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infrastructure A political way

A democratic society, whatever its size, is always formed by a plurality of individuals whose full participation in power the extent that each has, as well as others, the real possibility to influence what happens. What is by no means in place in our democratic societies, which are rather what I call elective and liberal oligarchy, with walks well protected in their positions of power. (P. 179)

Frame: The current stakes of democracy. 1986.

a society adrift. Interviews and debates (1974-1997). C. Castoriadis. 2005

says

C. Castoriadis A society adrift, that political action is essential to try to change the social environment and as such considers the place of politics is society itself. The author emphasizes the need for political activity to meet the demands of citizenship and that this activity is generated by the largest group of stakeholders. Specifically, the author says:

should be stripped of received ideas, in particularly the idea that political action is the only party that involves municipal counselors, deputies, etc. (...) The place of politics is society (p. 172 and 173)

appropriate words at a time like the present where politics has great difficulty solving the problems of people whose agenda is being influenced (to use a mild word) economic actors outside the parliament, where in theory the policy is made .

The divorce between what the policy provides and what people need is not a question of the last three years crisis, is a phenomenon that is rooted in the fact that existing political structures do not facilitate citizen participation. If the citizen is away from the political sphere can hardly be involved. In the absence of real participation proposals emanating from the political agenda will be far from what the public wants. One issue that affects the quality of democracy today.

A pertinent question is whether the citizens want to participate. It is true that there is a sector of the population that remains outside. Perhaps because he is aware that given the configuration of our democracies real participation is a chimera. However, whether from the political sector would facilitate such participation by creating the necessary mechanisms to the extent that this collective citizen who stays out some perceived improvements in their lifestyle as a result of such participation, will surely get involved completely.

In this situation we are today. There are a number of issues, whose solution is urgent and affect the daily lives of people or institutions or political parties today is knowing where to face and solve. The reason, the current political actors are immersed in a giant network of patronage where industry opaque interests of an oligarchy properly installed in their positions of power. In addition, at the individual level, are disabled and participatory processes that allow social discussion contrasting ideas and build a collective consciousness to deepen the quality of democracy.

Many of these issues to solve are directly linked to the causes of the current crisis in economic terms, the excesses of finance, high levels of speculation in the financial system and deregulation of globalization in Socially, unemployment, poverty, inequalities between social strata in the environmental arena climate change, depletion of energy resources pressure on the land. Give a political response to all this is a total emergency.

All these problems are the result of the current economic and social model. As stated José Vidal Beneyto is entirely reasonable to ask whether a plural democracy is compatible with capitalism.

However, there is another sector that is organized, has a number of proposals, and is urging many arguments and participate, to be taken into account. In particular sector is aware that he is entitled to participate and also struggle to transform the status quo. That sector of the population is the group that feeds the current movements social. In this regard Castoriadis says:

why people undertake these activities? Because they understood that neither state institutions nor the parties respond to their aspirations and needs, which are unable to respond to them. (Page 169)

could argue that the movement that succeeded in preventing the onset of the WTO summit in Seattle in 1999, had no proposals and / or program of action. More than a decade after that point hinge, social movements have been organized, getting on and to create a set of proposals. This has resulted in strengthened of what is called civil society through the emergence of a whole network of organizations critical to have increased the degree of social biodiversity, the basis of a true democracy.

inclusive vocation of social movements, their network organization structure where disparate social groups are able from different geographical locations and virtual (decentralization), set up a cross-resistance action complained of various problems and heterogeneous (gender inequality, the environmental unsustainability and urban pollution, poverty, collapse of urban mobility, lack of attention to the elderly ...) but which are interrelated to be the result of a single system of economic organization - social, are defining elements that have been made in recent years to shore.

A consolidation as best introduction is the great raft of proposals, many of them concrete, which have provided social movements in an attempt to change our way of living. In this respect the proposals set answer about the decline theory, ecological economics and the precautionary principle, the basic subsistence income and the proposed redistribution of income, the imposition of a levy against global financial transactions, actions to prevent climate change boosting renewables, and measures for sustainable mobility, proposals to improve access to decent housing, formulas that deepen participatory democracy, solidarity economy, social justice and debt cancellation and many others mature propositions put into question the current social and economic settings.

may need to find a political narrative that connects to a majority of the people for extending their cause. This requires making an educational effort aimed, where possible, has to reorient the discourse towards a positive outlook, leaving the anti, anti or non-characteristic times linked to a diffuse organization of movements. And above all requires a plan of action and a clear strategy and endorse the positive discourse is the expression of this political narrative that is offered to the public. It will be essential to resist the expected intervention of Spain by the EU and take positions in the upcoming regional elections in May 2011 and before the 2012 general.

This story of a political nature directed to a positive perspective, this plan of action could arise if the social movement makes the leap to the political sphere by a sociopolitical movement that is capable of promoting solutions to the triple current crisis from the very place where decisions are made, the parliament and the various political institutions. For as Castoriadis himself says:

No transformation of society without explicit political activity and elucidated. Political activity is necessarily collective. We need, therefore, a political community to fight and act to transform society for the establishment of an autonomous society. (P. 172)

abstention levels that throw the election dates, the lack of diversity in the proposals made by the major parties and especially the burgeoning demand for democratic participation a sector of the population, suggest that there is political space for a political force that is able to articulate the range of social movements. Already some political forces that have been created with this line of thought in the Canary Islands and the rest of Spain. Let's hope for a progressive strengthening would be a good example of democratic growth of our society.

Photo 1: The social balance. The Roto. In The Country. 28/11/1910
Photo 2: One of the logos of the World Social Forum. In XXI century Paradygmas