Gulf Seen Between Democracy in Theory and Practice: Survey

[laststeamtrain]

Gulf Seen Between Democracy in Theory and Practice: Survey

By Jim Lobe

13/05/08 - - WASHINGTON, May12 (IPS) - The basic democratic principle that "the will of the people should be the basis for the authority of government" is supported by overwhelming majorities throughout the world, according to a major new survey of more than 17,000 adults in 19 countries released here Monday.

Large majorities in most of those countries also believe that their own governments are not living up to that principle, according to the poll which was conducted and published by WorldPublicOpinion.org (WPO).

Indeed, an average of 74 percent of respondents in the 19 countries, which represent 59 percent of the world's total population, believe that "the will of the people" should have more influence in how their country is concerned than it currently does.

And an average of 63 percent of respondents say their country is being run by a "few big interests looking out for themselves," rather than "for the benefit of all the people."

The belief that governments were being run by "a few big interests" was particularly pervasive in Ukraine (84 percent), Mexico (83 percent), the United States (80 percent), Nigeria and South Korea (78 percent), and Argentina (71 percent).

"The perception that governments are not responsive to the popular will appears to be contributing to the low levels of confidence in government found around the world," noted Steven Kull, who directs both the WPO and its parent organisation, the University of Maryland's Programme on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA).

"Most see their governments as primarily serving big interests rather than the people as a whole," he added.

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http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19915.htm

[tom_paine]

1. Can we even call it democracy now thast BushPutinism has taken over many formerly

free countries.

I mean, Amerika, Russia, and China are all ruled by the same form of totalitarianism, you could call it "Fake Democracy" in which rituals and institutions are paid lip service, but in actually these three nations are autocratic oligarchies in which citizens have no real rights, no matter what their Constitutions say.

Of course, here in Amerika, we get treated the "nicest" of our fellow totalitarian subjects in Russia and China, but only because the Bushies dare not expose themselves to THAT level this early in the endgame.

Not to worry, we WILL catch up to our Sister Bushie Nations, Russia and China. The Bushies may have to hit us again as they did on 9/11, but eventually it WILL happen.

10 years, 20 years, maybe even 50 years (though that seems wildly optimistic), but it WILL come.

Unless we can try and convict these Bushie criminals before their grandchildren finish the transition to tyranny they started, or otherwise fix the voting system and the system of checks and balances.

Not much chance of that, though I would never advocate anyone give up trying.

[jaybeat]

2. Yup. Hard to have political democracy when economics is anything but.

When people and organizations can "vote" with their dollars, then of course, what the most dollars want, the most dollars get. And when the most dollars are in the hands of the fewest (concentration of wealth at highest levels since before the Great Depression), the most (people) have the least power.

But, of course, in this country at least, to question the perfect superiority of allmighty capitalism is to be a TRAITOR, a COMMIE, UN-AMERICAN. Might get you blacklisted, FEMA-camped, waterboarded or worse.

Meanwhile the corporate-funded right-wing American Idol band plays on. What have you bought today?