John Macgregor (democracy re-design)
@johnmacgregor.bsky.social
Author, 'The Mechanics of Changing the World: Political Architecture to Roll Back State & Corporate Power'
https://books2read.com/thirddraft
Aussie, journo: NYT, SMH
Designer, anti-poverty projects, Cambodia
#ThirdDraftDemocracy #DemocracyWorks #Vote
https://books2read.com/thirddraft
Aussie, journo: NYT, SMH
Designer, anti-poverty projects, Cambodia
#ThirdDraftDemocracy #DemocracyWorks #Vote
Pinned
Revolutions Are Coming To The West: Fixing The Fatal Flaws That Cause Inevitable Collapse
The Kim Iversen Show LIVE | January 30, 2025 John MacGregor was a political journalist who saw firsthand that our current system was beyond repair—so he stepped away for eight years to design a new on
rumble.com
My recent book interview with Kim Iversen. Our topics:
* War, inequality & govt corruption: insoluble in the current political framework
* And: #PoliticalReform, #SystemChange, #DirectDemocracy, #DeliberativeDemocracy, #ProportionalRepresentation, #VoteByMail, #Subsidiarity, #Referendums...
* War, inequality & govt corruption: insoluble in the current political framework
* And: #PoliticalReform, #SystemChange, #DirectDemocracy, #DeliberativeDemocracy, #ProportionalRepresentation, #VoteByMail, #Subsidiarity, #Referendums...
IMO we are at a 'paradoxical moment', analogous to the Great Depression/New Deal. Things are bad, but the table is laid for a social transformation:
1. We have a 300,000-year genetic endowment of equality & co-operation (civilization, monopoly & war are an eye-blink)
1. We have a 300,000-year genetic endowment of equality & co-operation (civilization, monopoly & war are an eye-blink)
November 10, 2025 at 12:18 AM
IMO we are at a 'paradoxical moment', analogous to the Great Depression/New Deal. Things are bad, but the table is laid for a social transformation:
1. We have a 300,000-year genetic endowment of equality & co-operation (civilization, monopoly & war are an eye-blink)
1. We have a 300,000-year genetic endowment of equality & co-operation (civilization, monopoly & war are an eye-blink)
"𝗜𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁."
- 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙋𝙞𝙩𝙠𝙞𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮
The Western political system should be seen as being on death watch.
It has delivered us war, inequality & monopoly.
- 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙋𝙞𝙩𝙠𝙞𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮
The Western political system should be seen as being on death watch.
It has delivered us war, inequality & monopoly.
November 6, 2025 at 12:31 AM
"𝗜𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁."
- 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙋𝙞𝙩𝙠𝙞𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮
The Western political system should be seen as being on death watch.
It has delivered us war, inequality & monopoly.
- 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙋𝙞𝙩𝙠𝙞𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮
The Western political system should be seen as being on death watch.
It has delivered us war, inequality & monopoly.
Dick Cheney was state capture incarnate
This resulted in the Iraq War, which killed a million people including 4,400 Americans
A war he profited from greatly
If there's one thing to be inferred from his wretched life, it is that wealth & political power must be consigned to their separate domains
This resulted in the Iraq War, which killed a million people including 4,400 Americans
A war he profited from greatly
If there's one thing to be inferred from his wretched life, it is that wealth & political power must be consigned to their separate domains
November 4, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Dick Cheney was state capture incarnate
This resulted in the Iraq War, which killed a million people including 4,400 Americans
A war he profited from greatly
If there's one thing to be inferred from his wretched life, it is that wealth & political power must be consigned to their separate domains
This resulted in the Iraq War, which killed a million people including 4,400 Americans
A war he profited from greatly
If there's one thing to be inferred from his wretched life, it is that wealth & political power must be consigned to their separate domains
I doubt 'the West' minds losing men & materiel at a high rate in Ukraine, as every round expended has to be replaced in the inventory.
That means profits for the donors who bankroll the politicians who launch the wars.
In policy terms, 'the West' = corporations, not politicians or people.
That means profits for the donors who bankroll the politicians who launch the wars.
In policy terms, 'the West' = corporations, not politicians or people.
October 30, 2025 at 8:44 AM
I doubt 'the West' minds losing men & materiel at a high rate in Ukraine, as every round expended has to be replaced in the inventory.
That means profits for the donors who bankroll the politicians who launch the wars.
In policy terms, 'the West' = corporations, not politicians or people.
That means profits for the donors who bankroll the politicians who launch the wars.
In policy terms, 'the West' = corporations, not politicians or people.
Our prime responsibility, if we want to end genocide & ecocide—war & homelessness—is to relocate wealth & political power to their separate domains.
October 29, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Our prime responsibility, if we want to end genocide & ecocide—war & homelessness—is to relocate wealth & political power to their separate domains.
Microplastics in the water, heavy metals in the food chain.
These are not one-offs.
They come from the same place as falling real wages, financial crashes & drug epidemics.
These are not one-offs.
They come from the same place as falling real wages, financial crashes & drug epidemics.
October 28, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Microplastics in the water, heavy metals in the food chain.
These are not one-offs.
They come from the same place as falling real wages, financial crashes & drug epidemics.
These are not one-offs.
They come from the same place as falling real wages, financial crashes & drug epidemics.
Currently all our information is controlled by a small handful of media & social media billionaires.
Does this sound normal or healthy?
Does this sound normal or healthy?
October 26, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Currently all our information is controlled by a small handful of media & social media billionaires.
Does this sound normal or healthy?
Does this sound normal or healthy?
Regularly electing new governments & leaders—who presided over decades of decline—has not yet convinced Westerners that their political system needs replacing.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
October 26, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Regularly electing new governments & leaders—who presided over decades of decline—has not yet convinced Westerners that their political system needs replacing.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
Our crises go back to plutocracy: to Organized Money capturing government policy.
If we don’t fix that, we don’t fix much.
Elect someone from the Right—or the Left. They’ll be subject to the same donor pressures that captured Trump, Biden, & all who preceded them:
If we don’t fix that, we don’t fix much.
Elect someone from the Right—or the Left. They’ll be subject to the same donor pressures that captured Trump, Biden, & all who preceded them:
October 23, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Our crises go back to plutocracy: to Organized Money capturing government policy.
If we don’t fix that, we don’t fix much.
Elect someone from the Right—or the Left. They’ll be subject to the same donor pressures that captured Trump, Biden, & all who preceded them:
If we don’t fix that, we don’t fix much.
Elect someone from the Right—or the Left. They’ll be subject to the same donor pressures that captured Trump, Biden, & all who preceded them:
Our political framework seems designed to recycle profitable crises.
Wars, pandemics & financial crashes transfer trillions from poor, middle class & government to the already-rich.
Governments wave it through.
Wars, pandemics & financial crashes transfer trillions from poor, middle class & government to the already-rich.
Governments wave it through.
October 21, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Our political framework seems designed to recycle profitable crises.
Wars, pandemics & financial crashes transfer trillions from poor, middle class & government to the already-rich.
Governments wave it through.
Wars, pandemics & financial crashes transfer trillions from poor, middle class & government to the already-rich.
Governments wave it through.
We don’t have social, economic & environmental problems—we have a democracy problem.
October 20, 2025 at 5:34 PM
We don’t have social, economic & environmental problems—we have a democracy problem.
The hallmark of our era is the transition from flawed democracy to unaccountable elite rule.
(Followed by falling real incomes, Permanent War, mass homelessness, collapsing human health...)
But this remarkable transition is absent from the national conversation (symptoms aside).
(Followed by falling real incomes, Permanent War, mass homelessness, collapsing human health...)
But this remarkable transition is absent from the national conversation (symptoms aside).
October 9, 2025 at 12:28 PM
The hallmark of our era is the transition from flawed democracy to unaccountable elite rule.
(Followed by falling real incomes, Permanent War, mass homelessness, collapsing human health...)
But this remarkable transition is absent from the national conversation (symptoms aside).
(Followed by falling real incomes, Permanent War, mass homelessness, collapsing human health...)
But this remarkable transition is absent from the national conversation (symptoms aside).
Democracy may be the best form of government, but its current incarnation is laughably capturable.
Indeed, nothing in the free market compares with the return-on-investment (ROI) from political donations.
Indeed, nothing in the free market compares with the return-on-investment (ROI) from political donations.
Available now at your favorite digital store!
The Mechanics of Changing the World: Political Architecture to Roll Back State & Corporate Power by John Macgregor
books2read.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Democracy may be the best form of government, but its current incarnation is laughably capturable.
Indeed, nothing in the free market compares with the return-on-investment (ROI) from political donations.
Indeed, nothing in the free market compares with the return-on-investment (ROI) from political donations.
My favourite graph: usage of the word 'cure' in English since the rise of pharmaceutical medicine.
The decline was surely because curing illness (being less profitable than treating it longterm) quietly fell out of favor.
The public narrative had to be adjusted.
The decline was surely because curing illness (being less profitable than treating it longterm) quietly fell out of favor.
The public narrative had to be adjusted.
October 6, 2025 at 11:07 AM
My favourite graph: usage of the word 'cure' in English since the rise of pharmaceutical medicine.
The decline was surely because curing illness (being less profitable than treating it longterm) quietly fell out of favor.
The public narrative had to be adjusted.
The decline was surely because curing illness (being less profitable than treating it longterm) quietly fell out of favor.
The public narrative had to be adjusted.
A year on from the publication of my book, getting anyone to think on Level 1 is still hard.
Most people remain fixated on Level 2 (symptoms)—& on leaders, legislation, policy ('treatments'): still believing there will be answers there.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
Most people remain fixated on Level 2 (symptoms)—& on leaders, legislation, policy ('treatments'): still believing there will be answers there.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
October 3, 2025 at 11:58 AM
A year on from the publication of my book, getting anyone to think on Level 1 is still hard.
Most people remain fixated on Level 2 (symptoms)—& on leaders, legislation, policy ('treatments'): still believing there will be answers there.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
Most people remain fixated on Level 2 (symptoms)—& on leaders, legislation, policy ('treatments'): still believing there will be answers there.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
Declining public health, rising inequality. War abroad, disunity at home.
The root cause is not hard to identify. Wealth has captured policy:
The root cause is not hard to identify. Wealth has captured policy:
Available now at your favorite digital store!
The Mechanics of Changing the World: Political Architecture to Roll Back State & Corporate Power by John Macgregor
books2read.com
September 28, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Declining public health, rising inequality. War abroad, disunity at home.
The root cause is not hard to identify. Wealth has captured policy:
The root cause is not hard to identify. Wealth has captured policy:
The US #media is controlled by six companies.
In Italy it’s seven, in Britain it’s four. In Canada & Australia it’s three.
Social is worse again.
You can't vote wisely when all your information is selected for you by billionaires.
In Italy it’s seven, in Britain it’s four. In Canada & Australia it’s three.
Social is worse again.
You can't vote wisely when all your information is selected for you by billionaires.
September 26, 2025 at 11:59 AM
The US #media is controlled by six companies.
In Italy it’s seven, in Britain it’s four. In Canada & Australia it’s three.
Social is worse again.
You can't vote wisely when all your information is selected for you by billionaires.
In Italy it’s seven, in Britain it’s four. In Canada & Australia it’s three.
Social is worse again.
You can't vote wisely when all your information is selected for you by billionaires.
The decline of the West stems, more than anything, from the failure of its version of democracy
Our representative system doesn’t work very well because:
1. Legislatures are capturable by wealth
2. Power attracts non-normal people (dissociated, a bit narcissistic, able to lie easily…)
Our representative system doesn’t work very well because:
1. Legislatures are capturable by wealth
2. Power attracts non-normal people (dissociated, a bit narcissistic, able to lie easily…)
September 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM
The decline of the West stems, more than anything, from the failure of its version of democracy
Our representative system doesn’t work very well because:
1. Legislatures are capturable by wealth
2. Power attracts non-normal people (dissociated, a bit narcissistic, able to lie easily…)
Our representative system doesn’t work very well because:
1. Legislatures are capturable by wealth
2. Power attracts non-normal people (dissociated, a bit narcissistic, able to lie easily…)
If anyone here is still on X, this is an (audio) podcast I did today in the US:
x.com/KissMyCarol/...
x.com/KissMyCarol/...
ApotheCarol on X: "John Macgregor is the author of “The Mechanics of Changing the World: Political Architecture to Roll Back State & Corporate Power”. He argues that war, inequality and environmental overshoot are insoluble in our current political framework - that changing the world will not occur" / X
John Macgregor is the author of “The Mechanics of Changing the World: Political Architecture to Roll Back State & Corporate Power”. He argues that war, inequality and environmental overshoot are insoluble in our current political framework - that changing the world will not occur
x.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:21 PM
If anyone here is still on X, this is an (audio) podcast I did today in the US:
x.com/KissMyCarol/...
x.com/KissMyCarol/...
The characters represent the Homo sapiens timeline in 10,000-year increments:
*****************************+
The first 29 = hunting, gathering & social equality.
The + at the end = agriculture, settlement & social hierarchies.
*****************************+
The first 29 = hunting, gathering & social equality.
The + at the end = agriculture, settlement & social hierarchies.
September 21, 2025 at 12:05 PM
The characters represent the Homo sapiens timeline in 10,000-year increments:
*****************************+
The first 29 = hunting, gathering & social equality.
The + at the end = agriculture, settlement & social hierarchies.
*****************************+
The first 29 = hunting, gathering & social equality.
The + at the end = agriculture, settlement & social hierarchies.
The newer democracies are suffering the same decline as their Western counterparts.
That’s because the model they imported contains all the flaws of the original.
The second, Euro-American ‘draft’ of the democratic experiment is reaching senility.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy #Democracy #Plutocracy
That’s because the model they imported contains all the flaws of the original.
The second, Euro-American ‘draft’ of the democratic experiment is reaching senility.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy #Democracy #Plutocracy
September 16, 2025 at 12:05 PM
The newer democracies are suffering the same decline as their Western counterparts.
That’s because the model they imported contains all the flaws of the original.
The second, Euro-American ‘draft’ of the democratic experiment is reaching senility.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy #Democracy #Plutocracy
That’s because the model they imported contains all the flaws of the original.
The second, Euro-American ‘draft’ of the democratic experiment is reaching senility.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy #Democracy #Plutocracy
The 'flee to Mars' thing is not exactly urgent.
The Sun won't destroy the Earth for about a billion years.
That's 14 million human lifetimes away.
Escapism is a neurosis.
The Sun won't destroy the Earth for about a billion years.
That's 14 million human lifetimes away.
Escapism is a neurosis.
September 15, 2025 at 12:15 PM
The 'flee to Mars' thing is not exactly urgent.
The Sun won't destroy the Earth for about a billion years.
That's 14 million human lifetimes away.
Escapism is a neurosis.
The Sun won't destroy the Earth for about a billion years.
That's 14 million human lifetimes away.
Escapism is a neurosis.
Our main issue isn't the environment, war or inequality.
Our main issue is the mechanics of power - who is allowed to decide what.
Fix that & you fix a lot.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
books2read.com/thirddraft
Our main issue is the mechanics of power - who is allowed to decide what.
Fix that & you fix a lot.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
books2read.com/thirddraft
Available now at your favorite digital store!
The Mechanics of Changing the World: Political Architecture to Roll Back State & Corporate Power by John Macgregor
books2read.com
September 14, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Our main issue isn't the environment, war or inequality.
Our main issue is the mechanics of power - who is allowed to decide what.
Fix that & you fix a lot.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
books2read.com/thirddraft
Our main issue is the mechanics of power - who is allowed to decide what.
Fix that & you fix a lot.
#ThirdDraftDemocracy
books2read.com/thirddraft
If we want to rescue our societies, most reforms being proposed today would be mere punctuation.
Democratic accountability is dead, liberty is vanishing, & governments break their own laws.
Usefully to our politicians & their sponsors, polarisation is rampant.
Democratic accountability is dead, liberty is vanishing, & governments break their own laws.
Usefully to our politicians & their sponsors, polarisation is rampant.
September 13, 2025 at 2:16 PM
If we want to rescue our societies, most reforms being proposed today would be mere punctuation.
Democratic accountability is dead, liberty is vanishing, & governments break their own laws.
Usefully to our politicians & their sponsors, polarisation is rampant.
Democratic accountability is dead, liberty is vanishing, & governments break their own laws.
Usefully to our politicians & their sponsors, polarisation is rampant.
"𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬, 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬, 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫."
- 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐬, 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐬
The ‘left v. right’ division stands alone in its power to shape society—by turning people with a handful of reconcilable differences into mindless, warring tribes.
- 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐬, 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐬
The ‘left v. right’ division stands alone in its power to shape society—by turning people with a handful of reconcilable differences into mindless, warring tribes.
September 12, 2025 at 1:37 PM
"𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬, 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬, 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫."
- 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐬, 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐬
The ‘left v. right’ division stands alone in its power to shape society—by turning people with a handful of reconcilable differences into mindless, warring tribes.
- 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐬, 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐬
The ‘left v. right’ division stands alone in its power to shape society—by turning people with a handful of reconcilable differences into mindless, warring tribes.