Reele Democratie

Participatory Economics

Posted on by Daniël Verhoeven

This is the second part of a speech delivered to a CNT Sponsored gathering in Barcelona, Spain, October 11, 2011, published on Zcommunications

Participatory Economics, or parecon, which the replacement for capitalism that I advocate, is built on just four institutional commitments.

Parecon is therefore not a blueprint for a whole economy. It is a description of key features of just a few centrally important aspects of an economy.

Parecon is enough, and just enough, for us to know that with parecon future people will self manage their economic lives as they decide.

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The Camp is the World: Connecting the Occupy Movements and The Spanish May 15th Movement

Posted on by Daniël Verhoeven

Authors:  Luis Moreno-Caballud and Marina Sitrin

Published on Take the Square

We write this letter as participants in the movements, and as an invitation to a conversation. We hope to raise questions about how we continue to deepen and transform the new social relationships and processes we have begun … to open the discussion towards a common horizon.

The evictions and threats to the physical Occupations in theUnited Stateshave again raised the question of the future of the movement. That the movements have a future is not the question – but what sort of future is. For example, should our energy be focused on finding new spaces to occupy and create encampments? Should we be focused more in our local neighborhoods, schools and workplaces? Is there a way to both occupy public space with horizontal assemblies yet also focus locally and concretely?

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#14Ja – Wereldwijde dag van de volksvergaderingen

Posted on by Daniël Verhoeven

 #WPAD : World Popular Assembly Day

Sinds 15 mei 2011, daagt een ongekend grote beweging in vorm en inhoud de “representatieve democratie” uit. Deze beweging heeft zich vanuit Spanje over de hele wereld verspreidt, ondanks de talloze media manipulaties en pogingen tot repressie door de politie.

De kans op een wereldwijde revolutie is zelden zo sterk geweest.

Democratie is een politiek regime of het ‘volk’ hebben de macht. “Representatieve” democratie is een manipulatie bedoeld om ons te doen geloven dat we een democratie. Maar we hebben nooit in democratie geleefd, de vrijheid van meningsuiting is niet genoeg. In ons politieke systeem geeft de massa alle macht aan een minderheid, zonder enige controle.

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#14Ja – Journée mondiale des assemblées populaires

Posted on by Daniël Verhoeven

#WPAD : World Popular Assembly Day

Depuis le 15 mai 2011 un mouvement inédit par sa forme et son fond remet en cause la “démocratie représentative”. Ce mouvement parti d´Espagne s´est répandu sur toute la planète malgré les innombrables manipulations médiatiques et répressions policières subies. La probabilité d´une révolution globale a rarement été aussi forte.

La démocratie est un régime politique ou le “peuple” ait le pouvoir. Le terme “démocratie représentative” est une manipulation destinée à nous faire croire que nous sommes en démocratie. Mais nous n´avons jamais vécu en democratie, la liberté d´expression ne suffit pas. Dans nos régimes politiques, les masses donnent les touts pouvoirs à une minorité, sans aucun contrôle.

Les crises sociales, économiques et environnementales que nous connaissons tous sont liées à la nature oligarchique de nos systèmes politiques.

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#14Ja – World Day of popular assemblies

Posted on by Daniël Verhoeven

#WPAD : World Popular Assembly Day

SinceMay 15, 2011a movement unprecedented in form and substance challenges the”representative democracy”. This movement has spread fromSpainaround the world despite the countless media manipulation and police repression.

The probability of a global revolution has rarely been this strong.

Democracy is a political system where the “people” have the power. The words “representative democracy” are operations to make us believe that we are a democracy. But we have never lived in democracy; freedom of expression is not enough. In our political system, the masses give all power to a minority, without any control.

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