Australian democracy is a world of constant change: competitive positions, streamlined communications, a dynamic politics with more and more responses to the day’s latest…

Wait a minute. That’s not democracy. That’s capitalism.

Don’t get me wrong. Democracy thrives when diversity is strong, people are well informed, and policies are tested in a robust marketplace of ideas. Capitalism, however, is interested entirely in the here and now. It cannibalises long-term vision, seducing us into doing the same: constant consumption, immediate gratification.

So what happens when we need to take immediate action to prevent future disaster? How can the diversity, dynamism and active citizenship that uphold democracy meet the complex challenges of the next political cycle, and the next, and the next?…

>>> Read on at Crikey

IMAGE: the tattered Australian flag on top of the Australia’s Parliament House (AAP/Lukas Coch, via Crikey)