What is Democracy?

In Wales we still experimenting with democracy, and in the recent National Assembly elections our version of democracy has produced an uncertain result. Can we say that the views of everybody are represented?

Somebody said : “ Democracy is the rule of the majority, for the majority, by the majority… but who wants to be ruled by the majority?”

If you are one of the majority…..maybe there is no problem for you. But what about if you are one of the minority, possibly one of those who lost the election?

We have had autocracy, theocracy, oligarchy and democracy, at various times and in various places.

Is democracy the answer to equitable and ethical government? The President of the United States would say so, and he would like to impose American-style democracy on every nation in the world, as a cure for the world’s political ills. Indonesia claimed to be democratic under Suharto, and the government chose and approved the opposition candidates. The Philippines is ruled by an elitist oligarchy, intent on staying in power, yet it is vaunted as a democracy. Democracy comes in a number of guises.

The Democrats in America were in the minority – just, but the country is still dominated by the majority – the Republicans. In fact it remains split down the middle. Many have diametrically opposing views, but only one side calls the shots. Can any country be democratic if the majority party is elected, and the minority is not also in power? Is this truly democratic? In a multi-party ‘democracy’, the majority party may be in power by gaining only one third of the votes, as in Wales today. It would seem that any opposition to or criticism of American policy (the policy of the majority) is considered unpatriotic. This harks back to McCarthyism, and even now in some quarters "liberal" is considered a dirty word.

It took 400 years for democracy to evolve in the United Kingdom, and we have observed that true democracy does not exist without all the people being represented. Three candidates stand for election to a constituency, one wins, and the votes cast for the others are discounted. Can this be in any sense truly democratic?

Democracy is claimed to be the best form of government we have, but is it suited to every nation and every circumstance? Can it work in a country which has had no tradition of democracy? A country benefits from the quality of its leadership, not necessarily from its form of government. An example of this is Singapore under Lee Kwan Yew.

An answer might be a gerontocracy - a Council of Elders, perhaps, where the nation is guided by a group of wise men and woman who are chosen for their altruistic service and integrity.These people may be chosen by a consensus of the people. Do you feel that you are truly represented, and do you agree with what is being done in your name? If you do, you are obviously part of the majority. If not, what?

The Road to Freedom

The road to freedom is long and winding. Sometimes it doubles back on itself but when guided by common sense and purpose it leads forward towards the re-establishment of a nation of people bound by a common culture and heritage, with its language and many of its traditions intact. Throughout the history of the last millenium there has been a relatively successful policy of 'divide and rule' followed by successive rulers of the British Isles. Those who have dared to oppose or flaunt the power of the state, and formerly the kings and queens, have been dragged along in chains, imprisoned, tortured and executed, and their lands seized and expropriated. We can recall Caradog, William Wallace, Prince Llywelyn, Padraig Pearce and others, whose names are still remembered by those with an insight into injustice and a concern for human rights and dignity.

Now, at the beginning of the new millenium, we sense that change is in the air, and that the down-trodden Celtic nations of the British Isles are experiencing an awakening and a resurgence. The visions of Saunders Lewis and Gwynfor Evans are about to be realised in the land they loved and cherished. The community of Wales is turning away from the socialist and bureaucratic policies of traditional, and particularly 'new' Labour, and sees in Plaid a party that selflessly espouses the real and pressing needs of the people of Wales. The Party of Wales is the only democratic and truly radical alternative to the political clones from over the border.
But we must not discount the shades of political opinion which range throughout the country, from the so-called right to the so-called left. Plaid must represent and embrace, and absorb, them all.

In my view, there is no reason why the Green Party, or even the Liberal and Conservative parties in Wales should not join in the push for independence. It does not have to be one party's prerogative. They may be persuaded or convinced to accept a move towards independence as it does not threaten their survival, but only the survival of the Union. If they could accept the breakup of the Union, and the formation of four nation-states within Europe, the aim of independence will be realised, and Plaid's mission accomplished. All roads lead to Rome.

Alan in Dyfed.
Porth Tywyn