Are you concerned about the future of democracy? Do you feel democracy is under attack by extreme greed in countries around the world? Are you sick and tired of: living in fear, corporate greed, growing police state, government for the rich, working more but having less?

Can we use both elections and random selection (in the way we select government officials) to rid democracy of undue influence by extreme wealth and wealth-dominated mass media campaigns?

The world’s first democracy (Athenian democracy, 600 B.C.) used both elections and random selection. Even Aristotle (the cofounder of Western thought) promoted the use random selection as the best way to protect democracy. The idea of randomly selecting (after screening) juries remains from Athenian democracy, but not randomly selecting (after screening) government officials. Why is it used only for individual justice and not also for social justice? Who wins from that? …the extremely wealthy?

What is the best way to combine elections and random selection to protect democracy in today’s world? Can we use elections as the way to screen candidates, and random selection as the way to do the final selection? Who wins from that? …the people?

Despite all the bribery and – well, why not say it openly – all the threats, Vincentians have voted with reason and with the future for their children in heart.

They have refused any notion of Chaves-like dictatorship and have overwhelmingly voted for democracy. The story is not over, however, and there is no place for resilience, or else the PM will try to snap another chance before you know it.

For now at least, however, it is time for joy and celebration.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!