Idle thoughts about how we can reform democracy

Idle thoughts about how we can reform democracy
6

OK – here is a big question and I will probably get myself into hot water with this, so I am asking for forgiveness in advance. But I find myself reading lots and lots of commentary regarding recent decisions in democratic countries. For years now I have also listened to lots of people complaining about every side of politics. Eeeek!

I guess the first thing to consider is whether or not democracy in its current form is meeting the needs and expectations of its stakeholders. Which then thrusts us back to trying to figure out what those needs and expectations actually are.

6 Comments


  1. I think you’ve pinpointed the exact problem here: lack of actual choice. Everybody’s acting so depressed now that you-know-who won, but personally I’d been just as depressed in the months leading up to the election. Because, honestly, they were both worse. It’s like back in the 90’s in Russia, when democracy had been just introduced, they used to have “against everybody” option on the ballot. They took it off pretty quickly, though, because it started winning. I get a feeling that iif they had it now in US, it’d win by a landslide.


    1. Hi =) When I told an American friend about that old (and much missed) practice, she told me they have an empty line to write an arbitrary name into. I’m wondering now why Bill Gates didn’t win, then.


      1. I expected people put too many _different_ names there =)


        1. And it’s the weirdest thing. Why couldn’t they get organized and “nominate” someone? I keep hearing about how internet access is so bad and expensive in the US, and it’s probably the only plausible explanation – they aren’t as much online as we think they are.


  2. There is a much simpler reform that would improve democracy in the U.S. That is, to make the winner the person who got the most votes. That is the opposite of what happened in our recent presidential election because of an odd 18th century institution called the electoral college.


  3. Coincidentally I recently found an old fansite with archived Blind Guardian interviews that gave me this wonderful quote:

    The interviewer: Yeah we Greeks like to give pleasant surprises to people…
    Hansi K

Comments are closed.