The strength of representative democracy is its ability to slow down those in power who wish to govern by blank cheque, but also those not in power who wish to yank the state about on the sole basis of their self-interest.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Representative democracy slows down rapid or self-serving moves by both rulers and citizens.
- In plain terms
- Democracy works best when it prevents quick decisions driven only by personal interest.
- What can you take from it?
- Checks and balances protect society from hasty power grabs.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is slowing power beneficial versus harmful?
- How do we balance speed and caution in democracy?
Another view
Slowing down can also prevent necessary reforms.
More from John Ralston Saul
This is a citizenry which is annoyed, confused, insulted, and uncertain of how to protect the structures of the public good they struggled so long to put in pl…
Permalink to quote #62 There are two fairly standard approaches to political power used by those who seek it. Some seek power with the assumption that the citizenry are the source of…
Permalink to quote #64 A referendum is little more than a 'rumour of choice.' The idea behind the mechanism, ever since its first modern manifestations two centuries ago under Napole…
Permalink to quote #61
Related quotes
The most effective way to restrict democracy is to transfer decision-making from the public arena to unaccountable institutions: kings and princes, priestly ca…
Noam ChomskyNoam Chomsky quote #9 Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government, which sooner or later becomes autocratic government.
William Lyon Mackenzie KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King quote #6 Television has made dictatorship impossible but democracy unbearable.
Shimon PeresShimon Peres quote #13