Is modern democracy really democracy?

Democracy DIED in Big Companies and greedy "globalizacion" hands. Globalization is Killing the world

It is democracy but in a very narrow sense. We can vote for whichever party we want. That's about as far as it goes.

We have very little say in the every day running of our society. For example, it's private company's that decide the level of wages, which is a central issue in our lives. We don't elect business leaders, they just have an inordinate amount of power because they're rich. In fact, they dictate to governments on policy.

Politicians are pretty untouchable as we can only vote every 4-5 years. We should be able to immediately recall MPs if we think they're doing a crap job.

Most people in the UK were against Bush and Blair's war in Iraq, but we were taken to war anyway.

You're right. If we had the choice we wouldn't allow big business to pollute our planet the way they do. It's completing taken out of our hands.

We need a much wider democracy where people's voices are heard and acted upon. However, as long as we have capitalism we will never have that choice.

There is no such thing as a pure democracy except with mob rule.

The majority goes is fine for something, but for elections to high office and legislative area's it is simply not a good idea. That is why we have representative government with all the checks and balances.

The USA is a republic with democratic principles under a capitalistic economic system along with socialism for needed services and communism for our public lands.

Most countries that claim to be a democracy run pretty much under the above.

Look up the words communism, socialism and capitalism, they are all economic systems, from sharing the wealth to concentrating the wealth.

Peace

Jim

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The UK is a very poor excuse for a democracy.

Democracy is supposed to mean that in a vote the majority vote wins.

In the UK in the last election the Tories actually gained more votes but the way that the system is skewed it ended up with NU Labia having a large majority.

Definitely not fully democratic.

Sharliz. The world does not consist only of the US.

As this is UK. Answers then the OP is obviously talking about the 3 main UK parties.

Sharliz is absolutely right. Pure democracy is no different from tyranny.

Parties are necessary for representative government. They reduce the number of people the government have to bargain with to achieve results. You can have zero parties and complete anarchy in Parliament, accountable to nobody, or you can have a few parties which are accountable to the people and work with the government to provide good legislation. Up to you.

Measures are taken to reduce the impact of donated funds. Foreign loans and loans over a certain amount (it's about £15,000 I think) must be declared. Parties are careful about who they accept loans from as it can tarnish their image if they look too much in someone's pocket.

Face it - in a large society this is how things work, and there's no amount of legislation or anything which can undo it.

I politely disagree with Alexsau1991 - a republic is not necessarily a democracy. A republic is another way of describing a State - hence Plato's Republic, in which he describes various combinations of republics - monarchy, tyranny, democracy, Spartanite fascism or Philosopher Kings.

Sharliz it is quite possible for a republic to be a democracy as France and Germany are both republics and democracies as are many other countries. The Founding Fathers intended the US to be a democratic republic.

True democracy perished after the Athenian original expired.

to an extent! democracy is a sham. its really all a question of getting the correct acceptable balance. governments will always be corrupt and money will always hold the real power. in Britain the people are largely at fault because they are so servile. they seem to want! to be told how to think. the government tells them that a vote out side the main three parties is a wasted vote....that is 'of course' complete rubbish and anti Democratic in its self. your vote is a social barometer. it shows the mood of the nation over all. if you don't vote with your true feelings, you destroy the whole point in voting....and you 'in effect' destroy your own democracy. but if the people actually voted with their hearts then i think our system still comes out on top of most in the world.

sharliz the USA may be a Republic but a republic is a type of Democracy, which has a voted govement, the UK goverment type isnt a democracy ether were a contitional monachy, but we still are a democracy. And the UK democracy is better for some people than others, as country were vary fair more so than alot (including the USA) but people in power stay the same rich upperclass people who dont actually know what its like representing who they are representing.

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine. Remember the last 2 elections???

The USA was ment to be a Republic, not a Democracy. My advise is you research what a Rebublic is, and read abit about our Rule of Law (thats the Constitution)

China is under a Dictatorship. A dictatior who throws human rights out the window. I would not want to bow down to any dictators superiority. MY god!

What 3rd party are you talking about? We only have 2 that have a chance of winning...Democrat or Republican. There is also The Green Party, Constitution, and Libertarian parties. But oviously..you know nothing of the US political system...

Democracy is dead . Has been for a long time . And Britain is steadily turning into a police state .

Whats worse , not a single one of us can do anything about it because no matter who you vote for you still get the Government.