Protests against Democracy in the US and the UK: Elitist Nonsense?

A strange phenomenon seems to have overtaken the democratic nations of the UK and the USA. The UK’s referendum on the EU, and the election of a US president respectively, have caused protests against the results of both. Of course in a democratic country it’s a democratic right to protest about the outcome of a democratic process, even if it’s against the winning voting preference of fellow citizens. But there’s something rather discomforting about it.

Despite Winston Churchill’s paraphrased description of democracy as the best of a bad bunch, perhaps another of his quotes on democracy is more relevant to current events: “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter”. Accompanying the usual whimsical delivery, there was the undeniable whiff of elitism along with the cigar smoke. Presumably the inference was that his views were more worthy than the ‘average voter’ and that perhaps this should have been better represented in the political process. After all, Winston Churchill’s vote in his own constituency would have been nullified by any two voters who preferred his main rival, in much the same way as the Chuckle Brothers – and no disrespect – voting together would overwhelm the UK Prime Minister’s vote.

But why Churchill or anyone would find this a weakness of democracy is puzzling. After all, who’s the best person to choose the way they want to be governed based on their own particular circumstances? Of course it’s each and every member of the electorate, whether a professor of very hard sums or the most lowly in the land, probably a politician.

It’s often said that democracy formally began in Ancient Greece but doubtless informally it goes back further. It would seem an equitable way to ensure that decisions within the small communities of the period met with the kind of general approval only a democratic system could deliver. As for states, it’s only relatively recently that democracy seems to have really caught on, making it now the world’s most popular political system. In 1900 there were a mere 10 democracies; by 1950 there were 30 and in 2005, out of a total of 190 countries, 119 were democratic, nearly two-thirds. However, that still means that more than third of the world is still subject to the injustices, corruption and oppression of totalitarianism because governments can’t be removed by the people.

Perhaps those protesting against democracy should devote a little of their spare protest time towards improving the lot of those people from the undemocratic third of the world. Who knows, their efforts might ensure that one day, citizens of every country in the world could exercise their democratic right to protest against a democratic decision, voted for by the majority of their people.