The Green Book: Part One

Chapter Five

           PLEBISCITES

                  
  Plebiscites are a fraud against            |The fallacy of
democracy. Those who say 'yes' and           |a 'Yes' or 'No'
those who say 'no' do not, in  fact,         |Plebiscite
express their will. They have been
silenced through the conception of
modern democracy. They have been
allowed to utter only one word: either
'yes' or 'no'. This is the most cruel and
oppressive dictatorial system. He who
says 'no' should give reasons for his
answer. He should explain why he did
not say 'yes'. And he who says 'yes'
should give reasons for approval and
why he did not say 'no'. Everyone
should make clear what he wants and
the reasons for his approval or rejec-
tion.
  What road, then, must human groups
take to get rid, once and for all, of the
tyrannical and dictatorial ages?
  Since the intricate problem in the
case of democracy is the instrument of
governing, expressed by conflicts of
classes, parties and individuals; and
since the electoral and plebiscite

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methods were invented to cover the
failure of those unsuccessful experi-
ments to solve this problem, the solu-
tion lies in finding an instrument of
governing other than these which are
subject to conflict and which represent
only one side of the society. That is to
say, an instrument of governing which
is not a party, a class, a sect or a tribe,
but an instrument of governing which
is the people as a whole. It neither
represents the people nor speaks in
their name.
  No representation in lieu of the people
and representation is fraud. If that
instrument can be brought into being
the problem will be solved, popular
democracy will be realised, mankind
will have put an end to tyrannical eras
and dictatorial systems, and the au-
thority of the people will have taken
their place.
 The Green Book presents the solution
to the problem of the instrument of
governing. It indicates for the people
the way to pass from the eras of
dictatorship to the eras of genuine
democracy.
 This new theory is based on the

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authority of the people, without repre-
sentation or deputation.  It realises
direct democracy in an orderly and
effective form. It differs from the older
attempt at direct democracy, which
could not be applied in practice and
which was frivolous because it lacked
popular organisation on the lower
levels.

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Chapter Six   Table of Contents