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Alas, history tells us that the people with "rational" opinions are no better to rule than the ones with "irrational" ones. At least not in the long run. As a

by ahje 8y ago

Alas, history tells us that the people with "rational" opinions are no better to rule than the ones with "irrational" ones. At least not in the long run. As a fellow EU-citizen I am absolutely horrified by the chaos currently unfolding in the UK, but dismissing the entire voting process while referring to "democracy yada yada" is far scarier than the outcome of a democratic election will ever be.

EForEndeavour 8y ago
I think the above poster's point is that plenty of government decisions are not voted on by referendum, and shouldn't be. The consequences of Brexit are complex and far-reaching, more so than countless other types of decisions that are not directly voted on. So why should we expect The People to know any better?
- ahje 8y ago
  Why should we expect random politicians to know better? After all, a stupid decision taken by uninformed politicians isn't necessarily better than a stupid decision made by the people.
  - lm28469 8y ago
    > random politicians to know better? They're not random, you're supposed to vote for them. And they're supposed to represent your general opinion. They're supposed to have an education in politic/economics/&c. which makes them better equipped to make informed decisions. And it's supposed to be their full time job. Just like anyone can bake bread at home with no tools / minimum knowledge but the bakery at the corner of the street will make better bread.
    - robsont 8y ago
      This. An advisory referendum is advisory. Constitutions use advisory refs for issues that are complicated and not suited for direct democracy. In the UK though, politicians were too coward to do their job and treated the referendum result as law.
    - Trill-I-Am 8y ago
      Politicians in Western democracies are demonstrably not more thoughtful, deliberative, logical, rational, or intelligent than their average countrymen.
    - ahje 8y ago
      > education in politic/economics/&c That doesn't magically make a person competent in other matters. On the contrary, many politicians with a background in economics or law show a frightening lack of insight in many other topics like environmental issues, information technology or science, whereas you will find plenty of experts within those fields (as well as economics and law) within the general populace. The claim that elected politicians are somehow more competent than we are is a scary one. They are people just as we are. They have limitations just as we do. They specialize in various fields like they do, and just like the rest of us, that often means they don't really know that much about the stuff that is outside their own field.

by ahje 8y ago

EForEndeavour 8y ago

I think the above poster's point is that plenty of government decisions are not voted on by referendum, and shouldn't be. The consequences of Brexit are complex and far-reaching, more so than countless other types of decisions that are not directly voted on. So why should we expect The People to know any better?

ahje 8y ago
Why should we expect random politicians to know better? After all, a stupid decision taken by uninformed politicians isn't necessarily better than a stupid decision made by the people.
- lm28469 8y ago
  > random politicians to know better? They're not random, you're supposed to vote for them. And they're supposed to represent your general opinion. They're supposed to have an education in politic/economics/&c. which makes them better equipped to make informed decisions. And it's supposed to be their full time job. Just like anyone can bake bread at home with no tools / minimum knowledge but the bakery at the corner of the street will make better bread.
  - robsont 8y ago
    This. An advisory referendum is advisory. Constitutions use advisory refs for issues that are complicated and not suited for direct democracy. In the UK though, politicians were too coward to do their job and treated the referendum result as law.
  - Trill-I-Am 8y ago
    Politicians in Western democracies are demonstrably not more thoughtful, deliberative, logical, rational, or intelligent than their average countrymen.
  - ahje 8y ago
    > education in politic/economics/&c That doesn't magically make a person competent in other matters. On the contrary, many politicians with a background in economics or law show a frightening lack of insight in many other topics like environmental issues, information technology or science, whereas you will find plenty of experts within those fields (as well as economics and law) within the general populace. The claim that elected politicians are somehow more competent than we are is a scary one. They are people just as we are. They have limitations just as we do. They specialize in various fields like they do, and just like the rest of us, that often means they don't really know that much about the stuff that is outside their own field.