Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit Discussion

Revolution ?

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15 Responses to “Revolution ?”

1. jclifford Says:
   May 6th, 2007 at 6:49 am

   As for revolution, I don’t know that I have enough energy to sustain being part of one. Instead of revolution, I support dedication. Dedication to small positive changes can create a monumental shift, when applied collectively. I just don’t see widespread support for genuine revolution.

2. Alan Says:
   May 6th, 2007 at 11:40 pm

   I’ve always wondered whether Brits ever did any work. I mean what about Miss Marple–how does she have so much time on her hands? Doesn’t she have a job? And what about Sherlock Holmes, and that guy who was always chasing Fu Manchu? Always putting their noses into everybody’s business. Why don’t they get a life.

   So what would be the purpose of this Revolution? An Orwellian “All Animals are Created Equal”, or maybe the Beatles’ “meet the new boss, same as the old boss…”? Do you have a particular “ism” in mind or a particular result or do you just want to see blood in the streets to perk up the weekend? If your Revolution works, how will you know, what will it look like?

   If your world ends in 2012, how can you have your Revolution in 2017?

3. Anonymous II Says:
   May 7th, 2007 at 9:51 am

   Yea…your drunk….;)

4. Ralph Says:
   May 7th, 2007 at 12:30 pm

   If you think a “general revolt against established models of society,” with “no alternative” would be a good idea, I suggest you visit a failed state like Somalia or the Congo to do some research on just how idyllic the outcome of your revolution would be.

5. Damen Says:
   May 7th, 2007 at 7:23 pm

   And what about Sherlock Holmes,

   I’m well aware that you’re being metaphorical but I find I should point out that Sherlock Holmes was paid for the majority of his services as a private detective and paid quite well. For instance, in A Scandal in Bohemia, the king of Bohemia gave Holmes a blank check for his services and paid him a total of £1,000 pounds in expenses alone. So, this fictional character had a life, and was paid for doing what he enjoyed.

6. Alan Says:
   May 7th, 2007 at 10:29 pm

   Damn.

   In that case maybe we should be asking what Mike is drinking and where we can get some.

   If I’m still around in 2017, I will be celebrating the Bolshevik Revolution centennial by watching reruns of Monty Python’s old Marx and Lenin drag routines. Maybe while I’m watching, I’ll have some of that warm flat beer the British call “bitters”. Viva la Revolucion. Viva la BBC.

7. MadMike Says:
   May 9th, 2007 at 4:50 am

   Ok … several answers here. I was drinking (in order) : Half a pint of vodka. Two pints of Lager. Several assorted spirits with mixers. Four more pints of Lager. Several shots of something called “The Shot”, that is distilled by a housemates uncle. I think.

   In terms of what my revolution will be for … I should really start a new diary post, but lets have a go here:

   A) The immediate imposition of laws that allow government to “impound” a corporation/business etc that breaks the law, rather than fine it. The company can then be ran at a level which pays its employees, while all “profit time” it will be a public service.

   A2) The immediate imposition of laws that disallow speculators from using the stockmarket to speculate on which major company is going to break the law.

   B) The immediate replacement of the UN permanent security council with a democratically elected panel from all countries in the world. The current security council to remain on a panel, joined by all other nuclear powers. That panel will have the responsibility of making sure that nobody starts a nuclear war. And no other responsibility.

   C) The seizure of half the liquid assets of the richest 1% of people on the planet.

   D) The use of said liquid assets and aforementioned impounded companies to begin building moderately high-technology sustainable developments around the world, concentrating on the thirld world.

   E) The gradual re-evaluation of the world education system, weighted towards teaching logic and independent thought as quickly as possible.

   F) The foundation of a global institute of higher living to research new systems of human society and the impact new technology will have. The fact I have no clear replacement for capitalist democracy doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

   G) the gradual formation of a highly educated and well informed global military to police the world and end violent dispute.

   Now for domestic governments … as you are probably wondering what will replace them ?

   A) The government will be proportionally representative of the people.

   B) The government will have three legislative assemblies that debate national policy.
   i) The smallest assembly. A 10-20 year panel of elected intellectuals who attempt to determine the best course for the country to take, bearing in mind the long term. Little legislative power. High decisive power.
   ii) The intermediate assembly. A ten year panel elected from experienced local politicians from the iii). responsible for turning the reccomendations of i) into legislation for iii) to debate. Will be closely tied to the civil services in order to propose practical legislation.
   iii) The general assembly. A four- five year assembly elected from regions across the country. The body must be stratified according to the country itself.

   C) Local regions within countries that feel unfairly treated will be encouraged to secede from their parent country by the UN

   D) The military of the country will be a subdivision of the international security force. Its loyalty will be to humanity rather than its own country.

   Now I’ll be honest , there is a lot more I could add to this, I just thought I’d give you a general idea. For example I know that actually I haven’t stated here how economies would function either locally or internationally. This is something I have given thought to and have solutions to, but not that can be encapsulated concisely. I know I have neglected to mention a great many of the concerns of running the world. I have attempted to give them all some thought.

   Now to be honest then … my revolution is about World Rev. Point F) … the foundation of a perpetual research group to work out how humans should best live together without rubbing each other the wrong way.

   I am rather shocked in fact that such an institute doesn’t exist, or if it does it is mothballed to such an extent that the thought of taking any of its suggestions seriously is comical.

   So perhaps I am being hopelessly naive to suggest that there could ever be anything other than capitalist democracy and its crude aping of the predator - prey system that has been existent in nature for some billion or so years. But I felt I had to communicate that I have some idea of what should replace it.

   Oh, and thanks all for answering my original question. Even a “No” is better than no answer

8. jclifford Says:
   May 9th, 2007 at 6:35 am

   Mad Mike, you might want to make drinking less alcohol part of your preparations before you start your revolution. Revolutions require a lot of concentration.

9. Mackers Says:
   May 9th, 2007 at 8:09 am

   2012 The year of the TRUTH
   For the liar’s thats the end of their World

   “Revolution require a lot of concentration”
   that was Beautiful

10. Anonymous Says:
    May 11th, 2007 at 2:35 pm

    Hi Mike! I have a few quick thoughts, then I will try to get back again later. First, I am amazed at you capacity to hold so much alcohol and still write reasonably coherently! 2nd, you have obviously thought a lot about this, and I could agree with some things you write in the broad outline, if you added the following before revolution: “a democratic effort to build peaceful and nonviolent and sustainable global institutions from the bottom up, one piece at a time to avoid disruption and harm. ” Then I am on board; and there are many around the world working on this now. I will get back to you with the name of the umbrella organization, but there are groups within and coordinating with the UN on building a global parliament and other institutions that have global democratic participation.
    There are lots of interlocked environmental and human rights groups that could be said to be working on related issues as well. In my view its all part of the same effort to peacefullybring a healthy and sustainable, peaceful and fulfilling life to every human on the planet, without wrecking it in the process. You are not alone in your vision, although your expression of it and the details you imagine might be different; it is the same vision of many artists, thinkers, writers, and political figures world wide. The answer, I think, lies in developing things that will support global consensus making mechanisms.
    Thats all I have time for now, but I will try to get back to you with names of groups already working on such things, and more thoughts.

11. Luke Says:
    May 11th, 2007 at 2:39 pm

    Sorry, didnt mean to make that last comment anonymous, its just little old me….

12. Luke Says:
    May 11th, 2007 at 6:36 pm

    Okay, I found my notes. Some of the groups that are working on a world parliament who are both part of and separate from the UN are: KDUN, the committee for Democratic UN, in Germany; Citizens for Global Solutions, in Washington DC; Association to Unite the Democracies, and Democratic World Federalists. There are many others all working under the umbrella organization called the International World Federalist Movement. All of these mentioned have websites and have volunteer and intern opportunities, and accept donations, of course.

13. MadMike Says:
    May 12th, 2007 at 11:01 am

    Thanks Luke, glad to know there are plenty of other organisations working on this also. I’ll add those NGO’s to my notes I tend to keep myself unaffiliated with any specific organisation however - whilst being fairly eloquent and considerate of the consequences of my actions, for this very reason I do not want to join or be associated with an organisation I could potentially harm through my (sometimes caustic) words, my (occasional illegal) actions or my contacts. I’ll extend feelers though.

    “a democratic effort to build peaceful and nonviolent and sustainable global institutions from the bottom up, one piece at a time to avoid disruption and harm. ”

    I agree absolutely - in fact I encourage everyone I know to found new forms of social networks based on mutual respect and friendship wherever I go.

    However I believe that it is possible that in putting effort into forming sustainable democratic institutions it may be necessary to cause … disruption. Let me clarify. I do not advocate abducting or assasinating or harming people, regardless of their acts. They are still a part of humanity and deserve integration into a genuinely democratic society. Perhaps more so than well balanced individuals with a social conscience like you or me.

    However the actual inanimate architecture which allows our current form of society to be prolonged and propogated, such as the corporate media networks and the (semi-)government controlled internet DNS root servers, is in my mind fair game for disruption or ideally hijacking. I feel that total freedom of information is one of the keys to creating an egalitarian system than can truly be called social. Let me clarify by analogy: In our world, where a small group of people can manufacture and control the most awesomely destructive force on the planet (A nuclear weapon) , it becomes essential to create ignorance, seperate and divide peoples, and legislate monolithically and repressively in order to prevent the rise of another nuclear elite, and therefore the begginings of nuclear brinkmanship, and potential annhillation. In a society where everybody knew how to create a nuclear weapon, it would be essential to encourage the greatest possible harmony and common consensus, to prevent almost immediate annhilation.
    Perhaps this is too strong an analogy (I don’t advocate the use or proliferation of nuclear weapons technology), but it illustrates how I feel about the truth. If everyone could access any information from around the world and co-network across the globe it would be possible to create social networks with more cohesion than any individual regional government.

    I’m tempted to write more here, but I think I’ll save it all up for a (sober) diary entry.

    Oh, and Mackers , very elegant

14. Luke Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 5:46 pm

    I think the idea of global democracy is out there; my own goal is to foster and support it, in the same form of networking and activism you mention. I will openly acknowledge my ignorance when it comes to the root DNS servers and how the internet works. If big corporate media works to control, channel, and limit the internet as it exists at the moment, how hard will it be for “we the people” to reestablish our own networks and links without being coopted? Will it always be a battle between the hackers and the open source types vs corporatists and authoritarians, or can we build our own internet, so to speak? Probably me even asking these questions the way I am asking them reveals my ignorance of the underlying degree of development; but what if “we” did the same thing the universities did, link up on our own in a way that will dodge corporate control?
    I have more to write too, regarding other points, but work calls.. will keep an eye on this thread!

15. Luke Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 5:57 pm

    More to the point, I guess, is the question: is it easier and more effective to first seek to prevent corporate control, and then hijack or subvert it if unavoidable, or rebuild the networks without them?

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