Borgerinitiativet Direkte Demokrati – Democracy Direct

There is an increasingly loud creak from the democratic machinery

PETER LAURITSEN
Professor in Information Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
In Denmark, we are happy with our democracy, and most people cannot imagine that one day we will no longer have it. But maybe it was time we woke up. Because even though the support is great, and we undoubtedly live in one of the most free and equal countries in the world, there is an increasingly loud creak from the democratic machinery.
Just take the election campaign that has just ended, which should be a democratic highlight. It should be here that we all put aside our everyday pursuits for a bit and spend time listening and debating to find out who can best represent us in shaping our common future.
And yes, most people end up voting, but the way there is very far from the well-known Hal Koch’s description of democracy as conversation. Across differences and disagreements, we must engage in dialogue, where we respectfully and exploratoryly try to understand each other. But let’s just be honest: That’s not what happened.
As soon as the starting gun for the election campaign sounded, the politicians took to the streets and alleys and into the media amid violent commotion and deafening noise. The parties spent millions on advertising on social media, as if we were not citizens, but political consumers to fake a good offer.
On the Internet you could read lightning analyses, which were perhaps called that because they were thought up so quickly that they were not thought through at all. And DR went all out and broadcast “Democracy’s Evening”, which most of all consisted of a large number of politicians who spoke in short soundbites and preferred to interrupt each other.
In my circle of friends, the picture was clear: people couldn’t take it. They got tired of the bombardment, tired of politicians arguing, tired of having politics presented in such small, smooth chunks that there was nothing to chew on at all. And then they rushed to vote by mail, yes, some even went on vacation, and then they didn’t have to engage in it anymore.
And if it was just the election campaign… But the fatigue is more widespread and can also be seen in everyday politics. In politics, a spectator is the lowest a person can be, said democracy campaigner Viggo Hørup more than 100 years ago, but spectators are exactly what most of us have become. We look at politicians walking around closely followed by journalists with cameras and microphones, as if it were a performance we had bought a ticket for. However, we do not want to be part of the circus.
Therefore, it is only around 3 per cent. of voters who are members of a party, which after all means that the vast majority renounce the possibility of influencing the party’s position from within and the possibility of deciding who stands for election. At the same time, politicians are consistently at the bottom of the lists of the most trustworthy professional groups – together with journalists.
Of course, it shouldn’t be like that. Politics shouldn’t scare people away, and it shouldn’t be something they feel led at all. On the contrary, everyone must have the desire and the opportunity to be part of the discussions that are decisive for our common future.
So here is the challenge we face: We must restart democracy so that many more will want to listen, debate and get involved. As citizens, we must not be spectators to politics, but active participants in the democratic conversation. And in a well-developed and genuine democracy, this applies both to everyday life and to elections.