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Democracy

So what is ‘democracy’? Well, democracy is a way in which a society can make decisions about what needs to be done by and within that society and in relation to other societies. Democracy, therefore, is a system for making decisions and of choosing who makes those decisions. Democracy is a system for politics – for selecting leaders, politicians and governments. Democracy differs from other forms of government because it is focussed on allowing the whole of society to be involved in those decisions and not just a select few.

How democracy works in practice differs from one country to the next, and, of course, not all countries are generally regarded as having a democratic system of government. There are plenty of arguments about what is and isn’t democratic and plenty of debates about what are better forms of democracy than others.

One person, one vote
One of the main aims of a democracy is to allow all individuals in a society a say in how their society is run. In much of the world, including the UK, that means every eligible person over a certain age being able to vote in an election – to chose who becomes, for example, Members of the Welsh Assembly or local councillors or Members of Parliament. It also means anybody is allowed to stand for office – anyone can put themselves forward to be elected. In a democracy, one person has just one vote in each election – equality is an important concept for democracy.

Democracy should deliver leaders and politicians who make decisions in the best interests of the people that elected them. If they don’t make such decisions, democracy allows the people – the electorate – to vote them out at the next election. The hope of democracy is that it delivers ‘government of the people, by the people’.

Political Parties
More often than not, when people stand at elections, they do so as a representative of a political party. However, many people have been elected as ‘independents’ and not as members of a political party.

Many people argue that one of the greatest benefits of democracy isn’t so much what it does, but what it allows countries’ to avoid – dictatorships. When a country doesn’t have democracy, that country’s leaders are free to do what they chose to do without the wider population having a choice. Many of the world’s worst atrocities have been undertaken by dictatorships – for example, the Second World War was started by a German government that had taken away the country’s democratic processes and had stopped general elections.

Many people are cynical of voting, but it’s important to consider the alternatives to democracy and the dangers of governments that populations can’t control. Throughout the twentieth century, many millions of people fought and died for democracy – including many Welsh and British men and women in the Second World War.

Some people think a vote is just a drop in the ocean, and subsequently don’t bother voting. If enough people don’t vote, democracy doesn’t work properly and becomes undermined – and without democracy, positive changes in our society are less likely. After all, every ocean is made up of little droplets of water.

And remember, if you’re older enough to vote and you don’t, you can’t complain about the government or their policies!!

Links and contact details

Name: The Electoral Commission (Wales Office)
Web: www.electoralcommission.org.uk
Email: infowales@electoralcommission.org.uk
infowales@electoralcommission.org.uk
Tel: 029 2034 6800
Info: The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Their aim is integrity and public confidence in the democratic process.

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