Trust? Honour? Principle?

One of their own has just posted:

"Once again SW1 people have deliberately used words to create the impression of an assurance that they are now only too quick to explain was never made. They use words as a conjurer might use mirrors. But the crowd are not entertained. Their patience is wearing thin at being taken for fools for too long. The lesson to draw from today is simple; you cannot trust SW1 people on Europe. And if they won't deal straight with you, how can we possibly leave it to them to cut any new deal with Europe?"

It is fair to say that, never mind Europe, the people in SW1 have shown that they cannot be trusted on anything. They have no honour, no principle as our present form of democracy requires neither. Not only is the 'flesh' rotten, but so it would appear is the 'core'. That which is wrong with our society and democracy can be explained by paraphrasing Teresa Stover, someone who has highlighted a few salient facts.

The current state of the news media is partially to blame for the public's general lack of information vital for responsible citizenship in a democracy. The news media has become an aspect of show business, offering merely 'infotainment'. It has evolved into an entity that tends to function as a public relations agency for wealthy and powerful multinational corporations, members of Parliament and the current political leadership, including the administrations that preceded the present one. The news media is being utilized as a political tool of suppression and propaganda by those in power - and propaganda is psychological in nature. Full of half-truths and utter misinformation, it's an arrogant and very commercial strategy that is implemented because it appeals to emotions, fear being the main one with relentless talk of national security, personal and community safety.

The most obvious and condescending tell-tale sign that manipulation is taking place is that no one takes responsibility for the actions of the administration - it's always some other department who is to blame and never the people who have authority. Manipulators rarely advise you to seek new and diverse information or to 'learn and research' for yourself. It tends to be safer for exploitative and irresponsible leaders to keep their citizens in the dark: in their view less independent thought is better as independent thought leads to an inquiring mind, a mindset that eventually leads to the questioning of authority figures and that is the one thing that inadequate leaders and the present political class do not want. When a leader discourages questioning of his/her leadership style, actions and motivations, that is a sure sign that they have something to hide, that they are not worthy of the public's trust. The present power structure wishes us to believe that the only options available are those which they present to us, something we know to be simply not true.

When the present system of democracy, one by which anything is done - and those doing it - is known not to work, logic dictates that both must be changed. To bring that change about some would argue it is up to us to confront those who cannot see; those who cannot, or do not wish to, hear; it is up to us to spread the word. An alternative view held is that the only recourse left to those who know something is wrong is open, possibly armed, rebellion from which the bloodshed would be great - for 'them' and us.

As time is of the essence - and being an impatient sod - personally, I quite favour the latter option.