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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The model appears to be to enlist the resources of the state—& the ideologies of the factions, & the patriotic fervor of the public—in the service of corporate profit. [𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘉-52 𝘣𝘰𝘮𝘣 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘢.]

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

...making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.” - Washington Post, December 9, 2019 The model does not appear to be: "Win a war". (Apparently, a loss is as good as a win, & a long war beats a short one.)

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

“A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign...

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The politician to whom the 70 had contributed the most money was George W Bush. Again, the goal did not appear to be military victory:

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The Pentagon Papers suggest the planners knew the war would be lost. Yet it went on—and on—presumably because it was so profitable. The 70 companies engaged to reconstruct Afghanistan & Iraq got a total of $8 billion in contracts—Vice President Cheney’s company Halliburton being the top recipient.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Like every salaryman, they seldom questioned the company’s business model, or the ethics of the boss. For example, LBJ's career—from long before his presidency—was bankrolled by Brown & Root: who got all the big contracts in Vietnam (such as building airports & ports).

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Having studied US political donors from Vietnam to Iraq, I wonder if "the United States government" is really the culprit in these deadly wars. Or if "the USG" was just the political marionette of various blocs of investors. Legislators & presidents were paid to do a job, & they did it.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Paine's 'Common Sense' would have been seen as exotic & impracticable in any year before 1776. As we get closer to our Global Spring, I think we'll see our 'utopian' literature come in from the cold. It'll be seen as practical, even essential.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I've studied Donald Trump's patterns for some months now. Here's how I think it works: He announces new negotiations on Wednesdays; announces that he will obliterate Iran from the map on Fridays; and declares victory on Sundays.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Worldpublicopinion.org found the belief that government is run by and for ‘a few big interests’ is pervasive in France (59%), Britain (60%), Argentina (71%), Nigeria and South Korea (78%), the United States (80%), Mexico (83%), and Ukraine (84%)—all ‘democracies’. (Me. Citations on request.)

worldpublicopinion.org

WorldPublicOpinion.org – Managed by the Program for Public Consultation

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

In 2015, 76% thought government was ‘run by a few big interests’—which (Pew said) ‘has long been the view of most Americans, with majorities consistently saying this for much of the past 15 years’.

worldpublicopinion.org

WorldPublicOpinion.org – Managed by the Program for Public Consultation

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

[3] In a 2013 Pew survey, 69% of Americans said that economic decisions since 2008 had benefited banks and large financial institutions the most, and 71% that government had done nothing to benefit the middle class.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

('Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens' - Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page (2022))

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

[2] "When the preferences of economic elites and the stands of organized interest groups are controlled for, the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy."

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

- 'How money drives US congressional elections: Linear models of money and outcomes' (Thomas Ferguson, Paul Jorgensen, Jie Chen (2022))

worldpublicopinion.org

WorldPublicOpinion.org – Managed by the Program for Public Consultation

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

REFERENCES: [1] "Using a new and more comprehensive dataset built from government sources, the paper shows that the relations between money and votes cast for major parties in elections for the US Senate and House of Representatives from 1980 to 2018 are well approximated by straight lines."

worldpublicopinion.org

WorldPublicOpinion.org – Managed by the Program for Public Consultation

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

The public's focus is on its truly awful political leaders—not on the failed system that makes them inevitable. This distraction suits society's owners well.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Which isn’t that logical when our own democracy has all but faded away. In the US, there's good social science on this: · The wealthy make government policy. [1] · No-one else has much influence on it. [2] · The populace is largely aware of this—& is alienated accordingly. [3]

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Westerners spend a lot of time telling other countries to democratize. We spend billions teaching them how. We even use ‘democratization’ as a way to undermine their governments. We seem less concerned about democratization at home.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. (𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝘄𝗮𝗿.) substack.com/@johnmacgregor Book:https://books2read.com/thirddraft

substack.com

Third Draft Democracy | Substack

Author, "The Mechanics of Changing the World: Political Architecture to Roll Back State & Corporate Power" Award-winning author & journalist. One-off campaigns are fragile. Changing the world doesn't ...

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

A conservative thinks he's under threat from Reggie. Democratizing the West will mean a change of systems, not a change of managers. #ThirdDraftDemocracy

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Few grasp the bipartisan nature of the permanent state. The apolitical core of plutocracy. In the 1960s, the Kray twins—Ronnie & Reggie—headed a crime syndicate that terrorised London. A liberal is one who thinks he's under threat from Ronnie.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

To succeed, a movement like Occupy would need to offer architecture to replace the present, corrupt architecture.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

*𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. My Substack: substack.com/@johnmacgregor Book: books2read.com/thirddraft

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

They’re not the only impediments to a happy society; they may not even be the most important. But they’re at the top of the chain of causation—the ones to fix first if anything downstream is to be fixed. Division ends with the birth of a new idea. #ThirdDraftDemocracy

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

- The stranglehold of wealth on information - The stranglehold of money on politics - Public disengagement from governance - Our rusted, antiquated electoral machinery

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I.e. because it’s a web with many threads, reform, too, must be a web. I argue that four spheres are its present-day choke points:

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Whilst structural change is required to undo the plutocracy that's grown up round our #democracy —like the brambles round Sleeping Beauty’s castle—democracy isn't a single thing: It’s not ‘voting’; it’s not ‘free speech'; it’s not ‘civic engagement’.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Democracy lost its global clout because its environmental threats evolved & it did not—like an animal species that remains static as those around it develop longer claws & faster speeds. Failure to adapt—in a moving world—creates not stability but decline.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

No captured system is rational—so, under present rules, we could campaign & vote for the rest of our lives & still be sure of going backwards. Our lone off-ramp is democratization. *𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

A trillion-dollar infrastructure to mend what was preventable: collapsed banks, chronic illness epidemics, oil spills, terrorism, poverty... The destiny of a political system whose parts cannot influence the whole is collapse. Capable leaders & sane policy only arise in a rational system.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

We’re told that revising the constitution carries big risks: a failed system stays in place. Within this learned helplessness, the role of democracy—once forward-looking & creative—is now to administer social, economic & environmental patch-ups:

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

This may explain why our politics is so frustrating—indeed so neurotic. It’s bogged down in issues no-one can solve at the level on which they’re being addressed. We're hyper-focused on our (truly ghastly) politicians: we ignore the system that made them inevitable.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Carl Jung wrote: “𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.”

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

The rapid recycling of leaders is a symptom of that. Our environmental, social & economic issues are, at bottom, a democratic issue. #ThirdDraftDemocracy

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Social collapse, however, isn’t ‘the arc of history’, or ‘the human condition’. (Stone Age societies remained stable for 300,000 years.) It comes from a poorly designed mechanics of power.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

As Rome weakened, policies veered from one extreme to another, & imperial reigns shortened. Augustus, Tiberius & Trajan had ruled for 41, 23 & 19 years—but later reigns shrank to 1-5 years, or sometimes just a few months. This is all rather familiar.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

The modern West is falling because of debt & military overextension. Its political kingmaker is the military-industrial complex. Over time, presidents, prime ministers & legislatures have become subordinate to it.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

...𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. - 𝙐𝙎 𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 Rome declined & fell because of debt & military over-extension. Its political kingmaker was the army. Over time, civilian power became subordinate to it.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺...

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

And powerful emotions are powerful distractors. For as long as we're moved around by these emotional currents, we're blind to the direction of the tide. #ThirdDraftDemocracy #Democracy

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Divide et impera—divide & rule—is the most successful social control strategy since the Caesars. The binaries it employs have little impact on the main game (the transfer of our wealth & power to corporations). But they evoke powerful emotions.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

(We rule ourselves—or we're ruled by a tiny elite, mostly for its own ends.) But government, media & experts keep the populace focused on binaries such as Trump v. Biden, conservative v. liberal, China v. the United States...

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

This would be impossible without an extraordinary level of distraction. That's achieved by focusing us on 'inferior binaries': false or less consequential choices to distract from the central one. Our most significant real-world choice is between democratic rule & oligarchy.

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The hallmark of our era is the transition from flawed democracy to unaccountable elite rule. (Followed by falling real incomes, 'structural' war, mass homelessness, declining human health...) But this remarkable transition is absent from the national conversation (symptoms aside).

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John Macgregor (democracy re-design) @johnmacgregor.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

...& the language in which all possible systems are described. Thus does system change—broadscale democratization—seem like fantasy, whilst remaining the sole solution to our economic, social & environmental problems.

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