The Way Forward – Next Steps

First let me assure everyone, particularly those who have expressed their reservation and doubts about the new political party idea,  that this blog will continue to be what it has been  – a place for us to meet, read, think about, and contribute to a discussion on the ongoing crisis in our economy and democracy.  If this New Party Idea takes off it will have to have its own site leaving this one to continue doing what I hope it does well.  I do not want people to think that the blog and its original purpose will be lost. It won’t be.

But just for the moment, right now at the very start, the blog needs to be the launch pad for this new idea.  I hope you’ll bear with me.

 

Next Steps

1) The Name.  I take the point about 99% being too associated with Occupy.  What I do think is that the name has to be instantly recognizable in all European languages. It is no good having a name which is clever in English, for the British but a puzzle to everyone else.  I wonder if Labelled’s suggestion of “The Democracy Party” is good.

Democracy translates into every one of our languages and we all know what we mean by it. Because we know what it means I do not think there would be contaminiation or confuision with the American “Democratic Party”.

We need a name which everyone can agree with, that doesn’t feel ‘old’ or worthy or dull and one which no one feels excluded from or feels is slyly asking them to sign up to various ideals they may not agree with entirely.  Remember the idea is a broad church to fight a very specific fight.

If Democracy has problems in your country that I, as an English speaker, don’t know about please speak up. Or if people simply don’t like it speak up now.

Register

The party, its name and any logos have to be registered with the Electoral Commission in each country it is set up in. Step one is to check to see if the Name we settle on is available in every country. We need to check this in as many countries as we can before we register in any. We don’t want o have name which is unavailable in most countries.

So we need someone who is willing to contact the Electoral Commission in their country to ask about the name we settle on.  I am in contact with the Electoral Commission in the UK. I should hear from them today about the “Democracy Party” name.

Registering costs. Not a huge amount but there will be a cost.

I will pay for the registration in the UK. Those interested in each country will have to pay for theirs.  BUT BEFORE we pay we simply need to know if our chosen name is available and if not chose another name that is.

We will NOT register at this point. We will do so if the next step happens first.

Getting the word out in every country?

So far readers from most of the EU countries and many non-eu countries have logged on and read the “Way Forward” article. BUT they have read it in English only. This isn’t good enough. This party MUST be international from the start. So it is an essential next step to translate the original article into every European Language and then post it where those who might be interested can find it.

I do not have the money to pay a proper rate for translation. All I can offer is a €50 ‘thank you’ to anyone who is prepared to translate the article. I konw it’s not much but it is all I have at the moment.  If it is OK with those of you who generoulsy donated  to the blog, I propose to use some of that money for this purpose.  I hope that is OK with you.

It is then essential that people take on the job of writing a brief introduction to the idea, where it came from and that it is already happening in the UK and soon, we hope, other countries as well, and then post the translation. Make it clear they are reading the same thing as people all over Europe are reading.

There must be a way for people to respond and a contact for them in your country. IF there is a response – only you will be able to judge, you and they then take the plunge and register the name and party as above.

Party Officials.

Once you decide to actually register the party you will need am minimum of two people who wish to be members. If you don’t have two people willing to become members you shouldn’t be registering.  This may sound hierchical etc but it is the law. There need to be people who are legally responsible for ‘being’ the party. The duties are actually very minimal and simple.

A Web Site.

Fairly quickly you should set up a web site for the party so that people can find it, to read about it, and to converse with others about it.  The web site can be very simple to start with.

I suggest using Google Blogger to start with because it is free.  If you grow to the point where a Blogger site is not good enough…celebrate your problem  with a nice cup of tea and perhaps a McVitties. That’s the problem we aspire to.

If you get to that point you should think about asking for small donations to cover the cost of a real web site and its hosting.

Active and open discussion

It must be continually made clear what the core focus of this party is and its international character. If we achieve any success there will be people who will want to use it for their own beliefs and they will be convinced their beliefs are so important that it justifies trying to subvert yours. Don’t let them.

The party must be focussed on those things we agree upon at the start and MUST remain a broad church. Do NOT let other beliefs even if you agree with them – Green/not Green, Libertarian/Left Wing, MMT/Gold Standard etc to try to insinuate themselves into the party as something you must believe if you want to be a member.  Members must be allowed to hold, fervently hold, all sorts of beliefs which lie outside what this party is about. Remember we are coming together for a very specific cause and part of that cause is to rescue the very democracy which is what will safeguard our right and ability to have all those disagreements.

We do NOT all need to agree on all things. We need to agree on the core platform. If we achieve any decent part of that core platform we will have done a service to our families, to each other, and to our fellow Europeans. Then they, and we, can get back to disagreeing about all the other things we want to disagree about.

Common core agenda – different countries and cultures.

We come from from different countries with different languages and cultures. So how we achieve our common goals will necessarily be different in our different countries. There has to be flexibility in how we go about building our party and how it will relate to other issues particular to each country.  We must avoid extremism and the sort of nationalism which is hate based. BUT I do not think that means we turn our back on the fact that we all have different cultures and national identites that many of us will feel a care and love for. I personally feel proud to be British. But that pride and care for my country and for those who live here alongside me is not based on feeling superior to others. I do not personally want a Europe of some homogenized,  universal European-ness. I think we should come together as different peoples who have a care for each other’s welfare and want to see a democratic Europe made by people for people where all the peoples of Europe can take a pride in living in a place where ordinary people, their children and their hopes for a future in which they can live in dignity and peace is what matters above all else.

 

90 thoughts on “The Way Forward – Next Steps”

  1. Hi David, stirring stuff.

    I was thinking it might be a good idea to set up an email address that I could post on the blog for anyone who would be interested in getting together in Northern Ireland to discuss the idea.

    Magicalsushi it seems lives in the province, but I doubt I would find that name in the phone book. Obviously if the idea makes sense, others could do it.

    1. Hi Stevie,

      Actually, I live in England – I did mention NI’s MEP electoral system in a recent comment, but I was only regurgitating information from Wikipedia, it wasn’t firsthand knowledge. Sorry for the confusion! 🙂

      1. Magicalsushi

        No probs, now I have Pink Floyd’s ” Is there anybody out there ” stuck in my head. I cannot imagine myself standing as an MEP, I’m much more of a backroom boy. I was hoping I could get you to be the front guy, 🙂

  2. ‘Democracy’ has a touch of the ‘Democratic Republics’ about it, although if it works for Respect…! How about ‘The European Party’ ?

    Emphasise, re-emphasise and reinforce your ‘Fourteen Points’; easily understood, easily translated and, I reckon, very widely accepted.

    You will need an International Committee to drive it forward and, above all, unasailably credible candidates. Good luck with all your efforts..

  3. My two penneth

    The party name should be a made up name (google, hibu* etc), that way it has no past associations, it is also likely to be available as .com .org .eu etc.

    *hibu or something similar is the new name for Yell, the online yellow pages (I think they are clutching at straws with that one though)

  4. New democracy is the name of the centre right mainstream party in Greece. So it would be a poor choice there. That aside, I support what your doing David. Even if I have doubts, it still worth pursuing. You just never know where these things lead.

  5. Hi Golem,

    Gets my vote whatever the name – I think anything that can break the corporatism which politics has descended into is on the right track; and the internet is the only medium that can begin that process.

    Fear from some of the posts on the topic that the word democracy has been twised by too many disparate organisations already – danger of being misinterpreted.

    Not because of my blog name or my love of Bowie, but do think that “Change”, “Time for Change” etc may be a clearer more direct statement of our intent.

    Following Hawkeye’s lead, works for Real Change, Direct Change too…

    Look forward to next steps for us all – different topic but 38 Degrees proved how many can be reached – next step viral 🙂

  6. Some of these names sound political and we want to stay away from politics yes? It’s not about one world government or a way too live your life. It’s about money on an international stage so what about the International Monetary Party.

    Does what it says on the tin. You could add another word between International and Monetary maybe. Maybe not.

    Buying a better camera for making music videos has led me away from music and taken me places I did not expect. One of these places was a room with a fair few real live zombie bankers. I impressed them with my business cards 🙂 They took a stack back the mile for me 😀

    One of the ZB wives was also a ZB and was worried about meeting me which was strange. They were all lovely people and I now class them as friends. Due to the nature of the meeting we didn’t talk too much about finance but when we did they agreed with me and said two main points.

    Split the banks into two and have a central clearing house.

    They were from all the major corpses and all from the bad side. Only one dude said something stupid about RBS relating to the fact we’ll make a profit from them in the end. At what cost though zombie?
    Still, all in all a great encounter. The grin some of them pulled as I passed the cards round was classic.

  7. Golem the name is in title of your post. The forward party. Translates nicely in other languages too.

    1. Forward – that well known Marxist/progressive rallying cry – and also the campaign slogan for Obama 2012.

      I think the best way forward is to let (make) the current system/parties collapse, then get “real” democrats in to positions of power/influence. This was we keep the machinery and organization.

      Witness the attempts of other fringe parties in the UK (Libertarian, Greens, UKIP, Respect, SDP) – I would say it will be impossible (and impossibly slow) to make a difference this way

      IMHO

  8. Michael Reilly

    My wife and kids are sick and tired of listening to me screaming and shouting at that box, i really need to get involved in this at some level. I have a good mate living in Madrid teaching English to the Spanish, I’m sure he’ll do any Spanish translations we need and I’m sure some of his students will be receptive to the idea. In the world of Malcolm Gladwell I could possibly be a maver, here’s to The Tipping Point!

    1. Michael,

      If you think your mate would do the translation or get someone else to do it, that would be great.

      It needs to be done soon. Sorry to push but I think our time is now.

      Please let him know that I am fully aware €50 is not proper payment so much as ‘thank you’. But please offer it.

      If he can do it then after that we would need to ask for help fmor Spanish activists for where to post it etc.

      But the translation first.

      Thanks!

    2. Spanish is my native language and I would be very happy to contribute, so Michael if your mate isn’t translating yet I can make it during the weekend.

      David, I think this is an interesting idea and hopefully it can work. I live in Switzerland now but I lived in France until few months ago and I’m from Chile. Therefore I will spread the word as much as I can in the different places but I’m not sure I can reach that far anywhere… and I can’t vote!

      1. Well, having no answer I have decided to start translating the way forward proposal into Spanish. And when I’ve got to the point were Golem says:

        Our strap line might be – “Why vote for another No-Hope national party,
        when you could vote for the Only Hope international party.

        I couldn’t help but remark the capital letters and take that as a name suggestion…

        so what about: ” Only Hope International ” party ?

        1. No problem Mick

          And yes I’ve done it and I’ve sent it to David.

          I think it would be good if you can send the translation to your friend in Spain. I’m native Spanish speaker but not from Spain, so there might be some detail worth a little modification for the Spaniards.

          Cheers!

          1. CAratiaM,

            Got the translation. Thank you!

            If Michael Reilly reads this – If you would you email me your email I could send the translation to you.

            If CAratiaM thinks it should be checked then I think we should. And we also need to discuss where to post the article and who in Spain to contact. I would greatly value any thoughts.

  9. Charles R Edwards

    PARTY NAME- PHOENIX

    Hi all, just thought I would throw out my ideas, I have had similar thoughts over the last few months.

    Phoenix – Know in mythologies worldwide. Wikipedia quote ‘… from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self’. The Phoenix’s ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one.

    Wikipedia also tells me that the phoenix was the first currency of modern Greece, …’Only a small number of coins were minted and most transactions in Greece continued to be carried in foreign currency. Lacking precious metals to mint more coins, the government in 1831 issued an additional 300,000 phoenixes as paper currency with no underlying assets to back them. As a result, the paper notes were universally rejected by the public. In 1832, the currency system was reformed and the drachma was introduced to replace the phoenix at par.’ – if true its rather amusing!

    I think this has quite good symbolism, and would have a ready made emblem. ( however I read that it has been used as a symbol for the provisional IRA which is quite a big negative, but could be worked around. Maybe put new in front of it?- it worked for tony). It is a current team name on the UK apprentice- but that could be a positive as people may recognize the name but not remember the context in 2014.

    Just a couple more ideas to add to any discussions…

    I would say we have to be very positive, and put across that things could be changed for the better- let sunshine win the day etc… It will be a lot easier to attract new younger voters than the older generation.

    I think that representatives would need to come from the regions they are to be elected in. e.g. no London based people wanting to be elected in other areas like North East England!

    I would favor open internet based primaries to decide the party list for each region, for example there could be internet based campaigns (within the party) stating ideas and background and then the top 7/8/9 voted to the party list for the region.

    I’m sure I will have some more idea, and hope the above is not totally useless!

    1. Charles,

      I think PHEONIX could be perfect. I think the IRA connection is old and parochial and so not a major impediment.

      I had wondered about Reboot (same connotations but modern) but I think PHOENIX is better. What do others think???

  10. Hi David
    Are you thinking international – do you need Japanese translation? I can arrange this
    dave. also can do website and hosting for you
    dave

    1. davem,

      I think translating into Japanese would be brilliant. If you can arrange it please do. Let me know who to send the €50 to.

      What we need is to run an end game around any reluctance of the mainstream media to recognize us. Getting some knowledge out in Japan would be very positive. The blog has readers in Japan, private individuals as well as a couple of banks.

      As for hosting – thank you. If we get to that point then I would like to talk to you about it via email.

      Thanks!

      1. Hi David
        My wife’s translating it into japanese now. She was asking where would be the best place/ newspaper/ blog sites to post it in Japan, do you have any contacts there?
        thanks, dave

  11. I think we need to consider building some dedicated web-based infrastructure to have a unified, transparent party machine across all territories and at the various levels. If the fight is about democratic accountability and honesty then it is not a fight that only applies at the EU level. A dedicated forum would definitely be the place to start I think.

    Given that most democratic power resides at the national parliament level, rather than EU parliament, it makes sense to contest those elections too. But then you need a party machine capable of adapting to the local needs too, just as the national parties make a gesture at adapting in council elections. The EU edifice cannot be reformed nor controlled if you only attack at the EU parliament level.

    For instance, there are the UK elections in 2015. A good result in the EU elections in 2014 would provide a springboard for contesting the 2015 elections too, but you need the right systems in place and a clear vision well before 2014 if you want to reach the electorate with a clear message and then deliver once (hopefully) elected.

  12. Oh and I think if possible other bloggers, like John Ward, who writes the blog known as ‘the slog’ would be good to get aboard. He seems to be thinking along the same lines as you and he has many, many contacts around Europe.

  13. This name business is tricky, i understand why companies resort to nonsense like hibu now, it doesn’t inspire but it doesn’t offend as its meaningless. Anything relevant – democracy, honesty, integrity, justice, truth or freedom based can appear trite & hackneyed if not actually debased by past associations.

    A possible take is to choose a simple concept, aim or symbol that translates easily in any language along the lines of Mani Pulite – clean hands – anti mafia campaign in the 90s or our own Reclaim the Streets.

    Still can’t come up with a name tho

  14. Hi Golem,

    1) nice pick up on Lem, it’s all about communication.

    2) this blog was about a realistic and ironic look at the current world system (at least I thought so). Better keep it this way lest there will be a connection to an agenda, a plague of MSM. This topic should have a domain of its own.

    3) you got the party idea wrong, so long as we play with the rules of the game. Even if successful, it will be destroyed by changing the rules. Also, keeping a party means we are at same playing level as political parties, which this is not.

    4) if we want to do something, this has to be a movement, which demands representation at European level, outside of the current European regulations. Chances are of course null, but there will be coverage, and a chance for popular adhesion. This has only to take the form of an internet list.

    5) I would adhere and push such enterprise, once we write our goals clearly.

    Gabriel

  15. Or OK democracy. As I posted earlier OK is the most universally recognized word in the World. Heck OK is even easy to do in sign language.

  16. Hello groundedkiwi,

    Thanks. I think we’ll have to pull all the suggestions together and at least whittle them down. Maybe we can even chose one before Monday.

  17. Hello All,

    I have been reading here for a while and I cannot say how delighted I am to see real positive immediate action being talked about.

    I have just a few points to throw in, which I’m going to do all at once in a rush because I can’t always be on here.

    The name.

    I’m with Jon – I liked the 99%, especially because it doesn’t need translating & old dog points out so many of the words relating to democracy have been trashed – just like the kabuki theatre we have today debases the whole concept itself. And then words to do with change often have over tones of unpleasant reforms that were previously instigated. I liked John Souter’s anagram, but then if you have too many words, it ends up sounding like the Life of Brian skit. 99% would also help get you some coverage – it will be a novelty item if nothing else for some filler on 24hrs news. They’ll try and trash it of course but they’re going to do that anyway, that’s a given.

    I also like it because it’s linked to 15 Mayo, the indignados & Occupy. The brings me to the next point I’d like to make.

    Why no link to Occupy.

    I was surprised to note that in your links section there is no link to anything to do with the Occupy/Indignados. I don’t really get the ambivalence on here to that movement, or the idea that it can be pronounced a failure. From what I can gather its a movement that wouldn’t argue with any of your stated goals, which also wants to fndamentally reform the system of democracy as we have it now – i.e. no real choice, but which also wants to promote debate and at least start the conversation about many of the crisises that are world is experiencing or heading towards, and they don’t want those debates to be hamstrung by the same tired old left/right fights.
    These are people who have been brave enough to go and set up a sign in a public place and say ‘I want to talk about this’, and have endured the ridicule of both the public at large, the media and in many cases strong arm policing to try and get points across that the mainstream media simply wants to silence.
    Maybe some people think because the whole system wasn’t instantly toppled that the whole thing can now, just 1 year later, be declared a failure, but I think that shows total lack of knowledge of any successful political movement other than the French & American Revolutions, and they both involved real violence.
    And in they have been doing more than just camping & protesting, there are all sorts of work groups and plans and schemes being set up, to enable people to do precisely what so many on here often call for i.e. to survive outside the system, even the monetary system, except that many of these schemes are aimed at easing the suffering of people who have been shut our of the system, rather than the whole gold guns & tinned food smugness of ‘I’ve provided for my family- so I’m just gonna sit and wait to say told you so to the great unwashed’.
    Yes the movement is mostly students and elderly people, and sort of academic adults, and unemployed adults but that will always be the case when these things start off, not because working people don’t care but because many working adults are constrained by their jobs – not just in terms of time but in terms of professional bodies and the need to be the face for your firm and all the rest of that hoo hah- its takes us a bit longer to make the plunge because we have other people & children tied onto us, its not just selfishness or laziness, or lack of care. But I for one am so glad that movement is there.
    In short I am a great admirer of the movement, I think doing what they do takes real guts, most especially in those countries where the movement is smaller. I cannot say what they would think about electing officials, or if they’d feel more like Gabriel above. I think however, that if there was a list upon which consensus could be formed it would be the one Golem has spelled out and I think that getting a Trojan horse into the actual EU nexus could be a good strategy. Even by simple getting the party going you can drag the political conversation about the crisis back where it belongs – focused on the international monetary system. And for the reasons stated above it would allow another section of the population – the one that can’t or won’t yet paint their face red & march in the streets – an avenue of protest.

    Purity

    No I’m not proposing we all wear promise rings! For the reasons above I think Golem is right to keep the party line focused and straightforward. The media will then have a hard time tearing it to pieces – its so slim! And when they do try they will hopefully be forced to have conversations with well extremely well informed and reasonable adults about the issues they’d much rather sweep under the carpet! Even having that conversation is a win.
    However, you are asking people to vote for a representative, who will presumably be voting on more than just those issues. I never vote on single issues. We have just experienced this in Ireland, quite frequently actually in recent years, where we had people running for the Dail purely in an anti-bail out way and they didn’t exactly sweep the board. So my tentative suggestion is this – that people could be a member of this party but they could also run on other issues, but that those issues wouldn’t be party issues. For instance if a leaflet came in the door in my area (v organic, FT hipsterville, not feeling the recession too sorely yet) with Golem’s party lines on one side and the individual candidates – I’m also running on…and a map of the world showing the disastrous position of extant fish stocks, or say the sneeky relaxing of the GM food rules that FF & the Green party snuch in before they were thrown out – then the map/Gm Food info would draw them in to look and consider the party lines. On the other hand if that leaflet came in the door where my sister lives it would get instant eye-rolls because they won’t even discuss global warming or organic or anything like that. But if that had Mike’s MMT ideas re green construction jobs then they would sit up and take notice because they are being crucified by the recession?

    So as a party nothing would be discussed, except the very slim party lines, but I think you have to let people know what your other values are.It would be a different model of a political party, but I think a much more truly democratic one – I have always been thoroughly exasperated by the idea of the party whip. In this party -only those slim set of ideas would be enforced, but people could be free to promote other areas of change.
    I say this because I think the EU has been probably most beneficial here in Ireland in terms of environmental standards – we would be positively American about it if it was left to our elected politicians – even if they do nominally call themselves ‘Green’. And I just do not think we as a world can put off tackling environmental problems, until this financial mess is solved, we need to do both in tandem.
    So for instance if someone is running on this platform in my area but they are in favour of no government regulations,they just wouldn’t have a hope, and it would come out, no matter what – the media will be angling every which way. Neither would I vote for a goldbug in any shape or form, because I believe that would be result in the most vicious kind of social darwinism if implemented now, and would only result in a soldification of the terrible inequalities the world now has. That’s not to completely trash the argument for a restricted currency – I think that for the future that is an argument worth having – I used to think Guido who posted here before was very eloquent on the problems of untrammelled government – but for now I want a way out that doesn’t involve catastrophe
    like Argentina suffered – I don’t want any child, not here, not in Greece, not in Amercia, not in India – living on rubbish dumps, because the great market is correcting itself, I’d honestly rather stick with the current crowd of crooks, than someone who could be that callous about their fellow countrymen. Ok some of them are that callous, but not all by any means. I think actually think we could inspire a fair bit of back bench revolt.

    Which brings me to my second to last point (if you’ve stuck with me you’re a saint!)

    Implications

    I have no quibble with any of the aims Golem has laid out – but I think it is disingenuous not to think about what happens next. How do you dela with America for instance – I mean I hope and pray that Occupy succeeds in America, but the more realistic among them look on that as a TWENTY year project before a viable third party will be elected – I think we can hope for a shorter timetable because there far great unrest over here – but America the choice is tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee and niether of them are going to take those actions lying down. America scares the fricking hell out of me – genuinely. Those 20 year plans for full spectrum dominance and the New American Century, and the even scarier fact that almost every time you time you turn on the news they moved on to some new step on that plan, or disregarded another bit of their Constitution.

    I think the best solution is to ignore them, while being very aware of how dangerous they are – I mean training everyone to be aware about online issues re privacy and possibly making use of the TOR network for some communications. And then I think the solution lies in building international solidarity – with Amercian Occupy (I hope I don;t sound anti-American here – my concern is the MIC & the extrajudicial killing, we can spy on whoever we like, all the worlds rating agencies are on Wall St, and my possibly irrational fear that some in the MIC would set the world on fire before they’d lose the petrodollar- I find the sight of destitute American’s no less upsetting than the sight of destitute Greeks)
    within Europe, but also most crucially with Latin America, who have a real and vibrant political awakening going on, and from who I think we can learn alot, and the far east and Africa. And this brings me back to my last point that I think – if we want co-operation internationally – and it is my belief that when yo boil it down – we will need that help – then we need to talk about agricultural policies – local food security and sustainable enrgy

  18. Hasn’t this been done before? Wasn’t it called the ‘The Green Party’, a pan-European party with the an environmental agenda? So now, our freedoms need protection for our descendents as well of our environment. OK, with protection in mind, you could call it ‘The Condom Party’. But you probably wouldn’t get on any catholic owned TV stations for debate.
    Instead I suggest using another name: Magna Carta. That’s a name loaded with history and meaning and is about as pan-European as you are going to get (slavic, basque and the celtic fringe excepted).

  19. I have just re watched the FILM Ghandi, I don’t want to bring the tone down to a lightweight level referring to films and such but it seems to me that the non cooperation non violent resistance concept clearly points to not acknowledging the oppressors own institutions? The European Parliament is kind of a double edged sword in that it is window dressing anyhow for a hopelessly undemocratic European State. Being outside of the mainstream political puppet show in national government and regional government almost gets past the hurdle of not submitting to the Rules made up by the oppressive hedgemon. I have read the comments as this idea has progressed and can see how hard it is to remain focused on the Economic issues around the financial skulduggery which most of us are victims of knowingly or unknowingly.
    I must admit that the wish to do something almost overwhelms, although,in the same way the huge discipline it took those using non violent civil disobedience not to retaliate it was clearly worthwhile in the end I am torn as to acknowledging any form of Government even where My purpose is to dismantle it at leas to a Local cooperative level. ( Clearly now is no time and this no place for Dogma )

    As we are fighting financial colonialism I thought watching Ghandi might have thrown up a few ideas or questions sadly as yet it has just left me feeling very uncomfortable I was struck that in many ways we have an invisible Foe. Perhaps we could be the Movement of Gyges Conscience.? With a Golden Ring as our Logo. The Bankers clearly feel they are cloaked in invisibility and show that they are indeed enslaved to their own appetities for power and control.

    Gyges Ring and Golem in Lord of the rings is a neat fit too?

  20. Roger

    Gandhi obviously had an enemy that nobody could miss, whether it was South African racism or British colonialism , when it comes to an invisible enemy I think of the machines in the Matrix. The vast majority being drained & totally unaware of it.

    I like the name Phoenix, there is a kind of Irish version of Private Eye, that goes by the same name:

    http://www.thephoenix.ie/phoenix/welcome.do

    1. Stevie, yes Ghandi could see his oppressor and so could 350 million Indians still the british bequeathed a weakened divided sub continent the parting gift Pakistan and India, one wonders if that divide and rule colonial mentality and spitefullness is hidden in that.
      For us lot there’s Austerity which our goverments tell us the markets require. The Markets being the invisible culprit but what to do?
      500 Million European citizens and how many know what it is that is causing their anxiety and threatening their peace? The symbol of repression ? what is it? Austerity and what embodies itś futility and hopelessness, demanded by The Markets so Government borrowing costs remain sustainable,

      We don’t want the opposite of Austerity or at least being called that would be a bit
      silly but we definitely want enough and have had enough. The equibvalent of Ghandi Making Salt is alternative currencies Mutuals credit unions that sort of thing another thing would be to transact as much as possible in Cash as the banks have to buy it at face value from the Treasury ( thats probably why they hate it so much. ( by the way have you seen the latest apologia for Banks and the hidden costs of free Banking stuff , made me choke on me corn flakes )anyway just rambling now, ( Screaming 2 year old alert too must fly!)

  21. Sorry ,

    I have one last and I hope actually helpful point – in terms of reaching out I often had the idea to print one of these articles off 100 times, drop it into the first 20 letterboxed and attach a note saying – if you agree could you copy and post to next twenty people?

    It just so many of us have copiers in our homes now – and photocopies in a local newsagents aren’t prohibitively expensive. Its away for people to get involved that doesn’t feel as alienated as just clicking ‘like’ or even donating money into some unknown pot – and crucially -I think if it is at all possible, then big business donors should be avoided – their ethics & past & present actions always get tagged onto whatever – I think we should really try to make this people led – even if it means setting a limit on possible donations. A big glossy leaflet raises instant suspicions, who are these people – what’s they’re real agenda -all that. But a well designed black & white leaflet – with crucial and informative web-links – delivered door to door could be very valuable. In the run up to the Lisbon Treaty (mark 1) the coverage in the media was biased to a Yes vote by an article ratio of 7:2 by my estimate, but the NO campaign delivered a well put together, rational, reasonable leaflet that was delivered nationwide -and was I think crucial in that win – even though it didn’t last long.

    For this site or the campaign site what I would cheekily recommend is a timeline. One poster here once asked for a diagram, and he kinds got shot down, but I think diagrams will be needed. What I would love is a timeline that would link key events since say deregulation right up to the quagmire we’re in today – and that rather than try to cram things into a diagram or video that those posts would be linked to the most clear and concise article on that situation – either here or on some other site- in fact preferably on a range of sites – to open up the debate & people’s minds with it, rather than the traditional method of trying to filter info through one ..eh.. filter. So say I get someone interested in this idea – then there is one source page for someone who needs to get caught up on the whole thing. There is a treasure trove of blogs and links here but I don’t see everybody having the time to trawl through the archives.

    Anyway those are my two cents on that, I am just going to finish my referring to the mmt/gold debate that has raged, reasonably civilly really, here recently. I think an interesting debate could be had for the merits of each as a long term solution but for now here is how I see it – austerity,and the Washington Consensus policies act as both ramp and rampart for the 1%, squashing more people down more firmly so that the 1% percent can have something firm to fall onto in the future, seeing as the ground they’re standing on has got a bit shaky, and ideally leaving even fewer people who can ever climb out of that ravine and start demanding space on the mountaintop.
    A switch to gold would act like an earthquake,topplin g everything that wasn’t standing on somethin very solid – but here’s the thing do you really think the 1%, the Jamie Dimon, the Llloyd e-do you really think they haven’t found them selves something solid to stand on – do you think they have hedged they’re own personal risks with solid gold, land, rare earths & all that?. What would fall are governments – all around – not politicians, at least not all -but governments, which is why the idea is so attractive to Ron Paul & the like, and others who I feel don’t want this to end with any less than a spectacular catastrophe., likewise the Banks would fall but the Bankers themselves? – not likely. In an ideal world, taxes would prop up governments but we don’t live in an ideal or theoretical world, we lie in this one. I think long term of course fixing taxation, and moving to no growth is the answer but I ‘m not sure that in this short term that will work – it would need far -reaching international co-operations, including America and a revision (much needed) of all those hundreds of trade agreements – so for this short term where we face two interconnected crises – financial & environmental – I like Mike’s MMT solution – but it is a dangerous idea unless properly performed so we must concurrently reform our democracy so I don’t think anyone who supports it should be against anything in Golem’s platform.

    So I’ll just end with saying a special thanks, to Golem for the blog, and to Stevie, Mike, John Souter & in particular Charles Wheeler for filling in the hiatus’s between posts and because between you, you’ve opened up a whole new interwebs for me with your valuable links. Thanks so much

    Oh and just to be 100% clear I would still have no problem with say a total libertarian goldbug running with this platform, I wouldn’t vote for him personally, but I would have no problem with someone I elected collaborating with him in the EU to get Golem’s platform passed, or being in the same loose party with him. Its just that if I was electing someone to the EU there are other things that are equally important and urgent to me as this platform

  22. I think all of you guys essentially are talking about LEFT WING POLITICS. Why can’t you just say it !!! lol
    The left coalition party headed by Alexis Tsipras in Greece is working on all the things mentioned above.
    Ok, hear me out. SYRIZA means “SYnaspismos/coalition of the RIZospastiki/Radical Aristera/Left. It was boosted in the last election in Greece by the indignados and the Occupy-ers, who are to a big degree leftists, as well as voters of the old political establishment who were disillusioned and to a great degree even right wing and was brought to the position of being the 2nd party in Parliament. What Syriza wants to do is to renegotiate the entire European Agreement going further back than Maastricht. It wants to recreate the European Ideal that had the people at its core, before the banks took over. It tries to do so by collaborating with other left wing political entities not only in Greece but in Europe too. Their biggest allies are the French radical left (both the party of Melenchon and the French Communist Party (without whose voters Hollande wouldn’t be President today) as well as the Die Linke party of Germany. Together they have made Europe shake, let alone the markets! Supporting an existing European attempt and effort is more productive than creating a new “party” with a catchy name! Supporting the left in Europe whose efforts for democracy and equality were not allowed to be applied for a whole century but now is finding a way to finally be there and apply its self, is a lot more realistic and as I believe justifiable. After all, when nothing goes right go left!

    1. Shahar,

      The central issue on this blog has been focussed on the corruption of the present economic putsch by the bankers of all of our democracies. The process in Greece clearly the most advanced, what T F happened in Italy, now a subsidiary of Goldman sachs , is another story.

      I think most of us as Golem has made quite clear in the article and his proposal would welcome a return to democracy where left rigt differences and representitive government actually argued real issues and different approaches to providing soical justice which is not in the most virtuos iterations of left or right poilitics absent from the stated objectives.

      reålacing one political elite in the pay of fiat pay masters with another is not the objective of reforming first and foremost the monetary system.

      Sometimes in music it is said that the Devil has all the best tunes I don thibnk its true in Music and certainly not in politics.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uKOX0Q3yhk

  23. Jimmy The Pict

    You could go with ‘The Majority Party’, that is what the 99% are, and it gives it a nice ring when announced that a seat was won by ‘The Majority Party’

  24. As I just said in response to stevefinn re the name on the last thread:

    ‘DRP Democratic Reform Party
    GRP Global Reform Party

    I like the word reform; indeed it is one of the items, along with democracy itself, that I would like to take back from the 1% and its court.’

    I take the point upstream about terms whose meanings have been twisted by the elite and its apparatchiks for their own agendas, but I would rather reclaim them, re-assert their actual meaning than defer to the ubiquity of their debasement. Most of the actions carried out in the last few decades under the banner of ‘reform’ would more accurately answer to the word ‘deform’ if the metric was their effect on the majority. If the thrust for change we all hope for bears fruit, we will have achieved reform in deed so why not use the word?

    For me, the driver of any successful effort for change needs to concentrate not so much on goals as on rules. To plagiarise myself again (this time from an Occupy thread on Naked Capitalism):

    ‘The OWS focus should not be on issues, but on political structures. Not the message, the medium. Not the outcomes, but the mechanisms. Not the destination, but the road.

    If you distil the movement in issues, you (a) provide a target-rich environment to the enemy to either attack or co-opt, and (b) saddle yourself with built-in obsolescence – the issue du jour (or annee) is dealt with more or less satisfactorily, then what? Move on to the next wish on the list? So that you can be plausibly accused of just making it up as you go along?

    Much as I personally want money out of politics, auditable elections, public banking, fraud prosecutions, clawback and closure of offshore havens, a Tobin tax, TBTF and Glass Steagall, reform of law and economics, and so on, I now realise the best method for their eventual realisation is a massive bottom-up movement of the re-assertion of democratic rights, not a rally round this issue or that, which is open to division and patch-queering and merely temporal. We need permanent, so that we, then our children, have the political architecture, the democratic infrastructure to fight the next battle, and the one after that, without having to risk life and limb storming the barricades on each and every occasion.’

    This morning I read a wise comment somewhere about the student protests in Quebec, to the effect that the protests, with the reactionary help of a panicked authoritarian 1%-er government, have morphed from marches against a tripling of tuition fees to a much broader movement, which is now primarily about the right to protest, the democratic right of dissent. In other words, it is an expression of mass desire for genuine democracy, the fees being simply the particular tinder (among many potential candidates) which lit the fuse (if that makes any sense)

    If the protests were just fee-driven, a strategic backtrack from the government would neuter it, or kill it altogether. Everyone would go home happy, or at least happier. But such a move now would be seen for what it would be, a ploy, a time-gaining distraction, the concession of a village so that the nation beyond can be stormed. In the same way, I’m not sure a party aimed at solutions to what ails us now will serve into the future, unless it emphasises means over motives. If the focus is on enhancement of the mechanisms thru which our reps govern on our behalf rather than the achievement of this cherished outcome or that, we are far more likely to bring our rednecked uncle and gun-loving neighbour and local society matron with us. And therefore closer to a genuine 99%.

    ‘the party must be focussed on those things we agree upon at the start and MUST remain a broad church. Do NOT let other beliefs even if you agree with them’

    That’s where it gets hard. We can all agree that banking needs to be reformed (that word again) or even shackled, but when you begin totting up preferred lists of the ways this could be done you open the door to the genii who will zero in on the devils in all that detail, either driven by their own beliefs, or secretly in the service of those most threatened. Splinters are then inevitable. Partisan divisions will arise where none currently exist.

    The beauty and effectiveness of Occupy, at the start anyway, was precisely its articulation of dissent rather than any particular blight it was against, or any particular prophylactic or ameliorative action it was for. They simply said ‘this isn’t working, the system has failed, it needs fixing. let’s talk about how to do that’ The 1%er owned MSM wrung its hands about the movements’ lack of agenda, partly in the hope of provoking one, which they could then tear to shreds. The left wing of the ruling party was tasked with infiltrating the thing with ‘organisers’ loaded up with agendas and they appear unfortunately to have done a pretty good job in dissipating the tide of anger into rivulets of mere digruntlement.

    So if this movement is to widen globally and become a feature rather than a temporary bug of the system (a good bug mind, like you find in yoghurt) – if all the awesome power embedded in the anger of normal people everywhere is to be utilised rather than wasted, I think it must look at having at the base level of its mission a commitment to the installation of a real-time democracy, not the ‘here is your one chance in 4 years to hold your representatives’ feet to the fire’ type of arrangement we have now. We need to be able to register approval or disapproval on any major issue at any time, with that preference forming part of a daily interface between representatives and constituents, using Google-style ranking technologies on a transparently open source platform. The level of support or otherwise among constituents for the proposals or actions of their representatives would be public and immediate, ensuring a greater degree of political fealty to public rather than special interests.

    And that requires the internet, the global continuation of which requires governance on a national scale – so while more local, decentralised dependence for food and energy etc makes sense, I cannot go all the way down the anti-statist road, because provision of the necessary communication infrastructure cannot be organised and maintained on a local level.

    We were fed a line when the net began about the political promise inherent in the technology of the ‘information superhighway’ but while technology helped In Cairo and Athens and Madrid, we are further now than we were then from real democratic progress in a global sense. The tech is now of course being utilised against us. But it seems to me essential to any decent future that people with shared concerns and imperatives across national borders can organise politically. As someone pointed out further up, the elite has globalised itself into one entity but we cannot, being siloed in our respective polities, all now subservient to, indeed a subset of, that new global power elite. In a world where even relatively powerful sovereign nations are at the mercy of the 1%, what hope does an Individual party have?

    But the answer for me lies not so much in a party that goes global virally, on a tide of righteous anger, as in a global effort to have the means, the tools for genuine democracy embedded in our infrastructure, permanently.

    1. I like the GRP (Global Reform Party) name perhaps with the universally recognized word O.K. as a logo in various forms.

  25. Congratulations Golem. A good idea.

    My tuppence hapenny. I think Phoenix is too clever. I quite like Democracy but what about adding “for all” in the local language to whatever international word you choose.

  26. Stuck this on the previous blog post about this but thought it was more relevant here-

    “Not got time to read all the comments but I ofund this interesting about the German Pirate Party.
    They are structured in a very participatory way – this gives some insight.

    http://bollier-host1.gaiahost.net/blog/liquidfeedback-what-genuine-democratic-process-looks

    I think that the state of affairs of our political system points to great faults with its reperesentative model and that Liquid Feedback (read the article above) could point towards the answer.

    I also found this article, about the future of democracy, fascinating – well worth a read

    http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/speroni20120427

    1. Deiza,

      The Pirate Party is one of the things I had in mind when coming up with this suggestion. I think they can teach us valuable lessons. Look at how quickly they spread.

  27. I understand what you are trying to do and why (I think) but have any of you actually talked to ordinary voters to see if they would vote for such a party? You’ll need to get 10 -15% at least in a European constituency on average, to get a seat. Most people (a) don’t vote (and however good your platform you’ll have a hard time convincing them) or (b) always vote for the same party. So you’ll be targeting the minority who want to vote and think it’s worth voting for someone else. The Green Party already have seats in the European Parliament and their voters plus Socialists are the most likely to understand your position. So you risk splitting the vote and getting fewer than ever decent people in the parliament. So talk to lots of ordinary people and look hard at the voting arithmetic. You might better achieve your aims by persuading the Green Party Europe-wide to adopt them.

  28. Network Party.

    The Network is a connection of souls around the world with awarness of the manipulation of money from one of The Seven Deadly Sins. Greed.

    The aim of the Network is to install in the minds of men that this is unacceptable.

    All earlier programs did not install properly and will corrupt new install.

    We need software engineers to write clear code.

    Then the Network can install.

    The Network must perform.

    All other programs must be shut down while software installs.

    Reboot.

  29. I have spent some time thinking about it and I think the following name accurately and wholly represents who we are:

    The Monetary Reform Party

    It is all encompassing, open and most importantly, well informed on all aspects fiscal – the history, the mistakes, the successes… the future.

    If, “Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory,” then how can this be when ‘the borrower is forever servant to the lender’…?

    Sovereignty has been lost via the control of the quantity of money in the system.

    The Monetary Reform Party knows why the electorate at large is not responding to a political system that has become jaded by self interest. The Monetary Reform Party has been forged to restore faith in our monetary system in a democratic fashion.

    A vote for The Monetary Reform Party is a vote for placing the power of the creation of money in the hands of the people.

    I kinda think that is who we are. Probably is already a registered party by that name. Maybe I am way off though. 🙂 I just think that if you tell people thecurrent failures and true evils of this world, they will see why the name is right and just. There is no need to make us seem something we are not. Who we are is good enough.

    I think the aim should be long term, for once a great job has been done a name change is possible. I believe a party such as this is a great asset to any nation – to keep the bastards honest. A constant, and a place where people can turn to in future times of need.

    An option we currently do not have – but ought to have.

  30. http://cluborlov.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/sustainable-living-as-religious.html
    Interesting post by Orlov, although not directly related to this subject, other than in, what is the best way forward right now. I particularly like his points about how modern society has created a system whereby people need ‘money’ to buy food and shelter, and in turn have lost these basic skills to provide these directly through specialisation. I share his view that the current systems and structures that form part of modern day society, are under threat and are probably incapable of responding to the changing needs in a world of ‘post growth’. Politicians and financial parasites will seek to preserve the status quo even if it fails because it gives them power. But what will fill the vacuum. Could ‘religion’ fill the gap? It certainly has an ability to pull communities together, and provide them with the support to survive, by pooling skills and sharing basic requirements. Whatever the way forward the two most important requirements will be ‘sustainability’ and ‘resilience’. We need to be more in tune with the planet and our impact on it needs to respectful. If not the planet will survive, but we may not.

  31. @David & Co.

    This is my first post but I think David deserves some moral support, if nothing else, for taking the plunge and proposing such an initiative. My first recommendation would be that you stick to David’s original suggestion and adopt the name 99%. The proposed political party does afterall have more in common with the Occupy movement, and also with the umbrella movement known as “% attac”, than with any traditional parties of the left or right. Unfortunately, any name you can think of with words like “democracy” or “people” or “international” has already been used and abused ad nauseam.
    I assume that this blog is read mostly in the UK and Ireland, so if you are serious about building a European movement, and I hope you are, the first real task is to form alliances with existing international networks. The Occupy movement is obviously one of the first ports of call, but I wondered if you are aware of the group called “attac” which is already well-established in several countries on the continent but not so much in the UK and Ireland. http://www.attac.org/. They are very well-organised, especially in Germany and France, and share many of the goals outlined in your manifesto.

    1. I agree, 99% says it all in all languages. It reminds me of the powerful use numbers were put to by the 7:84 theatre company.

      It’s a little disappointing to read the often rambling and half-hearted comments above; it seems people have more to contribute when there’s no practical element to engage with. I’d like to offer what support I can, and do anything within my means in a practical way. Beyond a miniscule contribution to the funds to help with translation, this hasn’t amounted to much so far, but surely it’s important to support these positive proposals, and stop looking for reasons why it won’t work!

  32. Hi David

    Following with interest.

    My suggestion for a name would be “Epoch” which hits the nail on the head in terms of message and seems to be phonetically similar in most northern and Latin European countries.

    Also, do you have any plans to accept Bitcoin donations? It just strikes me that, for all the debate on the subject, it really has the potential to evolve into a realistic alternative medium of exchange as our existing ones dissolve into worthless mulch.

    I’m sure the ever expanding Bitcoin community would take interest in a political party that shares this nascent technology’s ideals. And bypassing bank payment systems can never be a bad thing can it?

  33. David, whatever you call the party, im in. I can assist with web space and anything web related.

    Lets do this. Its given me a spring in my step since you first proposed it.

  34. Thinking about a name that might be pan European and fit the ethos , I suggest a modified version of the Latin phrase ” recapture the ground ” . Recapiterra . It would separate the rent seekers from the rest of us and give a rallying cry. The name might just make a few more people think how the system really works and for whom.
    I hope you like it or if not it gives you a steer towards who needs to be the mainstay of the new party.

  35. Have any of you guys had a look at IOPS? It’s a website set up by Michael Albert of ZNet which is an attempt to provide an online organization to supplement, combine with and sustain Occupy.
    Chomsky and David Harvey are members among others.
    http://www.iopsociety.org/

    you should have a look at it

  36. Herbert Hubert

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy How about ‘Merit’, it’s simple and should essentially define what any reasonable form of government should be about. I would blame most of our problems today on the fact that we live in a system which rewards the least meritorious. Most wealth (or life chances in general) are passed on from generation to generation, it’s an elitist system which needs to be curbed to allow a modicum of equal opportunity. Nobody should be allowed to earn more than 20 times the rate of the bottom paid.

  37. If you are going international then a short delay to allow international contributions re the name would be a good idea.
    I feel it does need to be different to allow it to stand out and be easily recognisable. Democracy does not fit and it is a widely used word, even as part of the Liberal Democrats, and you wouldn’t want that confusion. Monetary Reform is logical but not very international. The problem with 99% is that it is strongly connected to Occupy and many people have already got used to ridiculing the term, but I do think that it could easily be incorporated into a logo.
    Going back to my first point, I think we could find some good suggestions from other countries perhaps relating to existing groups. Building on top of something that already exists cam be useful. We do need to think about the Greens, but also about the Doctors who are intending to stand for election. If we could get the doctors to stand uner our banner it would be a quick way to get some quality candidates.

  38. I like “Phoenix” too – and it comes with a built-in emblem, theme tune (Firebird) and lots of cool associations. You probably need a subtitle like “Restoring Our Democracies” for those people who don’t know what a phoenix is.

    And yes, tight focus, broad church, welcomes left and right, pan-European, international. After the media slaughtering Occupy got for “not having a clear agenda”, you need a clear and very concise manifesto published at launch so there’s no ambiguity. Crowdfunding!

    Logo would be cool – screensavers, etc.

  39. A word from the opposition.

    Nial Ferguson certainly doesn get mty vote in his whiole abnal’ysis here he just doesn mention private banks their role in money supply and the idiocy of Governments financing spending via private banks. Sadly no comments section ion the article. This has the whiff of the propaganda spin machine getting into motion.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-18456131

  40. I made a video this afternoon just a remionder of what life is all about including hab’ving a nice Vegtable Patch. Monty Donn did a very good programme about gardens in Cuba which were a life line to many in the harder days of Cuba under the blockade.

    ANyway Heres the John Deere Rag.

    http://youtu.be/iW5YxVq0RqU

  41. I recorded this in November 2010, Things have got worse.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skx2oiVT3TE

    WHat is encouraging is that if you look at this link in the video to various sources regarding Money and the root of the problem there is Now a wider availability of critical analysis of the system and I believ greater willingness to hear from non main stream endorsed critics ( are any critcs really endorsed)?

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gRasNkkeIyl9eiR1-z9X2_bMeIkL22U4qJBK6681MNI/edit?hl=en

    David I think this initiatives time has come Hope you had a good trip away and look forward to the next steps.

  42. Anonymous (no, not them)

    Sophrosyne

    Ancient Greek word for a philosophical concept of balanced sanity.
    Wikipedia’s got it down as “conceptually the opposite of hubris”, which is cute and if you say it enough times, it stops sounding like a treatment for a urinary tract infection and starts to sound almost like a geological age.
    Also, well….Greek.

    And thanks for running this place.

  43. I have read the recent articles and the extent of and quality of analysis available here on Davids site couple with the reference links of the many active and visiting contributors point to an ever clearer picture of the Money Elite problem.

    Many here have studied these subjects in great depth we all have been impacted by the system and have our own experiences of its Bounties and punishments. I remain frustrated as to how one combats the indifference, fear and denial that remains as the outward and admitted perceptions of many people.

    I have read often here of others encountering the eyes of their friends glazing over and the uncomfortable impression given “Oh please not that again´´ .

    I have tried through writing songs and participating in other areas from my Hobbies of Music and philosophy to get into the mind set of my peer groups and so forth and introduce new angles and perspectives. I have been banned from the Economics Group of the Economist In Linked in, I have been banned from the My Les Paul Guitar Forum and also from the Gibson Forums. I have not been rude or aggressive or even overtly political I have merely refused to conform to the apathetic stance or subscribed to the acceptable Line. ´´I saw a swallow once and summer is upon us always.

    The challenge is increasingly to break the hypnotic spell. I have spent several hours reading up on the psychology of group dynamics.

    This essay particularly. ( and Wikipedia and various other references pointed to there).

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/7168803/Adorno-Freudian-Theory-and-the-Pattern-of-Fascist-Propaganda#

    Freudian Theory and pattern of Fascist Propaganda.

    This is the ultimate root of the otherwise enigmatic
     personalization
    of fascist
    propaganda, its incessant plugging of names and supposedly great men, instead of 
    discussing objective causes. The formation of the imagery of an omnipotent and unbridled
    father figure, by far transcending the individual father and therewith apt to be enlarged into
    a »group ego,« is the only way to promulgate the »passive-masochistic attitude … to whom
    one’s will has to be surrendered,« an attitude required of the fascist follower the more his
    political behaviour becomes irreconcilable with his own rational interests as a private person
    as well as those of the group or c
    lass
    to which he actually belongs.
    12

    They fail to develop an independent autonomous
    conscience and substitute for it an identification with collective authority which is as irrational as Freud
    described it, heteronomous, rigidly oppressive, largely alien to the individuals’ own thinking and, therefore,
    easily exchangeable in spite of its structural rigidity. The phenomenon is adequately expressed in the Nazi
    formula that what serves the German people is good. The pattern reoccurs in the speeches of American fascist
    demagogues who never appeal to their prospective followers’ own conscience but incessantly invoke external,
    conventional, and stereotyped values which are taken for granted and treated as authoritatively valid without
    ever being subject to a process of living experience or discursive examination

    The Fascists, down to the last smalltime demagogue, continuously
    emphasize ritualistic ceremonies and hierarchical differentiations. The less hierarchy within
    the setup of a highly rationalized and quantified industrial society is warranted, the more
    artificial hierarchies with no objective
    raison d’être
    are built up and rigidly imposed by
    Fascists for purely psycho-technical reasons.

    Hitler’s famous formula,
    Verantwortung nach
    oben, Autorität nach unten
    , (responsibility towards above, authority towards below) nicely
    rationalizes this character’s ambivalence.

    This is the line pursued by the agitators’ standard »unity trick.« They emphasize their being
    different from the outsider but play down such differences within their own group and tend
    to level out distinctive qualities among themselves with the exception of the hierarchical
    one. »We are all in the same boat;« nobody should be better off; the snob, the intellectual,
    the pleasure seeker are always attacked. The undercurrent of malicious egalitarianism, of 
    the
    brotherhood of all-comprising humiliation, is a component of fascist propaganda and
    Fascism itself. It found its symbol in Hitler’s notorious command of the
     Eintopfgericht 
    .

     
    18
    orality: language itself, devoid of its rational significance, functions in a magical way and
    furthers those archaic regressions which reduce individuals to members of crowds. Since
    this very quality of uninhibited but largely associative speech presupposes at least a
    temporary lack of ego control, it may well indicate weakness rather than strength. The
    fascist agitators’ boasting of strength is indeed frequently accompanied by hints at such
    weakness, particularly when begging for monetary contributions – hints which, to be sure,
    are skillfully merged with the idea of strength itself

    This standardization, in turn, falls in line with stereotypical thinking, that is to say,
    with the »stereopathy« of those susceptible to this propaganda and their infantile wish for
    endless, unaltered repetition. It is hard to predict whether the latter psychological
    disposition will prevent the agitators’ standard devices from becoming blunt through
    excessive application. In national

    socialist Germany, everybody used to make fun of certain
    propagandistic phrases such as »blood and soil,« (
     Blut und Boden), jokingly called Blubo or the concept of the
    Nordic race from which the parodistic verb
    aufnorden
    , (to»northernize«) was derived. Nevertheless, these appeals do not seem to have lost their
    attractiveness. Rather, their very »phonyness« may have been relished cynically and
    sadistically as an index for the fact that power alone decided one’s fate in the Third Reich,
    that is, power unhampered by rational objectivity.

     The continuous danger of war inherent in Fascism spells
    destruction and the masses are at least preconsciously aware of it. Thus, Fascism does not
    altogether speak the untruth when it refers to its own irrational powers, however faked the
    mythology which ideologically rationalizes the irrational may be. Since it would be
    impossible for Fascism to win the masses through rational arguments, its propaganda must
    necessarily be deflected from discursive thinking; it must be oriented psychologically, and
    has to mobilize irrational, unconscious, regressive processes.

    Although
    the Fascist agitator doubtlessly takes up certain tendencies within those he addresses, he
    does so as the mandatory of powerful economic and political interests. Psychological
    dispositions do not actually cause Fascism; rather, Fascism defines a psychological area
    which can be successfully exploited by the forces which promote it for entirely
    nonpsychological reasons of self 

    interest. What happens when masses are caught by Fascist
    propaganda is not a spontaneous primary expression of instincts and urges but a quasi-
    scientific revitalization of their psychology

    He defines the realm of psychology by the supremacy of the unconscious
    and postulates that what is it should become ego. The emancipation of man from the
    heteronomous rule of his unconscious would be tantamount to the abolition of his
    »psychology.« Fascism furthers this abolition in the opposite sense through the
    perpetuation of dependence instead of the realization of potential freedom, through
    expropriation of the unconscious by social control instead of making the subjects conscious
    of their unconscious. For, while psychology always denotes some bondage of the individual,
    it also presupposes freedom in the sense of a certain self-sufficiency and autonomy of the
    individual. It is not accidental that the nineteenth century was the great era of psychological
    thou
    ght. In a thoroughly reified society, in which there are virtually no direct relationships
    between men, and in which each person has been reduced to a social atom, to a mere
    function of collectivity, the psychological processes, though they still persist in each
    individual, have ceased to appear as the determining forces of the social process.

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/7168803/Adorno-Freudian-Theory-and-the-Pattern-of-Fascist-Propaganda#

    I am not trying to get a focus on the Fascist, left right binary narrative. a key paragraph from the ones I highlight above is.

    The fascist agitators’ boasting of strength is indeed frequently accompanied by hints at such weakness, particularly when begging for monetary contributions – hints which, to be sure, are skilfully merged with the idea of strength itself.

    I am acutely aware that we have formed here an in group and need to be careful not to fall prey to the tendency to desert the rational and objective so as to bolster our own group esteem . The problem being of curse that marginalisation is the stock in trade of the hegemonic power structures that have the momentum of a divided and conquered populace distracted and fearfully rejecting anything strange or seemingly weak.

    My view is that there is no other option but than to step into the lions den and place the facts in the mainstream this needs to be done with a sort of Buddy system to avoid a sort of martyrdom. A leadership study I just read states that leaders emerge from within groups after trust is gained and acceptance by the group is first necessary before new ideas can be proposed and accepted.

    I have encountered a subtle crack down on my own online activities in this regard what I am saying is we need to enter the blogosphere and wider real life groups and back each other up almost as sort of vigilante guerilla groups doing it individually we are easily isolated and reason is not a force that issues as currency in the propagandised smog of popular avatar existence.

    I realise David that some were less than enthusiastic about this initiative , what news is there of it ? there is a requirement and it is very urgent. My bell weathers are chiming alarmingly. The banks are getting quite aggressive again and of course as well as watching Greece we should be aware of the problem of Israeli/Us aggression towards Iran.

    Forgive the stream of consciousness but one needs to reach out sometimes when one feels weary and helpless and for me it is one of those times. But i do have hope and courage in my heart as well as love for how I believe the world and people really are.

    1. Hello Roger,

      Perhaps we should talk at more length privately as well as publically? You can email me at the address in my profile and then we can skype if you wish.

      The psychological aspect you delve in to is interesting. I would suggest, if you are really interested in this aspect, that you get hold of a copy of Iain McGilchrist’s book The Master and his Emissary. In my opinion it is quite brilliant and important.

      It provideds another very powerful lens and one which suggests ways forward.

      As for your suggestions about moving out in to other groups – yes, I agree but as you have already found out is usually a very delicate and often very difficult and frustrating task which meets oposition and suspicion at every step.

      We are building a group and power relations both within and without any group become important. Odd as it may sound I firmly believe politeness is an important, very often over-looked corrective and defence against the emergence of fascistic, bullying petty tyrants.

      A lack of politeness towards rthose who disagree a lack of manners in discussions is the first, and for me, best early warning that I should be wary of someone.

      I know it sounds slightly twee, but long experience has taught me that twee though it may sound it is rarely wrong.

      Anyway you sound as if you could do with a chat. So contact me if you wish.
      As for the party idea it is not dead but waiting for its moment. Landslides happen but only when they are ready.

  44. Thanks for the book recommendation David, I will read that with interest.
    It would be great to Skype if you have time. Essentially I am retired, (although looking for something to do here in Sweden as I have a need for income these days as my UK interests have some what withered and died on the vine.), so I have a lot of time which I spend reading and playing music. I started reading Das Kapital last week and it will keep me going for a while, I have followed David Harvey´s course on line again having time is wonderful except it makes one acutely aware of how precious time is for others Juggling work and Family life.
    The Land slide will be welcome when it comes, always remembering about being careful what one wishes for.
    Thanks for your kind message.( On politeness I absolutely agree ) I was rather hot headed as a younger man, and that way always found me plenty of trouble.

    1. Roger,

      Apologies for butting in, but I’ve also followed David Harvey’s course on Capital vol 1 and found it very engaging. I’m now tackling what he does for vols 2 and 3. I am keen to understand what Marx meant by ‘fictitious capital’ when analysing finance capital and the credit system.
      You might be interested in this talk that Harvey gave on the future of capitalism to the Penn Humanities Forum last year:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYzKsiev43Q&feature=g-vrec
      I find David Harvey’s approach, combining history and geography as well as (Marxist) economics insightful, although it does lead to a pessimistic view of the immediate future for the 99% and the long term future for everyone.

      On the subject of politeness, when I watched the documentary film ‘Just Do It’ about UK climate activists, I was immediately attracted to the notion of ‘civilised disobedience’ as advocated by the woman who believes in serving cups of tea at demonstrations (it’s the British way).
      http://justdoitfilm.com/

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