(𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝘄𝗮𝗿.)

#ThirdDraftDemocracy #SystemsThinking #PoliticalReform

Modern slavery expands in increments—so the sooner we make this transition, the less of it we’ll need to endure.

*𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

I.e. create democratic political systems in the United States, Europe & beyond.

Our politics is so frustrating—& so neurotic—because it’s bogged down in issues no-one can solve at the level on which they’re being addressed

A shift to the systemic approach (democratization) = many birds, one stone.

But the system is captured.

You may as well write letters to the Sphinx.

The solution (which few want to contemplate just yet) is to shift our efforts from fighting bad policies & bad leaders to structural change.

Rebuild the governance framework.

𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.

What’s flowed down from that are not only surveillance & censorship but rising cost-of-living, polluted streams, unrepayable deficits, pointless wars…

Thus dissent thesedays is an exercise in eternal frustration.

We vote, lobby, campaign.

I took this photo of slaves for The New York Times in northern Burma in 2005.

Slavery is probably the worst ‘unfreedom’.

Though there are others: serfdom, religious persecution, surveillance, censorship, consumerism. To say nothing of ‘wage slavery’.

There’s one unfreedom that ushers in the rest:

Absolutely Elize.

A shoe factory produces shoes, & a badly designed political system produces corporate servants.

Both sides, when they gain office, are as crooked as a dog's hind leg. Obama bailed out the bankers, & destroyed Libya for the oil companies.

This won't be fixed till the political system is replaced.

#Democratization

It can only occur by new architecture.

*𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

(𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝘄𝗮𝗿.)

#SystemsThinking #PoliticalReform

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮.

"𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮."

Change can’t occur within this system.

This disastrous war is the product of one man.

But he's a man the system made inevitable.

Until we rewrite that system, we're in a positive feedback loop.

The loop was described to a business audience in 1896, by US Senator Boies Penrose:

I think it probably does have to be like this so long as the political system is purchasable.

*𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

#SystemsThinking #PoliticalReform

Our transnational elite knows it has to sideline its internal differences over liberal & conservative values in the interests of control.

To date, the global 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘴 has had no such insight.

Thus one rules the world & the other does not.

True, but they don't want another corporate shill to replace him.

I think Trump supporters are going to get tired of winning soon.

The longer I contemplate this war—so harmful to Trump's base, his public standing & his legacy—the less explicable it seems unless he is under pressure of blackmail, the threat of assassination, or both.

*𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

(𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲-𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝘄𝗮𝗿.)

#Democracy #PoliticalReform #SystemsChange

Corporate yes-men. Party liners. Donor-pleasers.

Railing against Trump, Biden or Netanyahu—Merz, Macron, von der Leyen—is like complaining that a cigarette factory makes cigarettes.

We don't have a leadership problem—we have a democracy problem.

I'm surprised we bother to complain about our awful politicians.

When it's reasonably obvious that a bad system design will select for them automatically.

In an age of mass media & lavish campaign donations, republics designed for the 18th Century will naturally generate leaders like ours.

Hemmed in, confined (Oppressed, drained, disbelieved)

Today's Substack newsletter:

open.substack.com/pub/johnmacg...

*𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

#ThirdDraftDemocracy

Power is deployed more adroitly, more fairly & more safely when it is dispersed.

It’s social engineering perfection.

There are many tools by which we can move on from this failed model.

They add up to 'democracy': the subtraction of special interests from government.

It keeps us in smaller, more manageable blocs

The blocs fight each other, & not the owners

Moreover, each bloc seems convinced that the elite is in bed with the other.

Given that it’s a house built on sand, the left/right divide causes an awful lot of grief & dissension.

But it’s supremely useful to society’s owners:

→ Which in turn yield more fiscal surpluses—& less income inequality, carbon emissions & military spending.

Small parties and outsiders doing better at the polls →

→ Which causes more people to show up to vote →

→ Both of which lead to power being shared more widely, often via stable coalition governments →

(Cynics believe ‘the people’ would vote themselves unsustainable perks & benefits. In fact they do the opposite.)

Finally, #ProportionalRepesentation—another reform every electorate should introduce—captures more ‘nuance’ in the voter’s intention, leading to: