Many skilled and effective people are being called upon to work
increasingly long hours, meaning that they have less time to join a political party. That
means that local branches tend to be dominated by the less effective, which in turn cause
potential newcomers to shun the clubs. I have seen many talented, caring people laugh at
the suggestion that they should join a political party.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997 Modern
democracy brings with it media attention. This attracts candidates who think that being on
TV, is by itself, an achievement. Television likes to give attention to good-looking
politicians because it seems to boost the ratings. While it is yet to be proved
conclusively, it does seem that good-looking people are not generally as talented as the
rest of us.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*To have a serious political party you need to have supporters, but supporters
expect you to support their prejudices also. Sometimes a party's most ardent supporters
are so over-zealous that they make the whole party look ridiculous. But it's hard to get
rid of them when they provide so much unpaid support (fundraisers, handing out pamphlets
etc). The whole problem of support: "Why would anyone vote for me unless I promised
to do something for them?" That means (depending on the exact form of democracy), a
leader might have to ensure that he does not upset:
- The cabinet.
- The members of the parliamentary party, who elected him leader.
- The "grass-roots" supporters who hand out pamphlets at election time.
- The people who donate campaign funds.
- His local constituency.
- Friends in the media who give him air-time and say nice things about him.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*Voters seem to vote against any idea the moment a fault is found. In Australia
a lot of previously undecided voters decided against a consumption tax after it was
pointed out to them that such a tax could be complicated. Voters ignored the fact that tax
system it would replace was far more complicated. Quite often I have heard the phrase,
"That politician lost me when he said...". So politicians become afraid to put
forward ideas.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Politicians can win support by making NPNs (necessary political noises). This means
than when people turn to their politicians for leadership and guidance on an issue all
they often get is nebulous feel-good rhetoric.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Quote directly from "The Simpsons" cartoon show (writer: John Swartzwelder)
Father says to his family: Will you all stop worrying about that [particular community
issue]?
Lisa: But Dad, don't you think --
Dad: Uh, Lisa, the whole reason we have elected officials is so we don't have to think all
the time. Just like that rainforest scare a few years back: our officials saw there was a
problem and they fixed it, didn't they?
Lisa: No, Dad, I don't think --
Dad: There's that word again.
Again from Swartzwelder:
TV Newsreader: With our utter annihilation imminent, our federal government has snapped
into action. We go live now via satellite to the floor of the United States congress.
Speaker: Then it is unanimous, we are going to approve the bill to evacuate the town..
Congressman: Wait a minute, I want to tack on a rider to that bill: $30 million of
taxpayer money to support the perverted arts.
Speaker: All in favor of the amended Springfield slash pervert bill?
[everyone boos]
Speaker: Bill defeated.
Newsreader: I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply doesn't work.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
In order for a democracy to function effectively it requires an informed educated
electorate. Countries that try to use the democratic model but lack such an electorate,
such as much of rural India, are often merely going through the motions of democracy. In
practice a large part of the electorate vote in the way their employer or other
influential person instructs. It is not so much democracy as a "feudalism of the
ballot box". The democratic veneer protects practices that would otherwise be
unacceptable by the international community.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Democracy stops revolutions. Once a country has a stable democratic system it is much
less likely to have a revolution. The exercise of the right to vote acts as a safety valve
that releases the energy of dissatisfaction that would otherwise buildup to form a
revolution.
This is a fault in that it tends to keep tensions simmering for a long time rather than
allowing them to blow themselves out. It also fossilizes the institutions at the point
that the country becomes democratic so that injustices survive unchallenged.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*Democracy must always be flawed in order to work. A fully democratic system of
government would be almost unworkable, as the changeable will of people would cause
policies to fluctuate in a hunting curve (like the course of a badly steered ship).
In order for the country to have stable government the vast majority of decisions would
have to be taken by civil servants. For democratically elected leaders to actually
exercise power for the good of the country they must be able to ignore the will the people
when it is required.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Democracy often brings about the destruction of non democratic institutions that have
made valuable contributions to their society. In the name of democracy the House of Lords
has been threatened by nearly every British government (of either main party) since the
second world war. Those who seek to change it do so because the idea of an unelected
chamber of Bishops, hereditary peer lawlords and life peers offends their democratic
sensibilities, rather than due to any actual fault with the chamber itself. It is a fault
of democracy that it can not allow other systems to co-exist.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
The problem is that there is no real participation of the people in the process of
decisions. Democracy has in fact been the rule of a minority in the position of the
political power. The problem is increasing since less and less voters don't feel that they
can influence with their future.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*Democracy is not able to handle with global issues, such as the global
environment, free capital movements, free information flows, international crises, etc. We
can say that there is no democracy in a global perspective.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*The main problem with democracy is that it can't solve the problems that the
new society is beginning to have. The political models are obsolete for the problems that
we are going to face in the near future. Old structures can't help us to solve new
political, social, economical and environmental problems.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
In societies with a free press newspaper editors can exercise power by influencing the
public perception of issues. This means that the elected political leaders are forced to
react to the issues that the unelected press moguls choose to pursue rather than following
a pro-active agenda.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
What is wrong with democracy?
Shortsightedness
In most democratic countries, a government's term is 4 to 5 years. In some countries such
as the US, presidents can be in office a maximum of two consecutive terms. Whether this is
the reason why governments seem so shortsighted, I am not sure, but they do seem to look
for the "quick fixes" where plans for future development or long term goals
rarely go beyond the present term of office.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Leaders who have had to fight elections rarely manage to escape with their dignity
intact. The process creates leaders without mystique. This means that the traditional
deference accorded to kings and lords is lacking from the "resource chest" of
most elected presidents, so they have to court popularity and sympathy instead.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*In divided societies democratic government will tend to perpetuate the nature
of the division rather than bring about reconciliation. This means that in places like
Northern Ireland local democracy has had to be suspended in order to protect the interest
of the minority population.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
The need for campaign funding in most democratic elections means that those without
access to such funding are either excluded from the process, or forced to embrace other
people's ideas in order to secure financial support.
This both weakens the breadth of opinion represented and obliges those who are elected to
return favours to their backers.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
The process of standing for political office in a democracy has become so intrusive
that many good people are dissuaded from standing. The result is that the political
leadership corps contains few "family men", or "reformed rogues". The
former don't stand because they don't want their loved ones to the badgering of the press.
The latter can't stand because they know that their past activities will be found out and
be used against them. These valuable sources of experience and common sense are lost to
the system and we are all the poorer for it.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*The need to remain popular with the majority of the electorate causes
democratic governments to adopt short-term 'election winning' policies. This means that
unpopular measures are put off until after the election or shelved entirely. Issues
involving the dilution of national sovereignty and the creation of supernational bodies
are therefore particularly problematic for democratic government
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*What is wrong with democracy?
Yesterday's democracy is today's oligarchy!
Today's democracy is not true democracy. The electorate does not directly raise issues and
vote on such issues, instead they elect representatives to do so in its place. Given the
historical perspectives of large geographic territories and slow modes communication and
the low education levels of the population, such a system may have been valid. But if the
historical reasons for creating a system no longer exists, does it follow that perhaps the
system itself be no longer valid? Given today's technological advances, can the population
reclaim its role as a citizen of a true democratic state?
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
*What is wrong with democracy?
The 50 + 1 Percent Rule
Some political and social issues become so emotionally charged (i.e. abortion laws, Quebec
separatism, etc.) that the population seems split into diametrically opposed camps a
potentially dangerous situation sometimes leading to violence. Though a majority by
definition, 50 + 1 percent of the votes seems too narrow a victory, in many cases, to
establish policy or law.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
What is wrong with Democracy?
Power is not conducive to servitude
Despite calling our system a 'democracy' (government by the people) real power is held by
a few members (Government Parties). This power comes from the administration and control
of huge national funds along with the power of legislation (to establish and enforce
laws). It appears that the downward push (government's influence on electorate) is
stronger than upward push (electorate's influence on government affairs). This leads to a
government's c.y.a. (cover your ass) attitude. How does the electorate render the
politicians more accountable? How do they limit the government's power? How do they
increase their own influence?
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Dogma (read 'ideology' if you prefer) - the defining element of political differences -
constrains the ability of the elected party to design, promote, and subsequently apply
strategies that may/do run counter to the party's ideology, regardless of whether they are
the (apparent) 'best fit' alternative for the society which the party is elected to serve.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
Any democratic process, e.g. majority rules, can be manipulated very easily by forces
that do not wish to have problems resolved democratically. It's like cops vs. robbers,
where the cops have to play by the rules, but the villains don't.
Just because something has been resolved democratically doesn't mean it's the
"right" thing to do. Popular vote is not necessarily the best vote.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997
A political party's identity comes from a fixed set of ideas which amount to a dogma.
Any attempt to change the dogma is seen as reneging on the party's cherished beliefs,even
when the ideas are no longer relevant to the current situation.
İThe Author, İEdward de Bono Creative Team 1997 |
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