. Or may be, have they been renovated yet? Come back to last May, when
president of catalonian regional government decided not to renovate one
radio license, how much cynicism went through propaganda media
claumoring by speech freedom!
Sooner o later, spanish Regime will learn from its sibling democracies that really political licenses are not needed. It will learn the own mercantile character of media coporations is enough. It will learn business profit of corporationes tunes fine with interests of Regime. They will reach the perfect communion in the Society of Spectacle.
Media bubbles succeed in dissolving awareness of their consumers
into virtual reality, unfortunately a vast majority of our society.
Owners of silence, indoctrinate love and hate. Our civilization has not
been able yet to assimilate the phenomenon of masive social propaganda.
And perhaps it will be never.
Consequences of it may not be more unfortunate for spanish democrat group. Propaganda media shouts their head off legimitizing as democratic a Regime whose unique political freedom is legislative elections of closed lists, of lists done by elite. The rest of political freedoms are forbidden: binding referendum, popular initiative to referendum, popular legislative initiative without restrictions, popular initiative to abrogation, to revoke elected posts, ... self-determination right, popular initiative to constitutional reform, to constituent process, ...participative budget, elections to executive power, elections to heading of state. A long list against our unique political freedom: legislative elections, formal, media and financially defective.
Transition from such a Regime is impossible. It is only left Rupture, utopian rupture.
19/FEBRUARY/00. Leaders of Regime
Recent statements of one of the main leaders of spanish Regime
arrives at Demopunk pages. We know deep scorn to Direct Democracy is a
permanent feature among our political establishment. It is no any
novelty, nor produces any surprise. But it is worth spreading
mentioned statement because they come from a person who has been
durinhgf 14 years president of Government of actual Regime, and leaded
from the "opposition" the fascist transition: Felipe Gonzalez.
In 12 of March of 1985 spaniards voted in consultive plebiscite about integration into the civil structure of NATO (similar to french status). Regime and its leader won plebiscite. However, some commitments derived from mentioned plebiscite and taken on by Government, have not eventually kept, particularly the commitment relative to non-integration into the militar structure of NATO.
Felipe Gonzalez, today:
"I had an awful time. I think it is the most dificult decision taken along my live, the most tough time of my term of responsability. I had an awful time then and later too. I was perfectly aware of, in spite of having won the referendum, and by having won it, I should pay a very high bill in feeling terms, and of course in voting terms, it happened so because I had placed over citizens a moral responsability which was not suitable for them.
We had to pay for this reason, and not for another one... You imagine a referendum is held on declaring war. Citizen has not got obligation to decide!, because they do not receive a salary for it!, they receive it to be a citizen!, no for deciding if a military agreement is or not suitable, shit! To do it, they have their responsibles, who trusts more or less in, however this is the reason of their existence" (...) Extracted from book "Presidents". Victoria Prego. Ed. Plaza&Janes, 2000
10/FEBRUARY/00. Society of Spectacle
The negative impact that from decades propaganda media are holding
on development of Democracy, provokes mentioned media remain, daily, as
center of the social and political debate.
Owners of silence, writers of political agenda for the masses,
propaganda media have made easier actual self-proclaimed democracies
have been replacing Force by Dilusion. They promote the minor
debate, stage confrontation among elite, but hold severely the
doctrinal kernel of actual Regime. Three main blocks suffer from
daily pressure of propaganda of silence: self-legitimation as
democratic regime, armed conflicts of state and capitalist economy. How
could we vote about unknown things? Nobody can give his opinion about
something unknow for him, about "non-existing" thing. Because only the
concrete thing may be loved or hated.
When perception is mutilated, individual is intellectually
disintegrated, alienated in bubbles of virtual reality; in the spanish
case the worlwide media bubble of USA an the own national bubble. We
are indebted to intellectuals as Noam Chomsky, which infinite
dedication has gathered an avalanche of information ratifying the
model of propaganda of our "democracies". Or to thinkers as Guy
Deboards, who even in the 60s achieved to identify the "spectacular"
character among society, production means and social relationships.
"Society of Spectacle" is the main work of Deboard. Edited in 1967,
it was translated to spanish in 1998 by Maldeojo for the Hispanic Situationsm
Archive. Because it is an unedited document, Demopunk
pages want to host a copy located at
http://www.demopunk.net/sp/docs/index_en.html
27/JANUARY/00. Electiones have finished
It is January and the legislative elections of March/2000 have already finished. During next weeks have been completed the real election of our representative. And it has been accomplished by elite of each party, practically by direct postulation. (Reply of Rafael Pla-López)
As always, deputies will know precisely who they owe their future post to, and also which it is its price. During weeks lists of parties has been made. Lists distilled with patience, faithful reflection of intrigues and slashes during last months. Settling of scores or well-deserved to loyalty to elite.
In the spanish electoral system voter cannot decide the name of their representative, even cannot rearrage the list or discard a person considered incompetent, corrupt or even criminal. Or all ones within the list, or no one. Actually our voting does not choose representative, rather it prorates the degree of parliamentary influence of each party's elite.
Meek behaviour of our deputies and senators does not seem to matter
enough to a society which does not love democracy. They know such a
thing. Few months ago, one of leaders of Regime decided, with only one
act, to change ministries of Government, responsibles of his party and
the president of Senate!. Without embarrasment.
But the loss of representativity of our legislative elections
becomes a severe trouble in front of the sad evidence of such elections
are our unique political freedom. Because the Constitution forbids
all of procedures of Direct Democracy (with ridiculous exceptions).
Constitutional reform are forbidden for popular initiative, and
actually it is so complex that it can be non-existent. Governemt,
disproportionate executive power, is an indirect organ, it cannot be
directly elected. And the hereditary character of Heading of State and
Army provokes embarrashment to the meagre democratic minority actually
existing in the country.
But today we are talking about tragical link which binds our
representatives to elite of their party. Golden rule: any disobedience
will be punished, at least, with not including into next lists. But
spanish society must know there are procedures to dilute effectively
the link. If you are interested, can find at Demopunk pages documents
and analysis about primary
elections and nominative electoral systems as Single Transferable Vote.
Democratic procedures which will be never allowd, as proving almost
thirty years of do-nothing policy and farce.
Elections have finished. Over 90% of future deputies are savouring
certaintyly the post. They complied faithfully with their elite. And
today, nobody and nothing will be avoid their election. No even votes.