> In 2005, in France, the "referendum on a European Constitution" lit an immense debate, and there was an incredibly well-formed decision on an enormously obtus

> In 2005, in France, the "referendum on a European Constitution" lit an immense debate, and there was an incredibly well-formed decision on an enormously obtuse tome of legalese. On the contrary, the outcome of the referendum was less about the merits of the proposed constitution, and more an expression of growing anti-Establishment social opinion and a demonstration of discontent with the majority parties and President Chirac. > If you think people aren't able to think and decide autonomously for themselves, you are actively opposing democracy. If you think people aren't able to determine how to choose reasonable facsimiles of their moral/social/economic position through which to abstract their effect on the daily operation of a state, you are actively opposing democracy. Being able to choose when and how to make decisions must be a core component of the free exercise of democracy.