Welcome to another installment of Liberal Agenda, where we’re going to explore potential alternatives to current political or economic systems, and hopefully get a conversation started. This week’s topic is:
Direct Democracy
What is a democracy?
Most people reading this will no doubt live in some form of a democracy, so it’s a term we’re all familiar with in some way shape or form. The word comes from a greek word which literally means “rule by people”, and these days it largely takes two forms; representative democracy and direct democracy. Statistically, the majority of you reading this will live in a representative democracy, a system where we elect representatives to form a governing body. Nearly all Western-style democracies are representative, and these can have two different subtypes as well; constitutional monarchies and republics.
Democracies are often seen as “rule by majority”, where no one individual or entity has control over what happens. This however, can often lead to uncertainty which forces all parties to constantly struggle for the realisation of their interests, whatever they may be. American political sociologist Larry Diamond states that a democracy has four key components:
- Political System - to choose and replace representatives through a fair and free election.
- Active Participation of Citizens - in both politics as well as civic life.
- Protection of Human Rights - for all citizens.
- Rule of Law - where the law and judicial procedure applies equally to all citizens.
Another way of looking at it, is that democracy vests power in the people, and elections transfer that power from the voters to politicians. In theory, these politicians are there solely to represent their constituents, however to many it’s become clear that these politicians have become institutionally corrupt and no longer represent the will of the people, as well as often not being subject to the same judicial procedure as the rest of the population.
So, what is a direct democracy?
Direct democracy involves voters either making decisions themselves, or being able to influence decisions without the use of elected representatives. This is in stark contrast to the majority of the Western world who utilise the representative model, but there are some who’ve bucked this trend which is something we’ll get into later.
Direct democracy can take a few different forms, just like it’s representative sibling, and one of the systems that I find particularly interesting is known as sortition. Sortition is essentially choosing political officials as a random sample from a larger pool of candidates, not dissimilar to jury selection.
This form of democracy emphasises the participation of citizens, and differs from representative democracy by tending to advocate for more involved forms of citizen participation and greater political representation than traditional representative democracy. By engaging directly with the system, citizens can gain a greater understanding of the issues and therefore make a more informed decision.
Certainly in Britain, many politicians have used this participatory form of democracy to further their agendas. A prime example of this would be David Cameron’s “Big Society” idea, which never actually became anything other than a buzzword. There is a growing movement amongst both scholars and citizens for a more involved and direct form of governing which needs to be considered by the populace at large if we are going to be able to tackle the coming issues of the 21st century.
Where does direct democracy originate?
One of the earliest known forms of direct democracy comes from Athenian democracy, whereby ancient Athenians would choose by lot in order to address the issue of power corruption. Their system excluded women, slaves and foreigners but because of the relatively small male population of 30,000, a staggeringly large portion of the eligible male population were actively involved in all forms of governance.
There were three main components to Athenian democracy; the assembly, the boulê and the law courts. Through these three governance bodies, the citizens of Athens were involved in every aspect of the political process with many individuals being constantly involved in the political system.
The democracy that we now know does not resemble the Athenian model, but instead is based upon the Roman model which blended both direct and representative systems where there were both a representative government and assemblies.
What are some modern day examples of direct democracy?
A very recent and still poignant example of direct democracy would be a referendum, much like the Brexit or AV referendums here in Britain. I’m not going to get into the details of either of these, partially because I fear both you guys and myself will fall asleep. However, I would like to point out that a referendum isn’t necessarily binding but instead an indicator of public opinion, despite what the right-wing tabloids would have you believe.
Switzerland is often held up as a modern shining beacon of direct democracy, where citizens involvement in the political process occurs on all levels. It is still at its core a representative democracy however, where most laws are both made and decided by parliament. Is this a bad thing though? There is still a massive difference between the British or American democratic systems and the Swiss. This neutral alpine republic has only seven million citizens, but they exercise their law-making rights on all levels, with the Swiss being active in almost 3,000 autonomous municipalities, 26 sovereign states and on the common, federal level. If they want to, they can put every single law decided by their politicians to a general vote, which is something we Brits can’t do.
This works by way of gathering signatures from roughly 1% of the population (50,000 citizens) within 100 days of the publication of a new law. The vast majority of the time however, a referendum is never triggered as Swiss lawmakers know that their politically active population will hold every aspect of their work to account through a complex system of checks and balances.
I personally would like to see the rest of the west take a move towards a more direct democracy. I’ve had concerns, largely highlighted by the recent British referendums, where the population at large are not educated on the issues enough to be able to make informed decisions, and instead rely on allowing media pundits to form opinions, and then take great pride in regurgitating the viewpoints of others under the guise of "patriotism". The Swiss show us that this doesn't have to be the norm, and we can be better as a society.
In our indirect democracies, people are swayed by those with the loudest voices, thinking that their confidence and swagger is all the qualifications a politician or representative need. Public confidence in our broken and failings systems seems to be on a constant decline, and something needs to be done to fix it. Maybe a blending of Athenian sortition with modern communication technologies is exactly what we need to breathe some life back into our stagnant societies.
Both us Brits and the Americans like to believe that we are truly free, however it’s a smokescreen. We have so little sway over what happens in our countries, happily handing power over to the corrupt so that we don’t have the stress of thinking for ourselves. We like to blame the loony liberal left or fascist alt-right but we’re all the problem, and until we can stop acting like children and unite despite our differing opinions, we’ll be forever trapped in this flimsy excuse of a democracy, constantly flipping the political coin hoping for a new face to appear, unwilling to accept that they are merely two sides of the same coin.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Would you like to see Western democracies move more towards a direct model or not? I'm really curious to hear what you think about this idea, so make sure to leave your thoughts down in the comment section. As always, make sure to follow me for the latest Technology, Internet and Pop Culture updates and until we meet again, take it easy dudes and dudettes!
Enjoyed this? More [Liberal Agenda]
[Liberal Agenda] The Free Republic of Liberland
[Liberal Agenda] Universal Basic Income: A Follow Up
[Liberal Agenda] Universal Basic Income
P.S. If you're new here, you might want to check out my Ultimate Beginner's Guide To Steemit, which covers everything you need to know to get started making money and meeting new people on Steemit.
Sources:
Direct Democracy on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy)
What is Direct Democracy? (http://www.britpolitics.co.uk/uk-elections-voting-direct-democracy)
How direct democracy makes Switzerland a better place (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1435383/How-direct-democracy-makes-Switzerland-a-better-place.html)
Landsgemeinde Glarus 2006 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Landsgemeinde_Glarus_2006.jpg)
Baden, Switzerland - City Overview (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Switzerland-Baden-oldcityview.jpg)
Discurso funebre pericles (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Discurso_funebre_pericles.PNG)
Image courtesy of StockSnap on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/en/people-woman-rally-protest-unite-2575608/)
Image courtesy of vanessazoyd on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/en/trump-states-president-usa-united-2062441/)
Here in the states citizens can gather signatures on a measure and it is put to a state-wide vote. States have a lot of flexibility independent of the Federal government but it's certainly controversial. For instance the legalization of canabis is a state-level thing and our Federal government still has not approved it. I'm not sure how the states get around that but they do. Same with same sex marriage. Recently I had mentioned in California there was a movement by some people to divide the state into 3 separate states. I said "that'll never happen" but wouldn't you know the organizers got enough signatures for it to be put on the next state ballot vote. Crazy times! Do I think it will pass? Well, no... but people voted for Trump and I didn't think that would happen so there's no certainty anymore about anything.
Regarding the representative nature of votes I do think this system needs to be improved. There's something called "gerrymandering" here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering
It's a way that current representatives can redraw district boundaries to suit their political advantage for instance by drawing the districts based on income, demographic, etc. I'm not sure if there's gerrymandering at the Federal level though, this is just about state level.
We do have a similar system, I forget it's name but basically you can sign a petition and above 10,000 signatures I think the government has to address it, and at 100,000 they are supposed to debate it, however there are times that hasn't happened. Here individual counties or boroughs don't have much power at all, and even then they're run by just as corrupt councils. Our local council for example, currently have three pending criminal investigations.
The current government like sneaking through unpopular policies during events like the World Cup, so I'll be curious to see what it is this time.
I read about this splitting of California, were they originally trying for 12 seperate states, but ended up settling with 3? Like you say, these days anything goes. I did hear the argument for it, and it wasn't crazy but at the same time I wasn't exactly convinced either.
Gerrymandering is something that absolutely boggles my mind. I can't remember what the first example of it was, but it was something absolutely absurd like a republican holding up the floor to prevent some really innocent seeming bill from being passed, purely because it was being pushed by democrats. It seems criminal to me, wasting public resources like that.
That redrawing of boundaries happens here as well, it was fairly recently done, and seemingly in a way to try to push Jeremy Corbyn out. I don't know if you've heard of him, but he's the leader of the opposition, the labour party, and although I do support him because of his socialist leanings among other reasons, I've lost faith in the system at large. It doesn't really matter which party is in power, democrat or republican, labour or conservative, because the other will do everything they can to undermine the other most of the time. That's probably an exaggeration, but I just feel the two-party or any number of party system doesn't work in favour of the people.
I like the idea of a more involved populace, and I think if people got more hands on they'll maybe start seeing things a little differently.
Sorry, I've rambled on far too long!
Never apologize for your thoughtful responses I really appreciate it. I'm like you right now though still busy with "going outside" haha I have really embraced summer.
You're so right it is a waste of public resources like that and it should be criminal. Our government is notorious for waste. The Republican party likes to say they are trimming the fat and making cut backs but that always translates to cutting funding for social programs, medicine, and food, rather than going after the big corporations that evade taxes and pollute the environment. It's disgusting!
But you make a point it's bad on all sides. The Democrats are wasteful too backing bills and laws that cost tax payers money and are really only a concern for a very small minority (I'm thinking the bathroom gender issue which is ridiculous).
I kind of have become interesting in what this Lord Jamar rapper says about some of these movements. While I'm a bit skeptical about his assertion re: rich white lesbian women (lol) I found this very educational in showing how liberal media can really blow things out and sour people on issues even when they want to be supportive.
So "the media" really perpetuates these extreme views and we see a lot of meetoo kinds of things, I get lost on Twitter and reading comments (time suck) and some sound very upsetting and heartbreaking and there's women out there that think just because a guy calls them twice or even looks at her he's "harrassing" her and I just cannot stand that. It really is not helping women's rights or visibility to an issue to have this kind of message.
woaaa now who went off and rambled? How did I go from politics to social issues. Please don't feel obliged to respond haha
It the exact same problem here, we have the Conservatives who are supposed to be for lower taxes and well, just like you say, "trimming the fat", but the reality is that both parties generally are painfully similar to each other. It doesn't matter which party is in power or who is prime minister, because things will just continue the same as usual.
I'm generally a Labour supporter (our version of the democrats), and I particularly like Jeremy Corbyn and have to believe he'll bring at least some of his socialist tendencies with him to Number 10.
Just last week our Lord Emperor May announced an increase in taxes to help plug the literal multi-billion pound deficit in the NHS, a deficit that has been increasing under Conservative rule as a result of their austerity measures. Inflation is creeping up, unemployment (despite official figures) is high and general sentiment amongst the populace is that our government is failing society as a whole, on all levels.
It's the same thing here again with the big corporations. I can't find the article I read, but I believe it was Netflix this time who paid next to nothing, and even got a massive tax rebate this last tax year!
"Benefits cheats" is a big thing in this country, with those who abuse the system being seen as the worst of the worst... and yet tax evasion or avoidance is a white collar part of being British.
I hadn't heard of Lord Jamar before, just watching the video now as I write this. Seems like the guy knows what he's talking about. I really liked when he said:
He's absolutely right about this "disconnection" or dissociation that occurs, take the current children being seperated in camps issue. I've gone stumbling around here on Steemit, and read some just completely disheartening comments made by people who I thought were different to that. Reading people say what are quite frankly disgusting, inhuman things about people they know nothing about chips away at what little respect for our species I have. I won't let myself get sucked into the Twitter rabbit hole, I'd probably end up walking off into the woods, never to be seen again.
To go off on a slight tangent, I think that's the problem I have with a lot of religious people. There are a few things from my Christian upbringing that are true; treat others how you would want to be treated and so on, that self-proclaimed practising Christians forget on a daily basis. Oh, and then there's Israel... but that's for another time.
Back to the topic, you're right the mainstream media really is the main perpetrator here in my mind at least. I think, at least in this country, the blending of opinion with news and facts has been a massive factor in the media getting to the state it's in. I think it's a sort of backlash or response to the internet and other modern forms of media and entertainment, where the mainstream media outlets have tried to incorporate the interactive nature of the internet (comments and polls) to retain some viewership.
We live in a strange time, where fast food chains roasting people on Twitter is the norm, and activism is just another tag on your instagram profile. I still can't quite get my head around the fact we live in a golden era of information and knowledge, and yet seem to be plagued more than ever by misinformation, or as many like to shout FAKE NEWS!
The way these social movements become a fashion trend is deeply concerning, just like you say there are some people who think that the most mundane of things are harassment. They just don't understand that what they're doing is detracting from those who genuinely suffered through something unthinkable, and probably are still suffering. I understand the current backlash to what I think is called "third wave feminism", because it really isn't about making progressive change. It just seems like to get by in today's society, you must be polarised, left or right. Topics and policies must be partisan, and meanwhile the centre is slowly disappearing...
... and breathe!
Thank you for your very interesting reply! I'm leaving this lame comedy here because I'm flailing with time management. <3
Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is a practice intended to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries. The resulting district is known as a gerrymander (); however, that word is also a verb for the process. The term gerrymandering has negative connotations. Two principal tactics are used in gerrymandering: "cracking" (i.e.
Congratulations,
you just received a 27.23% upvote from @steemhq - Community Bot!
Wanna join and receive free upvotes yourself?
Vote for
steemhq.witnesson Steemit or directly on SteemConnect and join the Community Witness.This service was brought to you by SteemHQ.com
You just planted 0.14 tree(s)!
Thanks to @johngreenfield
We have planted already 3076.40 trees
out of 1,000,000
Let's save and restore Abongphen Highland Forest
in Cameroonian village Kedjom-Keku!
Plant trees with @treeplanter and get paid for it!
My Steem Power = 21506.57
Thanks a lot!
@martin.mikes coordinator of @kedjom-keku
NEW TIER UPVOTES user guide
Current price is 0.12 or 0.121 SBD for 200%, 250%, or 300% upvote based on tier level.
200% ($0.24) - Bronze Level - No requirements
250% ($0.30) - Silver Level - SteemAuto Upvote of 100% or $0.02 (whichever is possible)
300% ($0.36) - Gold Level - SteemAuto Upvote of 100% or $0.02 AND 50SP delegation
All delegators make a "striking" return on your investment!
50 SP --- 100 SP --- 200 SP --- 500 SP --- 1000 SP
That being said...
Investors who delegate SP to @thundercurator are entitled to 75% of @thundercurator income after curation. Get on-board early and grow with us!