Introduction
My politics are based on two predicates.
Few people would argue that this is the best of all possible worlds. The worlds inequities and injustice are there for all but the most ignorant and stubbornly apathetic to see. Whatever right is, we know it isn't right that a child born to one parent gets the best of health care, and a child born to another dies for the lack of clean water. The inherent immorality of our system is clearest in its injustice towards those who have committed no crime other than to be poor.
Some contend that this is 'the way of the world', that injustice is the nature of things, unfortunate but unchangable, so we should forget about hoping for a just world and look after our own interests. Invariably the people who hold such views aren't thirsting for water free of disease, being tortured in prisons, or dying from easily treatable diseases. Many in the world live lives constantly reminded of the consequences of unchecked justice. It seems apathy only becomes a logical response to the pain of others, and the more comfortable one is in their own life, the easier they seem able to ignore the suffering in the world around them.
One of the problems of our consciousness is that we never feel the emotions of others but through our ability for empathy, and empathy is often discouraged as a form of weakness, a barrier to success. It seems all too easy to ignore the emotional lives of others amidst the torrent of our own feelings and thoughts, especially in a culture in which this is the status quo. The craving for the latest unneccessary product in the self interested mind, is far more real and present than the pain of the 'other' person who lives with the fear of things like torture and abuse in their daily lives. The inordinate obsession with our own sometimes trivial emotions allows many of the horrors of this world to exist, it is the basis of selfishness and greed.
It is from the belief that humans are inescapably self obsessed that the justifications of our current political system are made. It is from the belief that you are inescapably self obsessed that the justifications of our current political system are made. If you know as I do that this is not true about yourself, then you also have direct evidence within you that another world is possible.
A politician is expected to be someone skilled in the art of appealing to our self interest. It is accepted that they will see the potential for greed in individuals as a method for the gaining of power. They thereby encourage, normalise and reinforce peoples selfishness. Any method of organizing the energies of humanity that has a basis in the many noble characteristics of the human spirit is beyond the realm of political comprehension. A political structure that has become a competition for the maintenance of power by normalising and utilising selfishness, will not create the society we aspire to. We therefore need to change part of the structure of our political system.
A social system that was just, which would seem to be one of the most meaningful things for humanity to collectively strive for, should at its base try to be fair. As its main priority it should provide a basic level of humanity to all of its citizens. The problems and difficulties of life should not be burdened disproportionately on arbitrary groups who for often historical reasons lack the resources of others. Freedom from fear, suffering and pain, should not be a commodity in a just world, they should be its primary objective. To me this should be self evident.
Inequality becomes immoral when its outcome is the degrading of the value of life itself. Living with often brutal differences in quality of healthcare, education and opportunity for happiness, the unfortunate naturally want for justice. It is the poor that enlist in armies, that sell their bodies, that do more dangerous jobs from which they are more likely to die, they do not do these things out of any meaningful choice, their only logic is as an escape from poverty. This is not freedom but a form of economic slavery. Those who would contribute to our society should recieve a basic level of humanity and dignity throughout their life. Human energy should be used first to try provide each person with housing, healthcare, education, freedom, happiness and dignity, rather than other less important ends.
For globalisation to be meaningful it has to include the globalisation of justice, a clean environment, decent nutrition, participatory democracy, the sorts of things which uplift the human spirit. Instead we have the current form of globalisation, corporate hegemony imposed from above. Using the inconsequential lives of the poor to make cheap products for the most privileged and comfortable.
That such abhorrent global inequality is tolerated is the outcome of a media and government composed of the class who see themselves as benefiting from the status quo. They have a vested interest in public apathy which they maintain by a number of means, advertising, schools which have become training outposts for business, political parties which take legalised bribes called 'donations' or 'contributions'. We must make all institutions of society work for our common good, not against it.
Some changes need to be made to our political life that have no specific agenda, other than delivering the fairness our current system promises. People should have an equal say in their governance. This should mean real equality, not just a structure or set of fixed rules, but an ongoing commitment to equal outcomes to ensure more than theoretical equality. People should be encouraged to participate in the governance of the society. the fundamental ethos of the system should be to empower the individual, to encourage them to be involved in the world, whereby their energies and creative talents can benefit the whole whilst realising their own potential. There should be decentralisation, distribution and regular transference of power. No person should continually be in a position of power imbalance with another, leading should not mean controlling and to this end leadership should be shared as much as possible. There should be complete transparency of decision making and governance processes. Politics in all its forms should be in the open and a matter of public record, secret deals and hidden motives have not benefitted the public whom politics exists to serve, and should not be allowed to continue.
Whilst we have need of governments and any form of centralised power, there will be groups within the society who seek to utilise that power for their own ends. To maintain a healthy society it is therefore the duty of each citizen by active participation to ensure that government exists to serve all people. The test of this will be the condition of the poorest and most powerless in society, in comparison to the wealthy and powerful.
It is regressive for any political system to be fundamentally static, it should progress and enshrine the evolving values of the society or be replaced with something that will. The perfect political structure is perhaps not a feasible ideal, but continually working towards that goal is obviously practical, and every step closer however small has positive ramifications for the human condition. In the end what meaning there is in life, lies in how we treat each other and our world, whether we are destructive or creative, whether compassion or self interest are the product of our labours in life. Politics should be the framework whereby we progress as a society, the sum total of the aspirations of individuals who care about the world they live in, together seeking a life in which our creativity and happiness have the best chance to prosper.
The potential for a change towards a kinder world exists in each of our lives. Let the revolution begin.
by Cameron