No Power Without Accountability - Billy Bragg

Acclaimed songwriter, activist and campaigner Billy Bragg will discuss the nature of democracy, citizenship, power and responsibility in this exclusive RSA event.
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[@chegadesuade]

Awesome presentation, Billy Bragg is a great hero of mine. Thanks for uploading.

[@jockassuk]

that was a revelation. im turning as many people i can find onto this talk. this is important and achievable

[@vonkruel]

We can do much better at democracy. To begin, simply drop the idea that "we already have democracy". Voting for somebody from a pre-selected list of candidates every few years isn't good enough. More access is needed. How to make that work -- that's an exciting challenge. I know we can make great progress on it, and copy good ideas & processes all over the world. The potential for doing better is so great.

[@jenisedai]

This is freaking me out- I haven't seen Billy since the 80s and boy does he look different now. Good talk, just had to forget who it was talking so I could concentrate on what he was saying.

[@QuillinAlaska]

I found this a very thoughtful and interesting proposition. The graph showing the relationship between the power of trade unions and proportion of income going to the upper 1% was illuminating.

[@tubtraveller]

See the documentary "Inequality For All" for more detailed discussion about how this graph correlates different aspects of the concentration of wealth at the top.

[@QuillinAlaska]

Thanks. I will...

[@tubtraveller]

In Canada our democracy suffers from the same lack of accountability in our Parliament. The upper house (Senate) is filled with partisans who are unelected. The first past the post system for electing members of the House of Commons resulted in 60% of votes in the 2011 election being effectively wasted. The Prime Minister's totally controls the public agenda. Many Canadians would embrace Bragg's suggestion for taking the pecentages of all votes cast to constitute an the second parliamentary body. It would change the way people vote and possibly engage more eligible voters in the process. Low levels of engagement in the political process may be our biggest problem. People would rather shop.

[@thorrin]

I don't understand why there are people who don't want more equality. Isn't it obvious that striving for wealth and power is not the solution, haven't we seen what it does enough. Just take a look at the state of the world today: poverty, war and preventable diseases are widespread; if that isn't bad enough yet our pursuit of money and profit is also destroying our planet. The fact of the matter is: we have more then enough for everyone on this earth. If we could put our insignificant differences aside and work together: I'm sure we could make this life and place allot better for everyone. I'm not talking about some utopia here it wouldn't be perfect, because nothing ever is; but i assure you it would be better. PS: for all the haters, hate all you want but deep down inside you know whats right and rational

[@OnlyKnowsGod]

I think the matter of rebalancing power to represent local issues by decentilisation is apt. There are many regions whom punch above there weight localy but cannot get further due to whitehall interferance. Scotland has and is redifining an govermental system more representative of its peoples needs then london due to a physical boundary issue.. Similar shire base boundarys allready exsist and should be legally enforced.. The issues of dead votes would for most voters not be much of a supprise. As many beleaved for a long time that safe seats exsist and most votes go unheard.. I doubt however that the loads are of any use if they are elected to seats within the lords as can be viewed by most people that mp typicaly forget there constituents after entering westminster and obey there pary line.. If the lords are ditectly elected then there membership to a political party should be suspended; thus removing any form of manipulation or control from anybody other then the people whom elected them into the lords..

[@Mroziwanman]

Well Billy you took a bit too long to make a very good point. I suspect sadly, that you lost a lot of your target audience along the way. In the end though, what you propose is a pretty neat idea. On a more serious note I like the idea of continuing the history of common law, We lost that back in the 80s.

[@wovokanarchy]

Go back to sloganeering and writing silly little love songs Billy/ This is for grownups.

[@herbieshine1312]

Firstly what's wrong with what you refer to as "silly little love songs?" Secondly he doesn't only write love songs silly or otherwise. Finally your comment is the most childish thing here so if this is for "grownups" go back to your Ken and Barbie. You're out of your depth!

[@wovokanarchy]

@@herbieshine1312 Why so offended? No wonder why the left is so sensitive and reactionary that all they have left is to advocate for censorship, cancel culture and wokeism.

[@herbieshine1312]

@@wovokanarchy you have chosen to mistake my comments as being offened. I'm not offended. I think your comment was childish. Why have you chosen to interpret my comment about being how people on the "left" react? You've jumped to attempting to what insult, be rude, I don't know what you think you've said or what you think you read but it's certainly not the comment I made. You've also leapt, as quickly as possible, to making an accusation that people on the "left" are trying to use cancel culture, censorship and wokeism. Firstly, thank you, yes I am, what you call, woke and although you seem to think that's an insult I take it as a compliment. You have assumed I am on the left. Nothing of my comment says anything about my political views. What in my comment was about wokeism, cancel culture or censorship? What you did and all you did was be even more childish and use a nifty little non sequitur rather than address the question I asked. How very predictable and oh so boring of you to respond in such a way.

[@wovokanarchy]

@@herbieshine1312 Punk Rock was premised on insult, offence, iconoclasm, and challenging the status quo, all things the current left is against. Imagine bands like Crass, FEAR, or the Subhumans were starting up today. There would be a hue and cry by the woke left on how their lyrics and music hurt the feelings of wokesters today.

[@herbieshine1312]

@@wovokanarchy all you said is I have an opinion and I'm going to express it whether anyone wants me to or not