‘It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all of those other forms that have been tried from time to time.’ How many blogs have started off with the quote attributed to Winston Churchill, hundreds if not thousands if a quick search on Google is anything to go by? It doesn’t take long for anyone who lives in one to recognise that democracy has its weaknesses and foibles yet most of us in the western world are vehement supporters of it as the only method of appointing our political leaders.
So why the uproar over the Italian elections? Were they not free and fair? Were they not democratic and open to the populace? As far as I know they were but no, the uproar seems to be because the people have chosen the wrong outcome or rather no outcome at all. The centre left have won most of the seats while the former prime minister came second but the real concern has been over a comedian called Beppe Grillo and his Five Star Movement which won over a quarter of the seats. How dreadful, fancy that, how could a comedian know anything about politics and how could a popular person be, well popular? On the other hand, why should the electorate faced with the same old faces that they blame for getting them in to the mess they are in, choose them to govern again?
Isn’t that the point of democracy, you elect people to represent you and to govern you and if you don’t like what they do you can kick them out and choose another lot? The problem in Italy is not democracy but rather the candidates presented did not convince the people that they were the right choice. The people have spoken, they have spoken clearly but the electorate doesn’t speak with one voice, only with a collection of all of the millions of voices. There is no collusion among the people and it is clear that not one of the politicians could muster a lead. Even the king maker could not become king.
Now we have the odd situation where the markets have fallen over the uncertainty of further coalition government. The Italian stock market has fallen by over five per cent and the powers that be say that this cannot be allowed to carry on. When did the financial market, which is only really open to the few, become more important than the democratic market that is open to the many? We need to be very careful. If democracy is the best system that we have and the people of Italy have declared their choice then who are we to say that they have got it wrong? Rather than ring our hands with woe we should celebrate that this age old system is still able to stir the passions and throw up the odd surprise from time to time.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 