Democracy in Crisis
The Age, 29 December 2014
The article focuses our attention on the democratic deficit that has beocme commonplace in many parts of the Western world. How are we to explain this? And, how might we approach the problem?
. . . governing parties, having to operate within a highly restricted political space, find solace in the perks of office, occasionally breaching the boundaries of ethical or even legal conduct. Electorates displeased with the outcome feel they can do no more than punish the party in office and elect their opponents, and so the cycle continues with little prospect of significant change in either policy direction or political culture.
Is there a way out of this impasse? Diverse possibilities for reform are certainly available to us, but they all ultimately hinge on our ability to initiate a sustained national and international conversation about how we are to govern ourselves in coming decades.