We are witnessing the end of a world with the loss of trust in representative democracy, the rise of hatred, and the polarization of extremes. The old world only thinks of maintaining itself by co-opting new forces, but it is doomed. And if, to escape the worst, we had no other solution than to rediscover the meaning of democracy, the real one,...
Those who reflect on public affairs cannot help but be alarmed by the rise of hatred and the loss of meaning in democracy.
Moderation and listening to others are no longer in vogue. Intolerance and hatred on social media bring us back to a barbaric era of violence and immediacy.
The people are turning away from formal democracy, but is it really surprising? Democracy and political matters have become the domain of an elite. The people may vote, but nothing changes. They no longer find themselves in it. It is as if power is in the hands of an elite composed of professional politicians, networks, and wealthy individuals.
Regional elections are no longer of interest, with nearly 65% abstention in 2021. The trivial powers of the region reduce the electoral stakes to the allocation of a few seats. Power lies elsewhere, and the people are not mistaken. In Brittany, the PS clings on by co-opting other forces, such as ecology, with the unfortunate episode of Daniel Cueff in the last regional elections. It is now preparing to co-opt the concepts of federalism and autonomy in the upcoming elections, so that nothing changes, of course.
Far from representing the Breton people, this power is the institutional relay of the State. It veils its uselessness with constant communication.
With a favorable vote from 10% of registered voters, who does this power represent?
Democracy is slipping away from us again with the communities of municipalities that distance the people from their elected representatives.
The old political world, which has been in power in Paris for so long, is in decline, and we are suffering from the polarization of extremes with its risk of civil war tomorrow.
The republic has defeated democracy. It has generated an elite that lives in isolation, cut off from the people and focused on its own interests. The high-ranking officials of the State think only of their cushy jobs. Income inequalities continue to grow. The motto of liberty, equality, fraternity would rather make us smile.
What if the yellow vests were right ahead of their time? They expressed their anger as the left-behind. They wanted to have a voice and finally decide on the important matters that concern them.
To restore meaning to social ties, democracy must take its revenge.
It is a democratic society that we must build in its daily functioning, akin to the Swiss voting system. It is at the local level that democracy must resonate, with the right to initiate binding referendums. There is nothing worse than these consultations that are granted to the people only to never follow up on the results, or these petitions that lead to the betrayal of popular expression, as seen in Loire-Atlantique regarding the reunification of Brittany.
It is a different democratic culture that we must invent, and Brittany should show the way.
For it is at the local level that democracy lives. Everything else is just hegemony.
Let us no longer be afraid of the people! It is up to them to decide what concerns them, starting with the territorial and legal framework within which they wish to express themselves.
Let us give them back their voice before they think of taking it back. This may be the only way to escape the rise of hatred and the advent of an authoritarian power tomorrow.
Yvon Ollivier
author
