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'Three things happened' - Anthony Barnett

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How did we make it to a better world? Three things happened: to state power, corporate power and human society. They came to a head in 2020 but had been building up over the decade after the great financial crash from 2008 to 2014, the long Egyptian revolution, the implosion of the Murdoch empire, and the last US troops fleeing Afghanistan. These events ended the ‘war on terror’ and ‘neo-liberalism’. Only scholars now recall these terms. The world’s 2020 revolution brought clarity to our democracy. What it began then took 25 years to complete.

The three were: 1) In 2018 after years of preparation an insider leaked all the files and codes on the “international deep state”. This was (and for you still is) the secret alliance of intelligence, police and security services who monitor and log citizens everywhere. It began with terrorist threats and was captured by its own logic into an unaccountable network of agencies linking Beijing and Washington. Exposed we broke the power of the deep state. 2) It existed in symbiosis with corporate power and after massive riots commercial confidentiality was abolished. All financial transactions are now published ending monopolies and ensuring markets serve humankind. 3) To achieve this double revolution we had to trust ourselves rather than political parties and leaders who are bought off by the deep state and corporate monopolies.

Networked politics created the peaceful, powerful self-organisation that ended fear, released potential and proved lasting. The Spanish were first, the Chinese were the biggest and Californians made it fun.

The Spanish were first...
The Spanish were first...

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The Spanish were first...


Author: Anthony Barnett

Anthony Barnett

Anthony Barnett

Anthony is the honorary president of openDemocracy

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