Political inflation

According to the Copernicus-Gresham law, inferior money drives out better and stronger money. When two equally valuable types of money exist in the market, but one is perceived as superior, the type of money perceived as inferior will be used in circulation. And when a currency is too weak, it becomes inflationary and, over time, dysfunctional.

We observe a similar situation in politics, where a weaker politician forces out a better and more competent one. This weakens the political system, and therefore leads to its inflation, and over time, the system ceases to be functional.

Voters readily declare that they value competence, honesty, and a few other virtues in politicians, yet they elect crooks. I'm not just referring to Poland, but also to other countries where so-called parliamentary democracy has taken hold—a democracy in which the nation's highest representatives do whatever they please between elections, or act as they are told by their party leaders or the powerful corporations that "watch over" parliament.

It is clear that a fundamental change is needed in this situation, because without the restoration of democracy, there can be no just world and no effective politics with properly aligned priorities. Priorities that would place citizens at the center of the process we commonly call politics. It would also be desirable for this change to enable citizens to participate in deciding their own fate.

But let's return to the Copernicus-Gresham principle. Why do people tend to choose inferior currencies? Because they delude themselves into thinking they'll become richer faster, they focus on quantity, not quality.

A similar thing happens in politics, for example, in parliamentary elections. All it takes is a few catchy slogans and rhetorical invocations of the "will of the people." And, of course, promises to the people the proverbial "pie in the sky." Here, of course, we have populism at its finest. But people believe it and, for a while, fall for slogans that have no basis in reality.

In this way, the nation's representatives are unfortunately elected on an inflationary basis—until political hyperinflation occurs, and then it will be necessary to seek better politicians… and above all, more competent ones, thus focusing on quality. However, most of society fails to recognize this problem, or recognizes it too late.

A characteristic of inflationary phenomena in economics is that they interact in an initially encouraging manner and create illusions. When inflation becomes uncontrollable, serious problems begin, often leading to irreversible consequences.

One extreme consequence is the so-called "worn-out shoe sole costs," which stem from the fact that, with high inflation, people tend to hold less cash, which requires traveling to a bank or ATM. In politics, this means the futility of participating in elections, based on the principle: no matter who we elect, it won't be better. Therefore, it's better not to go to the polls to avoid wearing out the soles.

Another consequence of inflation in the economy is the reduction in the incomes of people whose nominal incomes are constant.

And how does this work in politics? It's very simple – in politics, voters' faith in established political parties begins to erode, leading to doubts, demonstrations, and strikes. In the sphere of trust in politics, visible "losses" appear – instead of "gains."

And this is already political hyperinflation, which leads directly to the complete collapse of the political system.

The Copernicus-Gresham law therefore also functions in politics.

What can be done to prevent this? We need control of the nation's elected representatives by ordinary citizens. Citizens should have the tools to control the actions of governing bodies. And here we are again with direct democracy... There is no other way to avoid political inflation... Not to mention hyperinflation.