With rules not confirming to the ideal we mean, for instance, that the one with the batteries for the remote control might gain so much power that he/she no longer respects the rest of the family's wishes. Another example would be to give the remote control to one of the family members for an unlimited amount of time. Both of these examples would represent a violation of the basic democratic principle of separation of powers, which we addressed in basic course 3, and the rest of the family would no longer have any means of controlling the one with the remote.

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Every democracy has to come to terms with these problems and this is the subject of this section. The situation in a democracy is similar to the one in our TV family. The democratic ideal is one of a well-working relationship between the electorate and the elected representatives. A relationship based on interaction and dependency between both groups. There are, of course, also departures from the ideal. Sometimes those elected decide not to stick to the rules or the promises made. This leads to a feeling of being let down on the part of the electorate. This, in turn, leads to a feeling that they have no influence on the elected representatives in particular and no influence on politics in general.

Politicians that don't stick to the rules, that accept bribes and that only act for their own benefit rather than for the good of the electorate create a sense of mistrust among the population (some people even regard all politicians as criminals). This can lead to a situation in which sections of the population lose interest in politics, stop going out to vote and cease to commit themselves politically. This is called disenchantment with politics. Democracy depends on the commitment and participation of its citizens, if it is to function properly

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In our TV family a lack of commitment might lead to one or more of them deciding not to take part in the choice of viewing and not to hand over the batteries. Should the number of non-voters or people disenchanted with politics become too great, a problem is created for the one with the remote control, that is, the elected representatives, because the disenchanted section of the population bears responsibility neither for the choice of government nor the policies it follows, leading to a weakening of the government's legitimacy. One could say that if there are not sufficient batteries in circulation, the remote control cannot work properly.

Moreover, problems also arise for those abstaining in that they no longer have a say. They effectively decide to forgo their right to help in determining the choice of program to be followed. This can hardly be a situation with which they are comfortable. In short: The institutions and rules that make up an essential part of democracy have to be created in such as way as to make taking part both possible and easy for citizens. But citizens have to seize the opportunity of taking part. No matter how cleverly democracy is structured, participation on the part of citizens is essential.

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Subjects:  Human Rights  I  Democracy  I  Parties  I  Examples  I  Europe  I  Globalisation  I  United Nations  I  Sustainability

Methods:    Teaching Politics    II    Peace Education    II    Methods