Why are we not sharing the belief that democracy is about being well informed and empowered to make the best possible decisions? — Athena


Because modern democracy just isn't like that any more, it's all image and 'spin'. Countries with smaller populations without religious divides do still have meaningful democracies but they are usually socialist. Capitalism is the enemy of meaningful democracy. — Jamesk

Agreed. In trumpeting the importance of the education of the voter so as to 'improve' the outcome of elections we miss the point that ordinary people do not want to be 'educated' on such a subject. They consider it their right to be ignorant, but vote all the same. I'm British, and the appalling result of the Brexit referendum has highlighted this. People who want to leave the EU basically don't like foreigners threatening their neighbourhoods (by talking in foreign languages, and working hard). They also don't want those nasty foreigners in Brussels 'telling us what to do' (although ask them to cite one example of a law pased in Brussles which has enraged them, and they can't). Many people vote on simplistic fears about threats to their sense of self and national identity. And the Vote Leave politians who unexpectedly won the referendum realised how to exploit those fears by peddling half-truths and gross simplifications to a willing audience who hadn't the wit the find out the facts for themselves. Unfortunately many people vote for simplistic emotional priorities rather than rational assessments of reality. Trump's win evidences this too. And there is much nationalistic feeling simmering in the other countries of western Europe. Perhaps globalism is part of the cause, perhaps the 2008 Crash. The bigger the world seems to get, the more fearful people feel about their own cherished corner of it.

So, I think the idea of an enlightened democracy is receding from realisation. As someone said earlier, the problem of climate change is one which democracy clearly cannot handle - perhaps because it's global, certainly because the time-scales involved are beyond most peoples' imaginations.

After the Brexit referendum result, I theorised that in future elections all voting should be done on-line, and before being allowed to vote every voter should answer a short multiple-choice quiz on the main issues of the election. If they could not get the answers right they would be excluded from voting. I suppose that is one way of forcing voters to at least a basic level of knowledge, but would it ever be accepted? I very much doubt it..

I had actually thought of starting a new thread about Democracy being broken. But this one seems on much the same subject..

After the Brexit referendum result, I theorised that in future elections all voting should be done on-line, and before being allowed to vote every voter should answer a short multiple-choice quiz on the main issues of the election. If they could not get the answers right they would be excluded from voting. I suppose that is one way of forcing voters to at least a basic level of knowledge, but would it ever be accepted? I very much doubt it.. — Tim3003

Churchill said two things highly relative to your point. Firstly that the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter. Secondly he said that Democracy is the worst system of government apart from all of the others. So you are not the first person to think like this, you are in quite good company.