In this installment we will discuss paragraphs I-3 to I-4. In these paragraphs Machiavelli discusses the relationship between the plebs and the patricians, the two classes into which Roman citizens were divided. Continue reading Machiavelli’s Discourses and Space Settlements – part 3
Category Archives: politics
Citizen’s inquiry
In many parliamentary democracies there is a procedure known as parliamentary inquiry. On the English website of the Dutch parliament this described as:
The parliamentary committee of inquiry is a particular type of temporary committee of the House. The parliamentary inquiry is the most powerful instrument the Dutch parliament has at its disposal to carry out its duty to scrutinize the work of the Government. Continue reading Citizen’s inquiry
Recommended reading
Though this article from The Guardian is from last year, I would still recommend you to read the following:
How the aristocracy preserved their power
In the UK a small portion of the population holds a majority of all land in the nation and this allows the elite to continue its privileged position in society.
Health policy
Health care is a costly affair and the best method to reduce a nation’s medical expenses, is to prevent its citizens from getting sick in the first place. Therefore space settlements should focus on preventive medicine in their health policies. Continue reading Health policy
Republicanism and FOSS
Self-governance is one of the core principles of classical republicanism. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is closely related to the idea of self-governance and hence classical republicans should promote its use. The opposite of FOSS is proprietary software. Continue reading Republicanism and FOSS
On republicanism and federation
For the ancient Greeks it was clear. The ideal polis, a self-governing community, had a maximum of citizens. They disagreed on the actual number, but anything beyond a few ten thousand was considered to be incompatible with self-governance. Continue reading On republicanism and federation
Citizens panels
Attempts to improve representative democracy usually involve the use of referendums or popular initiative. However, both are quite blunt tools as complex issues are reduced to a simple “yes or no” and often result in ambiguous results as is demonstrated by recent referendums in the Netherlands and the UK. Continue reading Citizens panels
Principles for Public Policy
In this document we outline the principles of public policy. These principles are:
- Non-intervention
- self-sufficiency
- equitable society
- permanent education
- localism
Thought of the day
Government
should be as big as necessary
and as small as possible
Self-employment and basic income
Universal self-employment and the abolition of wage labor should be the ultimate goal of the international labor movement. It is therefore unfortunate that in our time most trade unions and labor parties are ignoring self-employment and instead pursue policies that perpetuate wage labor. Continue reading Self-employment and basic income
