True Democracy?

In many ways we are far ahead of other countries in terms of democracy; in others, it's clear we have a long way to go before achieving it. With the increasingly presidential style elections here in the UK and our politicians' reliance upon misleading comments, vague principles and damage control, the question has emerged over our ability to remain a truly democratic nation. Indeed while we continue to involve ourselves in the politics of 'developing' nations with the aim of spreading democracy, it's arguable that we should be looking more internally and concentrate on upholding our own democratic rights before preaching to others. The over-reliance by politicians on propaganda has led to a steady decline in their transparency, reliability and honesty; something which is risking our position as a democratic state and resulting in loss of faith in the voting system and furthermore the system of government itself.

I would even take this point further and argue that due to these circumstances, we can no longer trust that our vote will be an informed one. A clear example of this can be seen in the opinion polls carried out following the 2010 election results- with only 1/3 of Liberal Democrat Voters backing the party they put into government; many feeling the reality of the elected was far different from the promises made to them. Key policies that perhaps made the difference between a Red vote and a Yellow vote were dropped or heavily compromised following the formation of the coalition.

Democracy fundamentally relies upon the views of the electorate being represented by the elected. When the electorate does not feel their views are being represented or indeed being misrepresented, or that they were mislead in casting their vote, questions are raised over wether those in power are rightfully running our country. When returning to the concept of an informed voter, it appears to me to be just that- a concept. Whilst in the past I liked to believe I was fully aware of who I aligned myself with politically, the hard times we have fallen upon as a nation in recent years have made the discrepancies of our politicians more visible. I worry of being in the position of many Liberal Democrat voters in the future- having voted for something in full confidence only to find the reality to become completely different to what I thought I had voted for.

In comparison to the voting system even in the USA, I feel glad to live in a country where there really isn't anything standing in the way of us putting that cross in a box we chose on election day. It would however be dangerous to assume that this means we cannot and shouldn't strive to improve. If we take democracy to mean a government 'the people, by the people, for the people', democracy should be seen as an ideal- something that cannot necessarily be fully achieved but something to strive towards nonetheless. Transparency, honesty and an increasing level of responsibility taken by our politicians for their actions are vital in this journey. In many ways we are far ahead of other countries in terms of democracy; in others, it's clear we have a long way to go before achieving it.