Quote:
Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness
the trouble with referendums is that
a)its a very complicated and bureaucratically heavy way to run any country (its a nightmare to get anything done)
b)most of the people who vote have very little of the actual facts, and much less then the government (given that the public does not know everything)
democracy through popular mandate is the preferable way to referendums as a rule, because the people elected actually have to think about more then what the average person sees in the papers
you'd be amazed just how stupid and emotionally driven mob opinion can get at time, especially since people tend not to look more then two days ahead about anything
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The problem with popular mandate is that the majority is able to subjugate and impose their will on the minority whether they like it or not. Through the votes of the majority, they're effectively giving power to an individual, who is in turn able to decree whichever law he sees fit for his party/the people who voted for him(?). It's not much different from a dictatorship.
Take the Soviet Union for instance. People had the right to vote during those days (and I also want to mention that Stalin was the first person to allow Russian/Soviet women to vote), although the parties they could vote for were always the same and ultimately different variations or factions of the communist party. Is it really that much different right now? In the US, you either have the choice of Democratic or Republican with a few others mixed into the bucket just for show, but ultimately, they all suggest the same "democratic" ideal. It is the same in Italy, where you always see the same faces in government, the same people always running for PM, and the list goes on and on in democratic countries.
When all is said and done, there is not much difference between democracy and dictatorships. People simply don't like to admit it because that's the kind of knowledge and ideal imposed on them through education and media.