The Dog of Democracy.

Am I alone in thinking that democracy in it's present form has had it's day?

Here in Scotland we are in the midst of local council elections. I am inundated by leaflets by candidates all promising to work hard to increase jobs and services, to make everyone's life better etc. No one has the honesty to say the limit of money that can be raised by taxes or borrowing was reached years ago and therefore we cannot promise a better standard of living.

The French election is producing a backlash from voters who feel betrayed by the promises made but depressingly only seem to be prepared to elect another president who is making unattainable promises.

Democratically elected governments have for years been promising more and more to get elected and then in trying to meet the expectations raised by spending more and more borrowed money. Now it is no longer possible to kick that can further down the road. Certainly banks were culpable in this crisis but governments connived in the recklessness as long as the tax on bank profits kept coming in.

We got the governments we deserved, they appealed to our greed and we too turned a blind eye, voting for the promises. Would we have elected governments promising reality as an alternative? I don't think so. We also have to ask the question; have we failed democracy? It is, in a way a reflection on us, the electorate, if politicians have to make unrealistic promises if that is the only way they will get elected!

So this has proved to be the fundamental flaw in modern democracy. It does seem to be approaching a death spiral ( at least in Europe ) and one can only hope it doesn't lead to a resurgence of totalitarianism of the right or left.

Does anyone have a solution ? I suppose the first step has to be a recognition that democracy as we know it has failed.