So the public interest and the common good is undermined when the public create and participate in "mechanisms of popular deliberation." Obviously the "public interest" escapes the understanding of the public who, by some miracle of social chemistry, are capable of picking their shepherds while being unable to look after their own interests! La Nación is generous, of course, allowing the public to "express themselves" -- as long they do not threaten the rule of politicians, bureaucrats and capitalists!
The editorial of February 17 continues on this wonderfully self-contradictory theme. It accuses the movement of assemblies of organising an "undercover coup d'etat" and insists that "it is necessary for Argentineans to calm down and recognise that a country cannot work in a state of permanent popular deliberation." Why not, we wonder? It continues: "It is not reasonable that [a neighbourhood assembly] meets to declare the illegitimacy of the president of the Nation, to declare null and void the mandates of all members of parliament without exception and to demand the resignation of all members of the [Supreme] Court." Proudhon argued in 1848 that "besides universal suffrage and as a consequence of universal suffrage, we want implementation of the binding mandate. Politicians bulk at it! Which means that in their eyes, the people, in electing representatives, do not appoint mandatories but rather abjure their sovereignty! That is assuredly not socialism: it is not even democracy." Some things never change!
La Nación exposes the real nature of capitalist democracy. "Participation" by the public in public affairs is limited to voting every few years. If the people start to actually take affairs into their own hands, then its the end of democracy -- it is a coup! The hypocrisy of capitalist democracy can be seen now the masses of working class people have said enough is enough and have started to take matters into their own hands through mass assemblies and mandated and accountable committees!