Posted on 07/21/2025 10:33:44 AM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
From a stumbling economy to soaring crime, France has plenty of problems. But, judging by recent events, the government seems to have another threat in mind: social media. Earlier this month, prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Elon Musk’s X, alleging foreign interference through algorithm manipulation, while also condemning the platform for spreading “hateful” content. This followed a police raid on the headquarters of the National Rally, France’s leading opposition party, after the launch of yet another dubious investigation into campaign financing.
The Fifth Republic is far from alone here. For Western democracy is under threat — not from “foreign adversaries”, or “far-Right populists”, but from its own elites. Whether in Britain, Germany or Ireland, censorship has become routine across Europe and beyond, even as dissent is increasingly criminalised and legal systems are weaponised to suppress opposition. In recent months, these trends have escalated into direct assaults on the basic institutions of democratic governance. In Romania, to give one example, an entire election was annulled because it delivered the wrong outcome, while other countries contemplate similar measures too.
In theory, all this is being carried out in the name of defending democracy. In truth, the purpose is clear: to help ruling elites maintain their grip on power in the face of a historic collapse of legitimacy. Whether they will succeed in doing so remains to be seen. What is clear, though, is that the stakes are enormous. If elites manage to entrench their control through increasingly authoritarian means, the West will enter a new era of managed democracy — or democracy in name only. If they fail, and in the absence of a coherent alternative, the resulting vacuum may give way to deepening instability, social unrest and systemic crisis. Either way, the outlook for the future...
(Excerpt) Read more at unherd.com ...
Not dead (yet). Definitely under attack by evil forces that intend to kill it.
The United States is NOT a “ democracy “. Never has been.
It’s a representative REPUBLIC.
The Dems even have Fox News repeating the lie.
Reminds me of those tyrants in Germany who said “there is free speech here and we will arrest anyone who says what we don’t like, especially if they make fun of a politician.”
A democracy is a political system in which the people periodically, by majority vote at the polls, select their rulers. The rulers then have absolute power to make whatever laws they please, by majority vote among themselves.Just a reminder for those that think that there’s no difference between a democracy and a republic. There’s a profound difference.
In a constitutional Republic, the people also, by majority vote at the polls, select rulers, who make laws by majority vote among themselves; but the rulers cannot make any laws they please because the Constitution severely restricts their lawmaking power.
The ideal of a democracy is universal equality. The ideal of a constitutional Republic is individual liberty.
In this century, great strides have been made toward the goal of subverting our Republic and transforming it into a democracy. One tactic of the subverters is subversion of language. By calling the United States a democracy until people thoughtlessly accept and use the term, totalitarians have obscured the real meaning of our principles of government.
— Dan Smoot Report, 1966
‘The United States is NOT a “ democracy “. Never has been.
It’s a representative REPUBLIC’
Exactly!
Democracy in America does exists, as De Touqueville wrote.
Democracy is not in the government, but in the marketplace.
We vote with our money for or against certain merchants.
We vote with our feet where to live, where to shop, where to practice religion, where to be entertained.
To restrict our right to vote in the marketplace is undemocratic.
Two main political parties...
Republicans - who support the highest practical level of individual liberty, supported by a written Constitution.
Democrats - who support universal equality and an all powerful government to command it.
Well France can never seem to get it right. What are they now? On Republic number 5?
Considering that we are NOT a Democracy....
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