Is it not potentially dangerous for democracy?
2007-09-12 03:09:59 · 9 answers · asked by Barbara Doll to you 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
The existence of political Parties, per se, is not the danger to democracy. The danger lies in the fact that their policies are drawn up and decided upon by only a few of their executive members and that there is no general public control over the "sign up to this or you can't stand as a candidate for us" method of selecting Party candidates for elections. Iraq is a very good example of how this "Party Whip" system conflicts directly with the will of the supposedly democratic electorate.
The suspicion in a lot of people's minds is that those policies are intended more to further those same members' personal agendas than they are to improve or at least maintain standards in the country being governed.
All existing political Parties are infected with the same disease, as evidenced by the current and ongoing reduction in democratic rights in the UK. Bans on this, that and the other...
2007-09-12 09:30:29 · answer #1 · answered by HUNNYMONSTA 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To start with, we're not a democracy. We're a republic. If you don't believe me, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and listen to yourself very carefully when you say "And to the republic for which it stands..."
To answer your question, there is a left, and there is a right. It continually astounds me that there are people out there who think there is a third way to be, besides right or left. If you're in the center, you still fall to the right or left of center, no matter how slightly. There simply is no other way to be.
2007-09-12 10:16:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there is consensus, there is no real democracy. For democracy to be a success, there ought to be an opposition. Thus, we have groups or parties opposing each other!
2007-09-12 10:16:42 · answer #3 · answered by Sami V 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no democracy while the main thing is the party line.
2007-09-13 03:16:19 · answer #4 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because you are more certain to be able to pass a law that is favourable to your constituents if you are in a large group. And if that large group has the same political outlook as you, then you have the makings of a party. It is just natural
2007-09-12 10:42:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What would your alternative be?
No parties?
No political parties would be a death nail for democracy.
2007-09-12 10:15:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every individual person has their own viewpoint but you can't have 60 million different views represented in parliament (this Q was asked in the UK site).
However since views tend to clump together we have a small number of parties that represent a collection of views.
2007-09-12 10:23:26 · answer #7 · answered by James T 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
George Washington thought and asked the same question over 200 years ago!
2007-09-12 10:34:11 · answer #8 · answered by alphabetsoup2 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For some strange reason, people do have different beliefs. Some believe that the individual is responsible for himself; others believe that government should run everything (they're wrong). Some don't believe in abortion, others do (they're wrong). Some believe that taxes should be kept to a minimum, other want to tax you to death (they're wrong).
2007-09-12 10:14:18 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋