Democracy- A curious creature

What curious creature democracy is. It has so many manifestations that, just as we think we have grasped its essence, along come fresh stories that cause us to re-think our perceptions. Three contemporary events illustrate our problem. These are the Heathrow expansion debate, the Lancashire anti-fracking planning decision and then there is the Greek referendum on the immediate horizon. The Heathrow issue looks like a perfect example of a pluralist, representative form of democracy unfolding before our eyes. Various pressure groups are now ranged against each other, some national, others local. Local MPs are busying themselves to protect their constituents’ interests, business groups are flexing their financial and economic muscles, environmentalists are demonstrating their fury and local residents are expressing both anger and despair. In the middle stands government, which will have to make the final decision. In this model of democracy we hope that the final arbiter will be neutral and it is certainly true that the cabinet looks that way at the moment, though that may be more because it finds itself tied up in a Gordian knot and is internally divided as to how it can cut the knot, rather than because it has a genuinely open mind. Leaving that aside, it looks like an encouraging picture. But this does not help us to answer the question : what is the correct answer? When there isn’t one, as seems to be the case here – either answer will have seriously adverse consequences as well as benefits – democracy looks like an exercise in establishing majority opinion. In other words, a utilitarian answer : the greatest good for the greatest number. Fair enough. This is not a ‘tyranny of majority’ problem, as there is no clear majority. So this is going to be a perfect test for the UK’s representative democracy. The question will not be whether the correct answer is reached, but whether the decision can secure the broad consent of the people, those who oppose it included. The Greek vote next Sunday is entirely different, but we still call it democracy, the ‘voice of the people’. It is complicated, of course, by the fact that it is not clear exactly what the Greek people are voting for or against. Probably they are deciding whether to support the radical government’s view that Greece should only remain within the community of European states if it can do so on its own terms, or whether it will be willing to sacrifice much of its autonomy in order to stay in ‘the club,’ or whether it should simply strike out on its own and take its chances. At least the third option will grant them freedom. It is a fantastically fundamental question. Unfortunately it is a question with three possible answers and the referendum only offers two. This is a case for Rousseau’s ‘General Will’, some kind of collective spirit that transcends the additions and subtractions of private interests (which applies in the Heathrow case). There is little doubt that the government claims it does understand and reflect the General Will, but it looks as though the Greek people are going to contradict them. The democratic spirit is running strong in Greece, but it may not provide and answer. Nevertheless let’s be impressed by its collective force and its ability to struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds. It may be that the anti-fracking lobby’s victory in Lancashire will turn out to be little more than a temporary battle victory in a losing war, maybe only a skirmish, but it is a heartwarming example of how democracy can successfully represent ‘minority interests’ against powerful economic battalions, whatever we feel about the fracking issue itself. Perhaps that is the best we can expect from democracy – to ensure that small voices are heard and sometimes – just sometimes - prevail. No great conclusions here, but food for thought. Democracy does not exist and cannot be defined merely as an abstract concept. It exists and operates within a context. Its character is therefore determined by that context. That is why it can appear in so many different guises. Democracy is not a set of institutions, or principles or processes. It is a ‘spirit’ and the best we can hope for is that the spirit appears at times when it is most needed. In these cases we have seen it in the form of representative democracy, of an expression of the General Will and of protector of minority interests against powerful interests. It is a curious multi-faceted creature, to be sure, but we can recognise it when we see it and it will be a bad day for mankind if its spirit is ever extinguished.