Beschouw de Staat als een huis. Het biedt bescherming en structuur. En er is ruimte om in te leven. Je kan binnen zekere grenzen zaken inrichten naar eigen smaak.
Maar het traditionele huis heeft wat nadelen. Verbouwingen om het aan te passen aan veranderende gezinssamenstellingen of eisen van de tijd zijn soms onmogelijk (probeer maar …
Gisteren was ik bij de presentatie van de resultaten van de 21minuten.nl enquête. Naast de uitgebreide toelichting van de resultaten, een verschrikkelijke sessie met 5 kamerleden onder leiding van Frits Wester en een aardige sessie met o.a. directrice Greenpeace en hoofdredacteur AD onder leiding van Felixt Rottenberg mocht ik gespreksleider zijn bij een van …
So this is the first in my serie on my latest initiative.I’m trying to create a new political movement! But not one in the traditional sense. Not like today’s political parties. I want a movement that looks at the current set up of our democracy and society. And then come with proposals that fit …
Attacks by terrorists are seen as attacks on democracy.In the Netherlands the results of the recent referendum showed how insecure we are about our own democracy.In the US people doubt the democratic process on state level and they also see serious problems regarding the role of the media as watchdog of democracy.
In these times …
Superficial signs say Saudi Arabia is taking steps toward democracy. But it’s a long road if you sentence a writer to 275 lashes because he disagreed with the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
“Dr. Al-Barak argued that his suit against Al-Mizeini was a private matter and that he relied on a …
Some countries in the Middle East show movement towards more democracy. It is still very vunerable and not always what it looks, but it’s a positive development.(And I still haven’t made up my mind on how much of this development can be attributed to the invasion of Iraq).
Given these developments it’s interesting to have a …
In the Netherlands there’s a discussion going on about a more direct democracy. Electing mayors and electing half the parlement members using districts.
Whether you agree with this or not, you have to agree on the fact that this will only work if the media participate. Without good coverage you can’t really choose anything.
So then …
Through Blogdex I found a delightful article about Conservatism. The start is brilliant:
Q: What is conservatism? A: Conservatism is the domination of society by an aristocracy.
Q: What is wrong with conservatism? A: Conservatism is incompatible with democracy, prosperity, and civilization in general. It is a destructive system of inequality and prejudice that …
Sometimes you can use some positive news. Yes, I know there is a lot of things that don’t go quite the way you would and that there is a lot of suffering. But sometimes, if you look at the big picture, things look a bit better.
Here is a graph on the number of different …
