Why is our Prime Minister...

[Stanley]

What is democracy?

I am going by the academic / received wisdom definition of word.

[Hove Ranger]

I am going by the academic / received wisdom definition of word.

The modern interpretation, the Athenians were a clever bunch. It has had an interesting history old "democracy"

"It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it; consequently, the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using the word if it were tied down to any one meaning." George Orwell

[Stanley]

Stop being obfuscous and answer the question Hove

[Hove Ranger]

You cannot give an answer until you truly understand the question Stan

[Stanley]

If all our major party leaders are establishment figures, are we actually living in a true democracy?

What is democracy?

The following should suffice, for the purposes of addressing the first question:

Literally "rule of the commoners". In modern usage, a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body, such as a parliament. Sometimes referred to as "rule of the majority". Democracy was originally conceived in Classical Greece, where political representatives were chosen by a jury from amongst the male citizens: rich and poor.

According to political scientist Larry Diamond, democracy consists of four key elements: (a) A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; (b) The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; (c) Protection of the human rights of all citizens, and (d) A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.

Liberal democracy is a liberal political ideology and a form of government in which representative democracy operates under the principles of classical liberalism. It is also called western democracy. It is characterised by fair, free, and competitive elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into different branches of government, the rule of law in everyday life as part of an open society, and the equal protection of human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, and political freedoms for all people. To define the system in practice, liberal democracies often draw upon a constitution, either formally written or uncodified, to delineate the powers of government and enshrine the social contract. After a period of sustained expansion throughout the 20th century, liberal democracy became the predominant political system in the world.

A liberal democracy may take various constitutional forms: it may be a constitutional monarchy (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom) or a republic (France, India, Ireland, the United States). It may have a parliamentary system (Australia, India, Italy, the United Kingdom), a presidential system (Indonesia, the United States), or a semi-presidential system (France, Ireland, Taiwan).

Liberal democracies usually have universal suffrage, granting all adult citizens the right to vote regardless of race, gender or property ownership. Historically, however, some countries regarded as liberal democracies have had a more limited franchise, and some do not have secret ballots. There may also be qualifications such as voters being required to register before being allowed to vote. The decisions made through elections are made not by all of the citizens, but rather by those who choose to participate by voting.

The liberal democratic constitution defines the democratic character of the state. The purpose of a constitution is often seen as a limit on the authority of the government. Liberal democracy emphasises the separation of powers, an independent judiciary, and a system of checks and balances between branches of government. Liberal democracies are likely to emphasise the importance of the state being a Rechtsstaat, i.e., a state that follows the principle of rule of law. Governmental authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written, publicly disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established procedure. Many democracies use federalism—also known as vertical separation of powers—in order to prevent abuse and increase public input by dividing governing powers between municipal, provincial and national governments (e.g., Germany where the federal government assumes the main legislative responsibilities and the federated Länder assume many executive tasks).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

[Hove Ranger]

In the sense you are referring to (Albeit a very limited and mainstream way of approaching democracy) then no we do not live in true democracy. Not even close but would it even be possible?

But it is also important to understand the nuances/connotations of the term 'democracy' and its historical context.

PS Democracy wasnt originally conceived in classical greece. This is just one of many nuances that play an important role in its understanding. I could suggest a couple of books but they're fairly long reads.

[Stanley]

In the sense you are referring to (Albeit a very limited and mainstream way of approaching democracy) then no we do not live in true democracy. Not even close but would it even be possible?

But it is also important to understand the nuances/connotations of the term 'democracy' and its historical context.

PS Democracy wasnt originally conceived in classical greece. This is just one of many nuances that play an important role in its understanding. I could suggest a couple of books but they're fairly long reads.

Indeed. True democracy is an ideal that can only be strived towards IMO.

The famous Churchill quote has always resonated with me:

"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."