Do you live in a Democratic country?

I don’t feel represented by politicians, but feel I can make a difference locally.

I couldn’t agree more that we could start moving back towards a direct democracy, and I’d be thrilled.

It doesn’t appear to be a popular option though. I asked a similar question a while back and people seem to prefer being represented.

I hope you’ll get some additional responses and thoughts here, I still don’t understand how having a direct voice would be seen as a negative. It would immediately end the gridlock we’ve seen the last few years on some important issues.

In my country democracy starts in elementary. Some kids in the class become “leaders” and the others have to learn how to admire a “leader.” Then we go into middle school where in middle school we learn how to vote for made up positions. We give them a sense of responsibility. This cycle continues for people in my country until adulthood. Typically with money and popularity our “leaders” are chosen.

I looked up the definition of Democracy and can state that although I live in England, Democratic it is not.
Some of what I gleaned stated, ‘Democracy is by far the most challenging form of government. It is the rule by the people, separation of powers, basic civil and human rights, religious liberty and separation of Church and State.’
Although we elect our ‘rulers’ they promptly forget who put them there.
Basic civil and human rights are not the ones that people get taken to court for.
Separation of Church and State – not while there are bishops in the House of Lords.
Democracy is like many things – fine on paper but just not achievable in this day and age and the times of postal voting, greed, the pursuit of power.
Despite that, at least I have a vote, and a wonderful monarch who really must want to put the Tower of London back how it was and have a few flung in the Tower for treason!

I am in a strange situation, because I do not live in the country I am a citizen of. Therefore, I must take what I can get. I, and others in my situation, are not represented on a national level in this country as we are not allowed to vote on national issues, but we are locally. The country is a democracy, for its citizens, and we have a monarchy as well. We came closer this year to separating the Church and State, as, very quietly, a law was passed in May. Before, if you were born here, you were automatically put in the register as a member of the State Church and you had to physically un-register yourself by letter and it was in the wording of the constitution that the Lutheran Church of Norway was the Church of the Nation. Now, both of those cute little features are gone.
Like all democracies, though, it is reliant on a few main things: A free and unbiased media, strict controls on how elections are run and a decent level of education and intelligence of the voting public. Right now, we are enjoying a nice, moderate government with a Prime Minister that holds a great deal of respect from the nation.
I don’t think it is entirely fair that I am kept from voting (not all nations treat their permanent residents/non citizens this way) but I do have that ripcord to pull if I ever feel the nation takes a very bad turn and move back to where I came from.

I do and I do NOT feel represented by my country nor my state and also my President now that I read in his own words how things REALLY play out in Washington.

From his book “The Audacity of Hope” Barack writes…

“Except for the few minutes it takes to vote, my colleagues and I don’t spend much time on the floor. Most of the decisions…have been worked out well in advance by the Majority Leader, committees and staff. By the time we reach the floor, in consultation with his staff, caucus leader, preferred lobbyist, interest groups and ideological leanings – just how to position himself.”

Don’t see much if any representation of little ol me in THAT!

Supposedly I do, I’m not so sure though.

They say, I do… I feel free to decide and work in politics…, I have the right to vote… can say and write whatever I like… well, Democracy… EU, Spain.

I live in the United States & supposedly, the United States is still a Democracy, but we are losing more & more of our Constitutional Rights every day. We have become a country run by & for, Corporations.

No.

A democratic republic.

For now…

I used to live in a Democratic Republic called the United States of America. But sometime after WWII we decided democracy was so fine everyone on Earth deserved it. So, instead of dismantling the massive military we had assembled during the Great War, we kept much of it intact and even ramped parts of it up. We started using it to export Democracy to places that didn’t have enough, but somehow had the misfortune of housing our oil under their sand. And now, by gosh, about the only people with any real vote here at home are the corporate moguls we enriched in our export/import activity. Nobody else has the kind of speech (which is money) it takes to buy a vote.

Direct democracy is impractical. I live in a democratic state, and even though the politicians don’t seem like they care much about our expectations after we elect them, I still value the relative stability and normalcy provided by the Polish government. I am mostly happy with where I live, and I like my country. Go Poland! ;-)

Technical note: The word “democracy” refers to any state in which sovereignty formally rests in the citizenry. Direct democracies, representative democracies, and democratic republics are all democracies even if they are other things in addition. Disliking some of the actions taken by your particular democratic country doesn’t change whether or not it is a democracy, and merely airing your complaints does not answer the question asked by the OP. I mention this only because this question happens to be in General.

I live in Australia, which is a democracy. Technically our system of government is a constitutional monarchy, but the Governor General (who represents the monarch) has not made a significant intervention in politics since 1975.

I think democracy should play a part in every political system, since it is the most effective way to ensure governmental accountability. However I do not believe our system sufficiently ensures that the government follows the wishes of the people, since the majority of decisions are made without consultation with the people, who only vote on election issues and personalities.

However my democratic views should not be taken to imply a belief in the current form of governance in democratic countries. I believe that capitalism is inherently immoral, our foreign policy is embarrassing, and our representatives do not properly represent the spectrum of ideas in the community. We are always presented with the choice between left and right, but never any individual or party with truly novel policies.