Any general strike poses a danger to constitutional government by offering a path to political power that short-circuits the normal rules of the political game that everyone else has been playing by. That is why, whenever a government permits itself to be influenced by the tactics of the general strike, it is unwittingly preparing for its own dissolution -- it is de-legitimatising itself by legitimatising the streets. The moment people believe that the traditional rules of the political game get them nowhere, and that the most effective means of procuring what they want is by taking to the streets, then everyone, sooner or later, will end up taking to the streets, and no one will see any point in playing by the old traditional rules of the political game.
In many ways, the key to the stability of those nations founded on Anglo-Saxon political institutions has been their refusal to permit political decisions to be decided in the streets, and their stern insistence that change could come about only through the ballot box and not by manning the barricades. Unfortunately, many Americans today, on both the right and left, have come to look upon masses of people filling the streets with their protests and demands as a healthy exercise in democracy. In fact, once those who control the streets learn that they can force governments to change their policies, or even to bring down governments altogether, then power automatically goes to whatever group can be most effective in organizing the streets to their own ends, at which point constitutional government simply ceases to exist, and the rule of the survival of the fittest comes into force.
That was written by Lee Harris at TCS Daily. Read all the rest Here.
3 comments:
See, that's what I've been thinking and saying too- just not in such an eloquent way.
Overpopulation dilutes democracy. When you have only two political parties representing 298 million people, you don't have a democracy, you have a plutocracy. There are the same number of senators representing far many more people today than say, 1959. Americans who take to the streets understand that their government has been hijacked by the almighty dollar, that their votes are being manipulated at the Diebold voting booth and they are frustrated. Their visual presence is a sign of their refusal to stick their head in the sand and just go away. Try watching "Orwell Rolls In His Grave" to understand what is really happening and why people are taking to the streets.
Another non-reading propaganda spouter. Thanks for your pointless waste of my time. Did you even bother following the link?
Nice blather point "Overpopulation dilutes democracy" Over-rationalization dilutes communication.
Do you even know what country you are talking about? Bills originate in the House of Representatives which is proportional to population, silly.
Those weren't Americans taking to the streets they were illegal immigrants out to wave the mexican flag in our faces. Their artificially engineered presence in the streets was an insult intended to further polarize the voting blocks in our country.
Try watching your own belly button until some wisdom comes out of it.
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