Silly Things
Popular Assemblies

I'd like to know the reason for this ongoing glorification of democratic assemblies. Why voting by a show of hands at the assembly should be praised as so much a democratic event? Maybe isn't it obvious that many people who have the right to take part in making decisions might not be at all present in that assembly? Isn't it also obvious that though having attended the meeting they could even not be in that particular place at that very moment? Can't everyone see how easy it is to set the assembly broken just when its leaders are not feeling confident of a successful outcome? Or even fully intend to bore the audience with futile lecturing in order to make the assembly come rather deserted and hold back the election until they can foresee a hopeful final score?

How much have we gone back in time since Saenz Peña Law, aimed at a universal, secret, obligatory suffrage? How long is it since women's suffrage was stated? What?! Do you think that formal, real democracy would be impracticable on every occasion when a decision must be urgently taken or when it comes to a particular situation such as struggles or barricades? Oh, yeah... it is at all impracticable... when it suits political activists!