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from the secret-negotiations-are-always-good-for-the-people dept.
Apparently, Greenpeace got their hands on a version of the TTIP documents and plans to release them to the public at today, Monday 2nd of May, 11:00am (UTC+2) from Netherlands, while at the same time giving a press conference at the re:publica. While Greenpeace is apparently mainly concerned about the loss of the precautionary principle (in Europe, if a product is thought to pose a risk to the population or environment, it is prohibited until proven safe, as opposed to the US where it is permitted until proven harmful. According to Greenpeace (sorry, only in German), this is a reason that in US, 170 genetically manipulated plants are in the agricultural market, while in Europe it is only one.
While these mainly environmental concerns deserve some consideration, the more fundamental issue is that such a far-reaching contract, invalidating many of hard fought-for consumers rights in one coup and affecting half a billion people alone in Europe, is negotiated secretly. This is entirely unworthy of any democratic government system.
The documents are available for download.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday May 03 2016, @02:52AM
Democracy is the worst form of government ever devised ... except for all the others. - Winston Churchill
Your basic set of options for government:
- Role by nobody (anarchy). This lasts until somebody is powerful enough to take charge, at which point it becomes ...
- Rule by one person (monarchy / dictatorship). This lasts until you get a bad or ineffective monarch, at which point it is usually replaced by ...
- Rule by the masses (democracy / republic / worker's councils / ...). This lasts until an organized cabal forms to take over, at which point it is effectively replaced by ...
- Rule by a relatively small unelected group (oligarchy / theocracy / plutocracy / ...). This lasts until the the infighting among the cabal causes it to effectively break apart, which leads to ...
- Rule by nobody (anarchy), and the cycle continues.
There are no known non-theoretical ways of breaking this cycle. The "western" world is mostly in the late stages of transitioning from democracy to oligarchy.
None of them are perfect. Democracy tends to be the least bad for the majority of people, because at the very least there's a chance for the majority of people to correct things if they go too far off course.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Tuesday May 03 2016, @11:30AM
There is a practical way to break this cycle - to stop playing the game. Stop respecting law and break all societal relationships.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday May 03 2016, @01:25PM
That doesn't break the cycle, that's part of the cycle (the anarchy stage).
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Wednesday May 04 2016, @02:06AM
Not really. Even in the state of anarchy, a player is supposed to have babies and protect and provide for his family. What I am talking about is abandoning the idea of society itself.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday May 04 2016, @02:40AM
If you (and everybody else) reject the idea of society, then each person is deciding on their own what to do, with no social rules or laws or anything else like that. Which means that nobody is in charge, which is the definition of anarchy.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Wednesday May 04 2016, @04:36AM
I see what you mean.