The end of western democracies ?

European cand many other countries already trade with the BRICS ones (and each other of course), but President Trump's bull-in-a-chnia-shop approach wil cause problems for averyone - but he seems not to realise that - nor care anyway.

End of democracy?

Well, democracy based on economics and personal wealth alone is a fundamentally flawed because it bases the system on money rather than people. Rather, modern democracies work by constitutional equality of political, religious and cultural rights to all, irrespective of personal means; strengthened by those with little means being helped by those with more.

The problem lies in that last clause. We are not all "equal" by personal wealth, and if those with the least feel overlooked, ignored or not helped, they are very likely to turn to anyone promising them a "strong government" supposedly offering a better life economically despite becoming more and more constricted.

Then of course, when it doesn't they find it far harder to rid themselves of that "strong government".

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Climate change and resource depletion?

I don't think depressions brought climate change. Instead, wealthy times create much greater consumption of fuels, and of non-fuel minerals. Vitally though, alongside the sheer wastefulness within wealthy societies, the "developing nations" rightly want such necessities as reliable, safe water, sewerage and electrical services, and decent homes. Services and homes we in the "developed" world too easily take for granted... until a breakdown in any of them hints that we should take nothing for granted.

The threat of anthropocentric climate-change was first raised more than a hundred years ago, but based on the contemporary rate of burning coal, the universal fuel then, and it placed the danger-point so far ahead it was easy to ignore. Anyway the early 20C was marked by a touching faith in "taming Nature", with rapidly-evolving science and engineering forecast to solve all of Mankind's troubles. No-one is a seer so no-one could foresee some of these devolpments bringing their own problems.

However, this unbridled growth increasing climate-change and resources depeletion, could indeed threaten democracy in their own ways.

Minmising climate-change may need moves many people find unpleasant to contemplate because they may infringe their right to choose and use fuels as they wish. Shrinking availability of materials makes owning "stuff" more expensive and difficult. The alternatives would still alllow the critical freedoms but the "stuff" may become too expensive for many people.

Now, those are not themselves threats to democracy. We still have the constitutional rights but some aspects of our personal lives may be restricted by direct regulation or by increasing cost. Unfortunately, rather than accepting the inevitability of a cosy life taken for granted, and working with it, many people are likely to see it as "They" removing their freedoms for the sake of it. This will affect the well-off more because they tend to have hobbies needing costly equipment like boats, a lot of driving, and holidays in pricey foreign resorts.

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To summarise, strong democracies and their economies should survive the present crises within, and caused elsewhere, by the USA's present leadership; but the entire world irrespective of political systems faces far greater threats that may need very uncomfortable solutions.

In a democracy, those solutions will not or should not reduce our basic, constitutional, political, religious, economic and cultural rights. They may though need legislation, or will bring strong economic restrictions, impinging on our personal lives in material ways. We'd still be free to do the things we enjoy but no longer able to afford it.

Q:

A:

The world... still includes "we the people".

... The question is, what is going to be the new formula AND is that going to be adopted by enough people to make an impact and create some new form of stability? ... Who knows? 🤷‍♂

For me personally... we should at least try to rid ourselves from our current liberal zeitgeist, concepts like: freedom, liberty, free market capitalism (which is not compatible with our type of democracy), individuality, individualism, free will, our hunger for material wealth, ... in our narratives need to get a review according to data that was gained in the last 200 years. Without throwing away liberal ideas like: rationalism, individual freedom and the rights of man.

What I do know... is that society (or societies) don't change overnight. And if they change overnight, it's verry often because of a bloody trauma. And only if, after the trauma, there is room and time for self-reflection, instead of pointing out scapegoats that relieves the members of society that got us into the bloody mess from their responsibility. Our societies often use scapegoats and make ourselves guilty of it, but with the rise of far-right politics, it has moved from a sin too a modus operandi. Which will make it hard to progress for a while.

Yep! This is it, it's all over. Canned goods and ammo, that's my investment strategy now.

Starting work on my new bunker next week!

The answers to your questions are found in the Bible. We are close to the Lord's return.

Absolutely - but one thing hes not is unable to count - it is Greenland he really wants... and whatever it is that the USA and Russia know is up there in a soon to be ice free Artic as well as control of the "northwest passage". All that money on nuclear submarines wasn't wasted. He's not subtle and he hides things in the best place to hide them - plain sight

Spot on beermeplease

How much pain can you stomach before the pots and pans come out.
Because it’s going going to get bumpy, fasten your seatbelt. Because it’s going to be a very bumpy ride.

Yep another big jolt lower today. Thats even less money available for the development of new technologies to compete against the very industrial giants Trump is trying to keep away by using tarfiffs. Trump obvious paid attentio to lessons unelarnt when he did his project management studies (at infant school).

It’s not been 24 hrs and trump admin is reporting 4 countries already on the phone wanting to drop tariffs all together..

🍿

Just to say the Nasdaq is now hititng -5% for the day - just saying.

Eropean banks down another 3% at the open - timber !

Is the world "dominated" by democracies? Russia, China, etc., seem to have a lot of influence, too. :(

DJT's antics might be the end of us anyway.

“Free trade” hasn’t existed for decades. The sky isn’t falling tiger.