A Five Step Program for Exercising Democracy

Even the broadest definition of democracy cites some form of accountability of power to the citizenry as a whole. But how can there be accountability in the face of widespread apathy? How can a state be democratic if its citizens do not exercise democracy?

In responce I propose five steps for every citizen who wants their "democracy" to be democratic.
  1. Actively Gather Information
    In order to exercise power effectively, a citizen must be informed. However information is not provided without bias. Politicians have an overt agenda, and this defines what information they provide. News organizations filter information according to their view of what's important, how much you need to know, and even what opinion you should hold. In order to get around these filters and biases, citizens must seek out a variety of different sources of information, and were possible seek out primary sources.

  2. Discuss Issues, Actions and Policies
    Understanding is born of discussion. It is by discussing information with our peers that we are able to process it for ourselves, rather than just passively accepting the interpretation provided to us.

  3. Vote for the best candidate, not the lesser of two evils.
    If voters are voting for the lesser of two evils, or in other words choosing between the two most viable electoral alternatives, accountability is subverted by the security those two alternatives enjoy. There is no compulsion to be truly accountable when secure in the knowledge that you will one day be re-elected.

  4. Communicate to Power
    Democracy does not end on polling day. Whoever gets elected must be made aware of what is expected of them, what is acceptable, what is unacceptable, what forms of conduct will be endorsed, and what forms of conduct will be resisted. Communication occurs directly to power, through letters, or appointments with a local members, or a telephone call. And it occurs indirectly, by influencing our peers, by writing to newspapers, and by public acts that make the strength of your opinion known.

  5. Hold Power to Account All of this will mean nothing unless the process of accountability is ongoing. Vote against the corrupt, protest injustice, and obstruct the abuse of power. When necissary, protest, boycott, or stand in front of a tank. Only when the abuse of power is actively resisted will it be curbed.

This five step plan does not apply only to parliament, it applies to all sources of power within society. We do not live in a democracy if only one powerful institution in our democracy makes a pretense at responding to the wishes of the citizenry.

These are not extraordinary measures, but instead the every day duty of every citizen in a democracy, who wishes to continue living in a democracy.

Use it or lose it.

Postscript: yeah, I was feeling naive. Demos kratos... as if!

Cross posted at the Dead Roo , where I spend a lot of time bemoaning the state of current affairs.
Permalink, A Five Step Program for Exercising Democracy, Mar 2007, Kieran Bennett
avocadia: What people want: It has been my experience lately that no-one wants their democracy to be democratic. What they want is for it to shut up and leave them alone. Failing that, if it is going to be seen and heard, then the least it can do is validate the prejudices and beliefs of the individual and bugger everyone else.

I was feeling frustrated. A Government guilty of grand malfeasance hand-waves it off and no-one cares! The cure isn\'t making democracy democratic, it\'s marginalising the government - all of them - by taking everything back.

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