One day I dream** to see Filipino politicians talk and act in this direction...
``This government is going to transform our politics so the state has far less control over you, and you have far more control over the state.
``This government is going to break up concentrations of power and hand power back to people, because that is quite simply how we can build a society that is fair....
``Landmark legislation, from politicians who refused to sit back and do nothing while huge swathes of the population remained helpless against vested interests.
``Who stood up for the freedom of the many, not the privilege of the few.
``And it's that spirit this government will draw on as we deliver our programme for political reform:
``A power revolution.
``A fundamental resettlement of the relationship between state and citizen that puts you in charge.
``Today I want to talk about how we'll get there.
``Three major steps, that will begin immediately:
``One: we will repeal all of the intrusive and unnecessary laws that inhibit your freedom.
``Two: we will reform our politics so it is open, transparent, decent.
``Three: we will radically redistribute power away from the centre, into your communities, your homes, your hands.
``Big, sweeping change.
``Not incremental, not bit by bit.
``Our democracy has suffered at the hands of encroaching centralisation and secrecy for decades.
``Take citizens' rights: eroded by the quiet proliferation of laws that increase surveillance, quash dissent, limit freedom.
``Take executive authority: consistently increased by successive administrations to the point that we now have a neutered parliament and government that enjoys almost untrammelled control - over precisely the people who are meant to keep it in check.
``Take the welfare state: one of modern society's greatest liberators - now utterly different to that envisaged by Beveridge because of the sheer degree of centralised control and micromanagement.
``Britain was once the cradle of modern democracy."
That's a snippet from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's recent speech on political reform. (all bold emphasis mine)
Where liberty and freedom becomes the issue of focus, along the line of Mr. Clegg's speech, then I know the Philippines will be on path to true prosperity.
And that will be also the time when I will be an active voter.
**At the first statement of this post, I purposely used "dream" instead of "hope" for the reason that espousing politics of principles would be a near impossibility given the tendencies of almost all local politicians to resort to messianic nostrums as motivation to generate votes by popularity or enhance approval ratings.
Liberty and economic freedom is basically alien here. Everyone likes to be personally free, but desires the others to be unfree.
Moreover, Filipinos want to believe that they are free by virtue of elections, never knowing that after elections freedom shrivels.
When political freedom isn't accompanied by economic freedom and personal liberty, then I understand this to be an artifice; an illusion.
``This government is going to transform our politics so the state has far less control over you, and you have far more control over the state.
``This government is going to break up concentrations of power and hand power back to people, because that is quite simply how we can build a society that is fair....
``Landmark legislation, from politicians who refused to sit back and do nothing while huge swathes of the population remained helpless against vested interests.
``Who stood up for the freedom of the many, not the privilege of the few.
``And it's that spirit this government will draw on as we deliver our programme for political reform:
``A power revolution.
``A fundamental resettlement of the relationship between state and citizen that puts you in charge.
``Today I want to talk about how we'll get there.
``Three major steps, that will begin immediately:
``One: we will repeal all of the intrusive and unnecessary laws that inhibit your freedom.
``Two: we will reform our politics so it is open, transparent, decent.
``Three: we will radically redistribute power away from the centre, into your communities, your homes, your hands.
``Big, sweeping change.
``Not incremental, not bit by bit.
``Our democracy has suffered at the hands of encroaching centralisation and secrecy for decades.
``Take citizens' rights: eroded by the quiet proliferation of laws that increase surveillance, quash dissent, limit freedom.
``Take executive authority: consistently increased by successive administrations to the point that we now have a neutered parliament and government that enjoys almost untrammelled control - over precisely the people who are meant to keep it in check.
``Take the welfare state: one of modern society's greatest liberators - now utterly different to that envisaged by Beveridge because of the sheer degree of centralised control and micromanagement.
``Britain was once the cradle of modern democracy."
That's a snippet from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's recent speech on political reform. (all bold emphasis mine)
Where liberty and freedom becomes the issue of focus, along the line of Mr. Clegg's speech, then I know the Philippines will be on path to true prosperity.
And that will be also the time when I will be an active voter.
**At the first statement of this post, I purposely used "dream" instead of "hope" for the reason that espousing politics of principles would be a near impossibility given the tendencies of almost all local politicians to resort to messianic nostrums as motivation to generate votes by popularity or enhance approval ratings.
Liberty and economic freedom is basically alien here. Everyone likes to be personally free, but desires the others to be unfree.
Moreover, Filipinos want to believe that they are free by virtue of elections, never knowing that after elections freedom shrivels.
When political freedom isn't accompanied by economic freedom and personal liberty, then I understand this to be an artifice; an illusion.
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