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> On the other hand, what if the electorate did not vote out of protest, was misinformed by the politicians or media, or simply not educated enough to make the
by sverige 10y ago
> On the other hand, what if the electorate did not vote out of protest, was misinformed by the politicians or media, or simply not educated enough to make the proper choice? Apart from the shocking failure of an established western democracy to make a good economical and political choice, what are the consequences at stake here?
Well, that has always been the risk with democracy. People disagree, one side of a vote wins, the other side loses.
But you can't simply accuse the winning side of being misinformed or uneducated or irrational unless you are willing to accept that they view you in the same light. And making that argument publicly, as the Remain side has very vocally since losing, only hardens the position of those on the other side that you know nothing and are not worth listening to since you obviously don't see the good that will come from their victory.
So all the rest (economic devastation, EU disintegration, counterproductive attitudes) might be exactly what they desire. And they're in the majority, in a democracy. If you dislike that, perhaps democracy isn't really your preferred form of government.
- wuschel 10y agoGenerally, I do agree with you. Voting power, even if it is just one vote, comes with responsibility. And one should respect a vote, and also demand from a voter to behave in a mature, educated and responsible way. > So all the rest (economic devastation, EU disintegration, counterproductive attitudes) might be exactly [...] I doubt that one can draw a straight line from the outcome of the referendum to a fatalistic, self destructive attitude of the population of the UK. There are many factors at play here - protest votes against the political establishment, general abstinence, phobia against EU bureaucracy, nationalistic tendencies et cetera. I am not in the picture here, since I have never lived long enough in the UK to understand the tendencies at hand. > perhaps democracy isn't really your preferred form of government. I will not comment on that apart from the remark that every form of human government has its suboptimal characteristics. Democracy is not such a bad solution - apart from the fact when it fails. All in all, again, the EU will survive the BREXIT, albeit it will take damage. The UK might not.