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Friday, June 24, 2016

Brexit exposes the ugly side of democracy

"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
Sir Winston Churchill
Compared to the alternatives, democracy is the best we've got. But let's not kid ourselves: It can be ugly.

And as the wave of support for Donald Trump and the just-completed Brexit campaign where British voters decided to leave the European Union prove, a vote driven by thinly-researched, read or understood populist sentiment carries just as much weight as a well-considered, thoughtfully debated one. No one ever said the masses had to give their ballot much cogent thought.

Still, we could be living in North Korea, so perhaps not all is lost.

2 comments:

  1. Ahead of the vote, the UK TV was full of the Referendum debates.

    Unfortunately, most of the politicians of both sides used slim to non-existent arguments and highly contentious 'facts'.

    I felt that the politicians were showing a kind of contempt for the voters, by not providing truthful or factual information. Many others agree, whatever side of the vote they stood.

    ReplyDelete

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