‘Don’t tire of democracy – get out and vote’

‘THE BEST SYSTEM WE HAVE’: Winston Churchill, whose statue stands outside Parliament. Picture by Arthur Osipyan

The Accidental Diplomat, a column by Paul Knott

Winston Churchill said “democracy is the worst form of government except for all the other forms that have been tried”. He was right of course.

Democracy can sometimes be frustrating and uninspiring. But democracy is still by far the best way to be governed and there are good reasons why people all over the world fight so hard to have it. Those of us who are lucky enough to have a say in who runs our country should always make use of it.

We are probably living through one of those times when democracy does not always have us bursting with enthusiasm to vote. In Britain, the main opposition party, Labour, has been made nervous by previous defeats and is proceeding cautiously in its campaign to replace the staggeringly incompetent Conservative government.

Meanwhile, around the world, would-be dictators are on the march. In the cases of Narendra Modi and Donald Trump, they are even threatening the existence of real democracy in the two biggest democratic nations, India and the USA.

This grim outlook is a far cry from periods such as the 1990s, when there was a huge popular demand for democracy across Europe, Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia. This wave was inspired by events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dictatorships that built it, and the ending of the racist apartheid system in South Africa.

But even in these difficult times, there are still many people worldwide battling for the democratic right to decide who governs them. Millions of Ukrainians are bravely resisting domination by Vladimir Putin’s vicious Russian regime. In Myanmar, people are striving to defeat a murderous military dictatorship. And in Guatemala the people recently stopped drug-gang connected elites from taking over their country and put their choice of an honest president, Bernardo Arévalo, in office instead.

Russia provides an example of the horrors that can happen if you allow a dictatorship to take hold. Putin’s brutal “Mafia state” has stolen billions of dollars from the people. Outside of the central areas of a handful of big cities, most Russians live in poverty and without any rights or public services worthy of the name. Meanwhile, anyone who opposes Putin or even speaks out of turn to complain is killed or thrown into prison. Most Russians have been battered into feebly accepting this situation. So their oppression goes on for decades until the dictator either dies or is somehow violently overthrown.

Democracies do throw up bad governments too, of course, as Britain is currently proving. But they rarely sink to the horrific state of somewhere like Russia. This is because democracies have the crucial advantage of holding an election every few years that allows us to peacefully remove lousy leaders. As part of the process, you have the freedom at all times to question, challenge and campaign openly for something better.

Democracy also goes hand in hand with the rule of law, which creates some security in society. Unlike in a dictatorship, you are unlikely to have everything you own brazenly stolen by some regime-connected thug or to be thrown in jail merely on the say so of the great leader.

A limited version of democracy was first developed in ancient Greece about 2,500 years ago.

Previous generations of Britons are amongst the many people all over the world who have fought since then to live in a democracy. Years of campaigning finally won the right to vote for all British men in 1918 and women in 1928.

Then, about 400,000 Brits died defending their freedom and democracy from attack by the Nazis in World War II. After the war, a majority of voters decided to remove Churchill and elect the Labour government that created the NHS to provide healthcare for everyone.

The present danger in Britain is not that a would-be dictator is attempting to wipe out our democracy. One of the biggest threats we do face instead is complacency and it could still be very damaging. The tactic of some powerful, disreputable people here is to persuade some sections of the public that voting does not matter and discourage them from participating.

Widespread apathy makes it possible for dodgy people to gain political power and use it in their own selfish interests. The most commonly expressed excuse for not voting is the phrase “all politicians are the same”. In reality, this is never true and there is always a difference.

Even during the least inspiring times, there is always a preferable option – a party or a candidate who will prioritise more of what matters most to you, whether that is the economy, a global issue such as climate change or improving services such as the health and education systems. They might not go far enough or offer everything you would like but exercising your right to choose who runs the country still makes a positive difference.

As another highly quotable old-time politician, Tony Benn, once said “hope is the fuel of progress”. Believing things can never change is the one way to make sure they won’t. Fortunately, the evidence of history proves things really can change for the better – if we do our bit to make it happen. For those of us living in a democracy, taking responsibility and voting is the easiest way to do that.