Of Brexit to expropriation : The Seductive to direct democracy

You have to ask the people, is it like, then, the best solution coming to light. This can go well. But this can also go wrong. In Berlin, the Initiative for a controversial national starts on Saturday desire. Thousands of dedicated people, from citizens ' initiatives, associations and parties want to run through the streets of Berlin and signatures for the concern to collect, to expropriate large corporations, more than 3000 flats and an oversized part of the rental market to dominate.

Among them, the "Deutsche Wohnen", which is famous and notorious for the lack of refurbishments, renovations and unfortunate conditions in the four walls that make Living in return for monthly payment. In Parallel, there should be in the Europe-wide day of action demonstrations in Munich, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Freiburg, and Leipzig, and in cities such as Paris, Barcelona, Lisbon.

expropriation for the public good

Starting at noon on Berlin's Alexanderplatz, the Motto sounds "Together against displacement and rent madness". Is obliged ousted in question are corporations, not only the tenants, but also paragraph 2 of article 14 of the basic law: "property. Its use should also serve the public weal.“ And parts of the Rebellious displace article 14, paragraph 3: "An expropriation is only for the benefit of the General public is allowed. You may only be effected by law or pursuant to a law, which regulates the type and extent of compensation.“

The protesters called on article 15 of the basic law, which declared that the expropriation of the land or of the means of production under certain conditions, is permitted. In order to "Dispossess" in the sense of the word, as legally qualified does not explain, however, even.

It's about living corporations, which have bought from the state for the contents of a piggy Bank, a treasure of real estate, let him re-buy, and for the contents of a vault of Scrooge McDuck. By resisting that power is the two-digit billion sum, which hope to get hold of them should have the desire for success.

Of irresistible evidence slogans of the People are sought-after, such as "Housing is not a commodity, but a human right" or "market power poverty", a dynamic that is observed in the metropolises of Europe, London, Hamburg, Munich, for decades, are affected. People's voice should now be heard, people upset.

A dream of grassroots democracy

the uprising against the Miethaie for the tenants happy, is to be hoped that the States of Europe reflect on the cooperative model: the one and only, the medium - and long-term security promises. However, even without the expensive "Expropriate" you should keep in mind as a priority as the construction of schools and roads.

In addition, the current Initiative raises the question of the referendum, referendum, referendum, Referendum. Hardly anything is being discussed rather than direct democracy. One of the templates of the Belgians, David Van Reybrouck in 2016, delivered with his pamphlet "Against the elections. Why Vote it is not democratic“. Van Reybrouck presents numerous models of direct democracy, to counteract the disempowerment of citizens through representative electoral system.

In the case of public projects, such as large-scale projects, with amendments, law reforms and the Like should be determined by random groups of citizens, the meeting about how the trial by jury, as lay people together making decisions. Instructed by experts, such as engineers, lawyers or architects, should enable these small groups to enable their swarm intelligence and make for the big groups of matching decisions. A dream of grassroots democracy!

Under what conditions will the population about?

But the mere view of the British Referendum on the question of the fate of the island in the European Union shows how manipulable and vulnerable to the people in their desire may be. Unscrupulous adepts of the phase-out promised the Tuning, the blue from the sky, tens of millions a day, which would flow instead to Brussels to the British healthcare system. Was evoked in addition to an ethnically homogeneous nation-Paradise of autonomy and foreigners lack. Grotesque could be the promises.

participants of the "Put it to the people"March in London, requested in March by a further Referendum.Photo: Han Yan/XinHua/Reuters

Trembling, trembling, eagerly Europe hopes, today, semi, the British government should put an end to the unhappy situation in the Parliament, through the Declaration of a new referendum. For months, the plagues under the house with the Brexit, without a clear vote, at all, to any result.

The more the Reality of the Brexitprojekts emerges, the more blurry the Vote of the members. Conclusion: The populism-driven Brexit scenario three years ago, has led to disillusionment, the other to still greater populism. Is now quoted Brecht, though not in the way he had meant it in the Buckower elegies with his criticism of the Soviet suppression of the uprising of 17. July 1953: "wouldn't it Be / easier for the government / to dissolve the people and / Chose another?"

Switzerland seems to have the Balance found

Because in the case of the British, as is so often the Summoning of "the people", that is the Central vocabulary of democracy, "awareness" is political education. Under which condition, the population is interviewed, or they initiated a request? How exactly do you know the facts, how competently you can arrange this? How considerably the Tuning of the consequences of their vote before, and eyes? How much time and Knowledge you have to delve into documents, to understand?

A representative of ProTell, the Swiss society for liberal weapons law before the Referendum in may.Photo: AFP/Stefan Wermuth

From the swarm intelligence of the masses can not be the speech where the mass of something is pre-raves, the post-warming. Even academic and critical minds in the UK had let the momentum of the populists and the demagogues carried away, what you regret today, with more knowledge, such as the British Journalist Roger Boyes, of the accused in an Essay in the daily mirror of ignorance.

In Switzerland, where there are generations of experience with referendums, to deepen the peace-usual Democrats in part-kilo stack of paper before you put your cross. With luck, they turn the Disaster to make the public broadcasting away. With less luck, they adopt anti-immigrant regulations, this has happened before.

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It's more than the Deutsche Wohnen Ten companies in Berlin, the expropriation

Thomas Loy Magdalena Thiele

all in All, they seem, however – in General, outstanding level of education – the Balance between representative democracy and elements of direct democracy. The Basis of the basis of democracy is the biggest B of all: education. Referendums, the billion for the schools challenge, even if it costs more in taxes, then you haven't heard yet.