In an age when larger and larger groups of people are challenging the State, and I can only refer to the British condition, we have to ask ourselves, what is democracy. and are we a functioning democracy?
I am taking a lot of inspiration from the ‘Founding Fathers’ of America, and find myself comparing the current situation to that which existed in 1776, a State acting on its populace without representation, but more than that those who do vote, and vote for the incumbents, are being disenchanted.
the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter ~ Winston Churchill
Democracy is not, in my opinion, rule by the majority or else we would have to acquiesce to the interpretations of a lot of countries whose actions is basically repugnant to human rights; democracy must be about the rule by a Government elected by the majority of the electorate that protects the rights of minorities, my Conservative MP is not a MP, he is my MP and must represent my views and rights in Parliament.
The fundamental problem with our ‘democracy’ is that it rarely produces a Government that has been elected by a majority, they are normally a Government that most people disagree that they don’t want, for example MR Justin Tomlinson (Conservative, Swindon North) was voted into Parliament on 44.% of the vote, the Labour Party and LibDems got a combined percentage of the turnout of 47.8% – further more it could be argued that 56% of the electorate didn’t want him as their MP., I would argue that this is not democratic, no matter how you argue it.
I am sure the argument can about most of the MP’s in Parliament of whatever ‘colour’.
The fundamental problem with the electoral system is not the election, it is the presumption on the part of the Government that it is an elected Dictatorship and does not have to refer, or defer, to the will of the people until the next election, what happens if the Government brings in policies that are against the will of the people – for example the reform (I would say privitisation of the National Health Service) that strikes at the fundamental structure of society, surely at this point the State has become dysfunctional and no longer serves at the ‘will of the people’ but rather as a State unchecked.
Tory reforms of the past two years have been brought in with a speed that is breathtaking under the guise of financial expediency, but they have been brought in – using my most appropriate phrase for this Government – reasons of ideological thuggery, these changes cannot be altered, it would be too expensive and too disruptive to undue the damage cause – this is why this government is so obnoxious, that it is changing not because the people want this, but because the ideologues want these changes.
Let’s be clear about this ConDem coalition, it is practising the ‘Total Revolution’ of Mao to further the aims of Thactherism and her capitalist dogma – the changes they are bringing do not benefit the people, by whose authority they sit, but vested interests of Conservatives and, to use Marxist language vested interests of capitalism.
The biggest change that can be made by Parliament in the interest of democracy is to realise that Parliament does not sit by the ‘authority of the crown’ but by the ‘will of the people’ – once we make that distinction everything else will follow.
Furthermore the Boundary Changes are not there to enhance democracy, but to strangle any competitors, they changes will benefit one political party only – the Conservatives.
The Euro Crisis has given the ‘Western Democracies’ a once in a lifetime to change, to develop, to move onto the next stage of political development – building on higher education, technology, social media and the need to change peacefully – in very instances has that commitment been made, instead we have Government entrenching themselves, planning ‘more of the same‘ and fighting it’s people – the State has no right to take up against its people who are abiding by their right to protest.
The best government is that which teaches us to govern ourselves ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe