Prime Minister Julia Gillard has strongly criticised a Queensland government discussion paper that opens the door to abolishing compulsory voting in the state, saying it would ”make our democracy the plaything of cashed-up interest groups”. Original post on smh.com.au Comments on reddit.com
Angry protests escalated into violence in India’s capital Sunday, after thousands of people gathered to demand justice for the victim of a recent gang rape in New Delhi and improved safety for women. Original post on nytimes.com Comments on reddit.com
Sigal Samuel reports on the United Nations’ self-critique, and the rock star who brought it home. Original post on thedailybeast.com Comments on reddit.com
Mali was once a model of African democracy. But ever since a military coup in March, Islamists have been on the march and have already imposed Sharia law in the country’s north. There are fears that Mali could join Somalia as another failed state. Original post on spiegel.de Comments on reddit.com
Human rights once united Israel with America. But in today’s discourse, the tone has radically changed. Original post on nytimes.com Comments on reddit.com
Proposition 32 would stop unions from engaging in political activity while letting corporations do as much of it as their little hearts desire. The so-called ‘Stop Special Interest Money Now Act’ is not what it seems. It’s really the Original post on crooksandliars.com Comments on digg.com
(read the book free online – get a copy for your Kindle – read the Reddit AMA) British Prime Minister David Cameron is looking to make like an autocratic Arab dictator, and use the aftermath Original post on tremblethedevil.com Comments on reddit.com
Exclusive: Corporate power, unrepresentative politicians and apathetic voters leave UK ‘increasingly unstable’, says study Original post on guardian.co.uk Comments on reddit.com
ACTA has received a knockout blow from the European Parliament as the majority of MEPs voted in favor of rejecting the controversial trade agreement, which critics say would protect copyright at the expense of freedom of speech on the Internet. Original post on rt.com Comments on reddit.com
About half of young Germans are not sure whether the Nazi state was a dictatorship – and even more are unsure that the socialist East German regime was one, a new study shows. Original post on thelocal.de Comments on reddit.com
Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a blistering criticism of the Supreme Court after they strengthened Citizens United by overturning Montana’s campaign cash ban. Original post on politicususa.com Comments on reddit.com
I spent four hours in a third-floor conference room at 86 Chambers St. in Manhattan on Friday as I underwent a government deposition. – 2012/03/26 Original post on truthdig.com Comments on reddit.com
Psychology research shows that most people aren’t able to accurately judge the competence of a political candidate. Original post on livescience.com Comments on digg.com
Peter Sunde, a very thoughtful and insightful guy, who’s been completely demonized by the entertainment industry for his role with The Pirate Bay, has written up an interesting piece for Wired UK where he not only goes over highly questionable… Original post on techdirt.com Comments on reddit.com
From schools to prisons, outsourcing government’s works typically ends with cronyism, waste and unaccountability Original post on alternet.org Comments on digg.com
David Meyer: You told us: The anti-counterfeiting trade agreement could criminalise internet users globally. But it hasn’t been ratified yet Original post on guardian.co.uk Comments on reddit.com
We face a choice. Americans can let Citizens United remain the law of the land, or we can have a functioning democracy. We can’t have both. Original post on huffingtonpost.com Comments on digg.com Other huffingtonpost.com posts Other posts in Politics
Bill McKibben for TomDispatch: I’ve seen enough of how Big Oil operates in Washington to know that moneyed influence is poisoning American democracy… More
The page has turned on another year in our democracy, and we the people again have a year of choice in front of us. There is a weed-like notion in these United States that our democracy is broken, ineffectual, corrupted, irrelevant, or all of the above. Supporting this idea are the unrealized dreams, unmet needs, and hurt feelings of most of our population. Democracy, after all, is a treacherous and finicky beast; the will of 51% makes a law that 49% may find lacking, bad, or downright evil. As a result, the collective we changes our mind with great frequency and violent efficiency. This year, and this election, will not be decided by the will of 51% of the population or our general electoral schizophrenia. The contest won’t be decided by pollster’s registered voters or likely voters. Our future won’t be decided by the electoral college, the U.N., Chinese bankers, More