Tomorrow is election day. The cliché is that ‘voters will face a choice’ but in fact voting is a number of choices. It’s not just who to vote for in the House of Representatives and the Senate, but how much time and effort to put into the process: do you assess the parties’ policies? Do you try and find out about the local candidates? Do you vote at all?
The wonderful and terrible thing about democracy is that it is a great leveller: no matter how informed, engaged or intelligent you are, your vote is worth the same as everyone else’s.
This is why the most disappointing response to Britain’s vote to leave the EU has not been the fall in global stock markets, but the rubbishing of the result of the vote on the basis that some voters were racist, or ignorant, or that it was the old cheating the young.
That it’s largely the Left who are arguing this is worse because traditionally it’s disadvantaged voters who have been disenfranchised: age, property qualifications, race and sex have all been used to entrench the status quo. The whole point of democracy has to be that the vote of the ‘elderly racist’ is worth the same as anyone else.
It is unsurprising then that the Left have articulated so few positive reasons for Britain remaining in the EU. No doubt many support the EU for the very reason that Leave voters were fighting against it: the EU is the ultimate technocracy, imposing expert led regulations over the wishes of democratic governments.
The political class have tried to control the expression of unpopular views but they cannot control how people vote when no-one is watching (see Shy Tories). Hence the ungainly scrambling to undo the Brexit vote. Hence the rise and rise of politicians promising to kick the elites.
Nearly 250 years ago, the US Declaration of Independence said that the power of government is “derived from the consent of the governed”. It does not come from the righteousness of one’s ideas, or the eminence of one’s qualifications. It’s an important sentiment so, regardless of how you vote tomorrow, take a minute to think about it. And grab a sausage!
Home > Commentary > Opinion > Brexit is democracy, and that matters
Brexit is democracy, and that matters
The wonderful and terrible thing about democracy is that it is a great leveller: no matter how informed, engaged or intelligent you are, your vote is worth the same as everyone else’s.
This is why the most disappointing response to Britain’s vote to leave the EU has not been the fall in global stock markets, but the rubbishing of the result of the vote on the basis that some voters were racist, or ignorant, or that it was the old cheating the young.
That it’s largely the Left who are arguing this is worse because traditionally it’s disadvantaged voters who have been disenfranchised: age, property qualifications, race and sex have all been used to entrench the status quo. The whole point of democracy has to be that the vote of the ‘elderly racist’ is worth the same as anyone else.
It is unsurprising then that the Left have articulated so few positive reasons for Britain remaining in the EU. No doubt many support the EU for the very reason that Leave voters were fighting against it: the EU is the ultimate technocracy, imposing expert led regulations over the wishes of democratic governments.
The political class have tried to control the expression of unpopular views but they cannot control how people vote when no-one is watching (see Shy Tories). Hence the ungainly scrambling to undo the Brexit vote. Hence the rise and rise of politicians promising to kick the elites.
Nearly 250 years ago, the US Declaration of Independence said that the power of government is “derived from the consent of the governed”. It does not come from the righteousness of one’s ideas, or the eminence of one’s qualifications. It’s an important sentiment so, regardless of how you vote tomorrow, take a minute to think about it. And grab a sausage!
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