Thursday 18 June 2009

Democracy and its dark secret


The recent elections in Iran has produced a wide variety of opinions and this has got me thinking about what democracy really means.

A lot of people are claiming that the voting had been rigged as there were suspicious circumstances and coincidences involved. These folk applauded the Iranian people for rising up against the government and holding a peaceful protest as a sign of their disatisfaction and longed for similar action in their respective countries against policies and directions their governments were taking. In contrast the others are admonishing the former as sore losers as Ahmedinejad was voted in by the majority and they should accept it... this is reminiscent of the Palestine elections where Hamas won, much to the shock of others.

Countries, the US in particular, have been the first to point out the greatness of democracy and have even invaded other countries to enforce this but is this what everyone wants? Democracy is a majority-rule based system where votes are cast to decide matters but there will always be losers, it's the nature of the system. At what point do you decide the will of the people? Is 2/3 of votes enough? I'm not sure I'd take action where a third of the people were against it.

Here lies the great weakness - us humans. Each and everyone of us is naturally selfish and want things our way and complain when it doesn't. This will create an inherent rebellion and you will find a loud minority voicing their disatisfaction which will affect the others. Democracy may mean the majority get their way but at the expense of others and no-one likes losing and chances are that you will lose at least once, is this really the ideal situation or just the best of the bunch to rule the people?

Wednesday 3 June 2009

Maximising Perks or Unethical?


As you're no doubt aware, unless you've been stuck in a nuclear bunker and disconnected from the world the past 3 months, scandal has hit our fair shores in the form of government 'corruption'. A bastion of democracy with a rich history and the rise of parliamentary powers over monarchy by the common people only to now find itself revealed for what it has become - a self serving collection of elected officials.

The BBC did a survey where they found half the population thought at least half of the MP's were corrupt and most had lost faith in the officials that are supposed to run the country but I'm left wondering... are people really surprised?

I had always known that wherever there is a system, people will try and game it to their advantage. From simple things like loopholes in a supermarkets voucher policy, it is only a matter of scale as you go up the tree. Was there anyone really unaware that officials would try and get away with as much as they could? Or is the real anger that it's been bluntly exposed?

The MP's get a second home allowance and have many purchases repaid, some of which do truly feel inappropriate. I work and earn a factor less than MP's yet I pay for my own food and bills, should these people get their food and bills paid for by my tax money? But are they to blame for asking for a rebate or should the system be questioned for allowing them to do so?

Rather than question the integrity of the MP's, I would rather voice my anger at the system for allowing this to happen because in all honesty, I can see myself doing the same if I was in their shoes.

Remember... power corrupts and try not judging others without questioning yourself first.