They say we live in a democracy. We
are free and should be grateful.
But
just how "Free" are we? How democratic are our so-called
"Democracies"?
Is
it enough to simply elect our leaders and sit back, helpless, as they
rule over us like dictators? What good is selecting our politicians,
if we cannot control our media, police or soldiers? If we must
blindly follow our teachers' and bosses' commands, whilst at school
and in the workplace, is it not a little naïve to believe that we
are the masters of our own destinies? And if our resources are
controlled by a tiny cabal of plutocrats, bankers and corporations;
can we honestly say that our economies are being run for us?
Could
things not be a little bit more, well, democratic?
Indeed
they can! "Democracy: A User's Guide" shows us how...
Within
the pages of this story-filled book, we shall visit Summerhill, a
democratic school in the east of England, before stopping off in
Brazil to check out Semco, where workplace democracy is the name of
the game. We will travel to Rojava, to explore life in a democratic
army, and head to Spain, to see why Podemos is giving liquid
democracy a go. We shall travel back in time, to see democracy at
work in hunter-gatherer societies, tribal confederacies, the guilds
and on the commons. We will consider the case for participatory
budgeting, deliberative democracy, collaborative hiring, community
currencies, peer-to-peer lending, and much much more.
The
message is clear and concise: Democracy does not have to be a pipe
dream. We have all the tools we need to rule ourselves.