awmygawd wrote:

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Over half of the worlds 100 largest economies are companies, not nations. Is democracy as we know it obsolete? Just how much of your own life can you influence through the vote? Is there a need for a major rethink of politics in the 21st century?

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Democracy ended after WW2 and it the decline started in America.

The west moan about countries like Iran and China for "human rights' and lack of "democracy. When their politicians can go to war on the whims of multi-national companies as opposed to real national security issues. America loses thousands of its citizens and kills more of the indigenous people just so that Halliburton can have more money. Irrespective of the fact that millions of their citizens were against it.

Look at the choices western countries have between who rules them. Usually 2 or 3 parties. I can see the lack of faith in party politics rises when more people vote in pop idol & big brother than in national elections.

Policies get passed without the populace even having a clue what's going on because the government and the bourgeoisie have created a system of complacency. People would rather watch MTV Base than care about how the government is selling off public services to the highest bidder or the highest donor. Sorry, lobbyer.

Truth is its almost always been like this. Just on a larger scale now. More money involved. Western democracy is just a system of promising the poor that they can be like the rich and that the rich would never be like the poor and creating an illusion of it by keeping both parties as far away possible from each other.

Since the end of the Soviet Union, the west isn't even bothering to hide its imperialist policies. I might live in the west but I watch the news with disgust and anger when I witness what passes for news; even from the BBC is just western propaganda to that effect.