Chapter
21
— Politics
(The
third part of a talk given by Louis Even on Radio-Canada on January 19,
1945.) Crowd
manipulation
Social
Credit, which calls for an economy at the service of all consumers, also
calls for a political system at the service of people. The Social
Crediters fight monopolies in politics as well as in economics. Monopoly
in politics is the exploitation of people through party politics. As the
Holy Father (Pius XII) pointed out in his 1944 Christmas message, the
organized and liberally financed politicians are clever at manipulating
the amorphous crowd to get votes and achieve power, their only goal,
from which position they totally forget the people's interests, and take
care of their own and that of the party which supported them. Any
political organization which does not begin by enlightening and
organizing people so that they can keep an eye on their representatives,
is a political monopoly, the monopoly of crowd manipulation at election
time. It is a monopoly all the more perfidious, as it carries the
appearance of a democracy, whereas it is actually pure tyranny. To
those who understand the philosophy of Social Credit, it is clear that
this kind of politics can never be in favour with the Social Crediters. Parties,
old and new alike, can continue to make their policies revolve upon
voting, upon the manipulation of the crowd to get this vote. The Social
Crediters renounce the setting up of one more political swindle: it
would betray everything they teach. The
Social Crediters' political formula
This
is why the Social Crediters of the “Michael” Journal have chosen, as
their political formula, to educate and organize the citizens —
citizens who make inquiries and assume their responsibilities to assert
their rights. The
Social Crediters are not interested in the conquest of power, but in
having those who are in office to serve the citizens. It is from an
informed, thoughtful, and organized people that they hope to see a power
come out which will know how to make the required acts, so that
governments will serve the people instead of serving the monopolies. “The
masses,” wrote the Pope, “are the major enemy of genuine democracy,
and of its freedom and equality ideals. With a people worthy of this
name, the citizen carries within himself the awareness of his
personality, of his duties and of his rights, of his own freedom, joined
to the respect for freedom and the dignity of others.” A
feeling of responsibility — this is what the Social Credit Movement of
the “Michael” Journal is trying to develop in the citizens. It is
from the number of its adherents, but principally from the quality of
their sense of responsibility, that it awaits success. A
lesson from experience
Moreover,
there is no need to think about it over and over again to understand
that it is for the citizens themselves to make their rights and freedoms
respected. It is certainly not the monopolies, neither of the economic
nor of the political order, which will help us to get Social Credit:
their objectives are diametrically opposed to it. Besides, does not
history teach us that it is futile to wait for reform through the simple
change of the party in power? A
few days ago, a new party leader said on the radio: “Today, you have a
new team of men that will establish policies respectful of Christian
principles and family dignity.” Does
he really believe that there have never been any new teams before his?
Does he really believe that the ones he wants to replace do not know
their catechism as well as he does? These
words have been repeated again and again in the past, and it is
understandable that people are beginning to refuse to believe them. When
one party replaces another in power, with the same electors, in the same
circumstances, fighting the same problems, there is a ten-in-ten chance
that it will continue exactly in the same way. Let
us try another method
Let
us not forget to consider at least two elements that face each other:
the governing and the governed. One has changed the governing often
enough: what if one were to make a little change in the governed? Does
one treat a cat and a lion in the same way? Whoever the people may be
who look after cats or lions, the difference in treatment, in both
cases, comes more from the nature of the beast than from that of its
master. We
do not believe we are mistaken in making the same analogy to politics.
Politicians will not behave, with electors who are informed and
organized to watch over them and remind them of their duties, in the
same way as with electors who are satisfied with voting according to the
trends of public opinion. It is up to each and every one to see to it It may possibly be a difficult and lengthy task to accustom a people to taking an intelligent and effective interest in public affairs. But when have we tried? It is surely not the party politicians who have applied themselves to it. Never do exploiters try to organize their victims so that they will resist their exploitation. One
does not wait for the devil to bring the grace of God. Likewise, if we
want political and economic systems dedicated to the service of each and
every one, let us not expect them from those who aim towards another
objective: Each and every one of us must work at organizing such
systems. The
first thing to do is certainly to know what the issue is all about. So
one must begin with the study of appropriate literature. The Social
Crediters possess the literature to this end. Then,
enlightened, one goes into action, if one wants results. One goes into
action by teaching others and banding together: a new kind of politics,
since it is for the first time the policy of the electors themselves to
get a really new economy: the economy of the free and periodical
dividend to each and every one, without inquiry, without conditions, and
without taking from anyone's pocket. |