Democracy

There are at least 15,000 lobbyists in Brussels, and some of them know the EU institutions better than the institutions know themselves, partly because they are themselves former EU officials.

Paul Mason, economics correspondent for the UK’s Channel Four news, argues in his new book Post-Capitalism that capitalism is failing and will be replaced by a new system. Everyone should read this provocative and inspiring account of how, if we want to, we can transform our present economy to one based on sharing, democracy and participation.

Almost three months after the 2015 General Election, a feeling of disbelief at the Conservative majority result remains afresh in the UK. The results, which were a far cry from the outcome predicted by the polls in the run-up to the vote, have given rise to a heated debate about the system of voting in the UK, and calls for a more proportional system, though this transition remains an uphill struggle.

In Serbia, there is an increasing sense among many citizens that prior to democracy citizens life was better and people felt more secure. Apart from certain minimum standards such as holding elections, democracy in Serbia still has a long way to go. Now the question is, should we so easily give up on our hard-won freedom?

Bashir Ahmad Fatehi has been busy with cultural and educational projects since completing post-graduate work in political science. Here he gives his impressions of the political scene in post-Taliban Afghanistan, the challenges which lie ahead and the important role of young politicians in the prospects for a stable and vibrant future.

Was Marx an environmental activist before the term even existed? According to John Bellamy Foster and Paul Burkett, he was. They claim the work of Karl Marx offers an insight into the relationship between the current ecological crisis and the historical crisis of capitalism.

Syriza’s victory in Greece once again raises a crucial question for Europe in the coming months: can a leftist policy be followed in the eurozone without changing the treaties or monetary rules now in force? It is renewing the discussions which divide the left in France and elsewhere in Europe about the virtues of the euro and the margins for manoeuvre of left-wing governments in a common monetary zone.

Inequality is back on the agenda. French economist Thomas Piketty has drawn attention to it again with his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, and that is a good thing. Green and Left-wing parties are drooling over the book, but I have heard few suggestions as to how we should fundamentally tackle that inequality. To do that, we need an idea from a completely different world.

“Marx is often judged on what he did not know, but we need to look at what he has to offer. He was an economist, sociologist, political scientist, historian, philosopher and philosopher of science. He was truly an omnipotent genius and remains relevant to a huge number of issues,” according to political economist Angela Wigger.

The debate around the referendum on Scottish independence has highlighted serious flaws in the current system of representation which many feel alienated from. Regardless of the outcome, the vote has presented an opportunity for far-reaching democratic reforms that would empower citizens.