01-05 Democracies Under Threat

Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright issues a public warning that around the world democracies are under threat as governments use the pandemic to tighten their grip on power.
A special focus was directed to nations like Hungary which passed legislation giving the government emergency powers with no expiration date. And the Philippines which has given the government special powers that can be adjusted as required.
It is a warning to citizens everywhere who are naturally more tolerant during an emergency.
Even in Canada, parliament has been prorogued. This is a tactic used when governments find themselves in a tricky situation. The photo shows the Governor General, Julie Payette with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In the United States, President Trump is trying to restrict the use of the postal service during the upcoming election knowing less people will come out to vote because of Covid-19. It is what happened during elections in 1918 during the height of the Spanish Flu. Fewer people voting seems to work to the benefit of the Republican Party.
One of the greatest threats to democracy is the explosion of public debt everywhere. Massive public spending is being used to prevent deflation. Something that is tricky to deal with. The worry? Are there nations around the world that will simply declare bankruptcy?
This diagram shows the explosion in the US national debt which is in the order of $ 26 trillion. Ever since the days of President Reagan, US governments have been cutting taxes while promoting the concept that tax cuts are a way to increase revenues. Voodoo economics.
The danger today is that the pandemic is going to exaggerate every weakness in our democratic systems. Free elections, competition for capital to fund national debts, and regular meetings of legislative bodies.
Democracies everywhere are under threat. Pandemic politics are quirky.