The No-Nonsense Guide to Democracy - Softcover
The democratic malaise is upon us, Swift argues, in this introduction to the bittersweet triumph of democracy after the Cold War. Chapters include: strong and weak democracy, democracy in the South, democratizing the economy, eco-democracy, direct democracy, and a conclusion on the "constant horizon" of potential futures.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Author:
"It disturbs me when people say democracy is a sham rather than saying we have a limited amount of democracy and we need more. We must look at the limited democracy that we have and find a way to expand and strengthen it."
Richard Swift
in conversation with Johanna Goering
JOHANNA GOERING: What are the No-Nonsense Guides and why are they important?
RICHARD SWIFT: The No-nonsense Guides came out of the editorial group of the magazine New Internationalist. As popular educators we sought to produce a series of books that took an important issue and addressed it in fairly simple language to sell at a relatively low price. We have published eight books so far covering quite a range of topics including World History, Globalization, and Sexual Diversity.
JG: How are the No-Nonsense Guides different from the Dummies series of books?
RS: The No-Nonsense Guides are written from a more consistent political perspective. They are not "how to" guides but are part of a political project with an edgier point of view supporting an agenda of independent radical thinking from an international perspective.
JG: Why did you choose to write a book about Democracy?
RS: I wanted to do something that I had to struggle with, something that would require a theoretical working through of a political position. To write this book I had to look back at the different strains within the history of democracy, what the limitations on present democracy are and the theory that underpins those limitations, and the theories that liberate democracy and make it more robust.
JG: In the introduction to your book C. Douglas Lummis describes you as a "radical democrat." What does he mean by that?
RS: I write about fostering a direct democracy rather than focusing on democracy solely from an ideological viewpoint. There is a lot more to democracy than being able to cast a ballot for a politician every four years. I am interested in a democracy that reaches all levels of society and roots itself in everyday lives of fishers in India, traders in Kampala, and workers in the Basque region of Spain.
JG: Since the end of the Cold War, democracy has become the dominant political ideology. Do you feel that the proliferations of democratic political systems are simply illusions of democracy rather than the real thing?
RS: It depends on what you mean by real democracy. Many countries have implemented a strong market/weak democracy model of government, which is driven by wealth and economic concerns above all other considerations. This leaves no room for the voice of the common citizenry on any political agenda. If you look at the huge decline in voter turnouts around the world it is easy to see a certain global dissatisfaction with the spread of this kind of democracy.
JG: You write about the importance of "democratic outbreaks" as a means of keeping democratic practice and ideals on the political agenda. Do you see the protests of Seattle and Quebec as effective "outbreaks"?
RS: Yes, absolutely. I was in Quebec in 2001 and it really brought home to me the need to examine what exactly democracy means within our society. The Canadian government slapped up a 40 kilometer fence to protect the politicians who were there to discuss a Free Trade Zone of the Americas and keep away the "unruly public" who were concerned about governments trading away their environmental and social rights. When the demonstrators in Quebec breached the security fence I saw that as a victory for democracy but those in power saw it as a violation of democratic law-and-order.
What the anti-globalization movement needs, however, is a more coherent platform that does not just materialize in reaction to G8 conferences and WTO meetings. To demonstrate in this fashion means that the politicians are always controlling the agenda and the citizenry can only react to what is already being discussed.
JG: Has increasing globalization affected the growth of democracy?
RS: There has been a greater push to implement a strong market/weak democracy model since it is in the best interests of those who are politically active in the world trade arena. But on the positive side, people that would normally be isolated have seen that some notions of d
About the Author:
"It disturbs me when people say democracy is a sham rather than saying we have a limited amount of democracy and we need more. We must look at the limited democracy that we have and find a way to expand and strengthen it."
Richard Swift
in conversation with Johanna Goering
JOHANNA GOERING: What are the No-Nonsense Guides and why are they important?
RICHARD SWIFT: The No-nonsense Guides came out of the editorial group of the magazine New Internationalist. As popular educators we sought to produce a series of books that took an important issue and addressed it in fairly simple language to sell at a relatively low price. We have published eight books so far covering quite a range of topics including World History, Globalization, and Sexual Diversity.
JG: How are the No-Nonsense Guides different from the Dummies series of books?
RS: The No-Nonsense Guides are written from a more consistent political perspective. They are not "how to" guides but are part of a political project with an edgier point of view supporting an agenda of independent radical thinking from an international perspective.
JG: Why did you choose to write a book about Democracy?
RS: I wanted to do something that I had to struggle with, something that would require a theoretical working through of a political position. To write this book I had to look back at the different strains within the history of democracy, what the limitations on present democracy are and the theory that underpins those limitations, and the theories that liberate democracy and make it more robust.
JG: In the introduction to your book C. Douglas Lummis describes you as a "radical democrat." What does he mean by that?
RS: I write about fostering a direct democracy rather than focusing on democracy solely from an ideological viewpoint. There is a lot more to democracy than being able to cast a ballot for a politician every four years. I am interested in a democracy that reaches all levels of society and roots itself in everyday lives of fishers in India, traders in Kampala, and workers in the Basque region of Spain.
JG: Since the end of the Cold War, democracy has become the dominant political ideology. Do you feel that the proliferations of democratic political systems are simply illusions of democracy rather than the real thing?
RS: It depends on what you mean by real democracy. Many countries have implemented a strong market/weak democracy model of government, which is driven by wealth and economic concerns above all other considerations. This leaves no room for the voice of the common citizenry on any political agenda. If you look at the huge decline in voter turnouts around the world it is easy to see a certain global dissatisfaction with the spread of this kind of democracy.
JG: You write about the importance of "democratic outbreaks" as a means of keeping democratic practice and ideals on the political agenda. Do you see the protests of Seattle and Quebec as effective "outbreaks"?
RS: Yes, absolutely. I was in Quebec in 2001 and it really brought home to me the need to examine what exactly democracy means within our society. The Canadian government slapped up a 40 kilometer fence to protect the politicians who were there to discuss a Free Trade Zone of the Americas and keep away the "unruly public" who were concerned about governments trading away their environmental and social rights. When the demonstrators in Quebec breached the security fence I saw that as a victory for democracy but those in power saw it as a violation of democratic law-and-order.
What the anti-globalization movement needs, however, is a more coherent platform that does not just materialize in reaction to G8 conferences and WTO meetings. To demonstrate in this fashion means that the politicians are always controlling the agenda and the citizenry can only react to what is already being discussed.
JG: Has increasing globalization affected the growth of democracy?
RS: There has been a greater push to implement a strong market/weak democracy model since it is in the best interests of those who are politically active in the world trade arena. But on the positive side, people that would normally be isolated have seen that some notions of d
Richard Swift is a long-time Canadian editor of The New Internationalist.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBetween the Lines
- Publication date2002
- ISBN 10 1896357555
- ISBN 13 9781896357553
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages144
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