Solving the Unsolved Problems – the failure of democracy?

Mark Triffit, at The Conversation, suggests that there is an increasing disengagement by the citizens from the democratic process with a increasing lack of trust in politicians.

Specifically he writes:

There is a growing “representativeness gap” in Australian politics, for instance, with major parties organised around narrow, ideologically driven policy and “culture war” debates.

These parties are increasingly dominated by former political advisers and career party functionaries with comparatively little life experience. This comes at a time when occupational, gender and life-experience diversity is increasing in society at a rapid rate.

A recipe for disaster. However the embedded video goes further suggesting that citizenship (called activism) cannot  address the unresolved problems.  This is the video called “Democracy in Crisis”:

vimeo.com/211293981

The following problems have been solved, or so it is claimed:

1. Slavery.
2. Serfdom.
3. Civil Rights.
4. Colonialism.
5. Women’s Suffrage.
6. Russian Communism.

A laughable list of problems purportedly solved by democracy.

The unresolved problems is more interesting:

1.  Poverty.
2. War (including nuclear weapon disarmament).
3. Corruption.
4. Discrimination.
5. Large Recessions.
6. High Economic Inequality.
7. Environmental sustainability.
8. Climate Change.

These problems are not being solved with Nation States and the international order established following World War II, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Nuremberg Judgement and the Rights of the Child, seems to have broken down. The solution may be in part a democracy that extends beyond the borders of the nation state? That might be wishful thinking. The Chinese, for example, are unlikely to adopt democracy any time some, other than in Hong Kong. Still we are world citizens, and should not we act like it?

Reference:

The prevasice social media, in its various forms is impacting the political landscape. However, as he usually does, George Monbiot in The Guardian (via Blogtariat), makes a good case in relation to dark money. I regard the attack on climate science as scandalous and criminal. If the choice is coal or electricity, we have to go without electricity. There are viable renewable energy options.