Representative Government is not Democracy

national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Saturday March 22, 2008 19:07

by Cael - Sinn Fein Poblachtach

In Athens, election of officials was not practiced because it was thought to favor the wealthy and powerful. Giving decision-making power to elected officials was thought to take away the power of the people and effectively make the state an oligarchy, that is government by an elite group

The word "democracy" (rule by the people) was coined by Athenians in 508 BC to define their City State system of government. What happened back then is a far cry from what actually happens in so-called democracies today!

In Athens, election of officials was not practiced because it was thought to favor the wealthy and powerful. Giving decision-making power to elected officials was thought to take away the power of the people and effectively make the state an oligarchy, that is government by an elite group (though, where special skills and knowledge were required and there were several competing candidates, elections were sometimes held).

Athenian democracy was based on selection of officials on a rotating basis by lot (similar to drawing straws today). It was based on the assumption that all citizens were equally qualified for office. The courts operated with large juries also selected by lot; there were no judges. Being drafted to public office was mandatory and modest financial compensation was given to those citizens whose livelihood was compromised.

Decisions in all matters of policy were taken by majority vote in the Assembly (at the Pynx) in which all male citizens who’d completed their military service (but not slaves, foreigners, etc,) who wished to vote took part. The agenda of the Assembly was set by the Boule of 500, also selected by lot on a rotating basis. Debate on the agenda was open to all present. After the debate, the assembly of citizens voted on decisions directly.

I think in the past, where we had a large population and communication was difficult, then something like representative democracy was inevitable. Although, as the Athenians suspected, it did favor the rich and powerful, as you needed newspapars on your side and large campaign funds. However, with the widespread use of the internet a return to the Athenian ideal of democracy is now quite possible, and I would say, highly desirable. The proposal of a four province federal Ireland is ideally suited to such a democracy, as it makes the voting units much more manageable. I would see the European Parliament, where a couple of hundred people make vital decisions for hundreds of millions of people to be the opposite of democracy.
Today the average citizen is more educated and socially aware than many MPs were in the past. I believe we are well qualified to rule ourselves. Clearly a system of direct democracy would make it much more difficult for the rich and powerful to groom professional politicians with dig-outs and whip-a-rounds, as the category of professional politician would not be so common as today.