Democracy: It's Not For Anyone - Greg Craven

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/04/Is_Democracy_Not_For_Everyone

Greg Craven, Vice-Chancellor at the Australian Catholic University, takes a satirical approach in support of the claim that democracy is not for everyone. "Democracy is not for everyone because democracy is not for anyone," he says.

-----

Winston Churchill famously said that democracy was the worst form of government - except for all the others that have been tried. In western countries like Australia the universal good of democracy is simply assumed. But are we assuming too much?

"Democracy Is Not For Everyone" was the challenging proposition debated at the most recent IQ Squared event, held as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Professor Greg Craven is Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University. He is an expert in public law, having published numerous articles and books on the subject.

He is a leading opinion writer and columnist for The Australian Financial Review.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• satire
• satirical
• democracy
• democratic
• reforms
• government
• republic
• representation
• voting
• voters
• votes
• australia
• politics
• joke
• comedy
• criticism
• fora.tv
• foratv
• fora
• tv
• greg
• craven
• australian
• catholic
• university

[Aaberg123]

Direct democracy = majority dictatorship. Read books beyond those of Nozick.

[phicubed]

Its satirical people. Relax. Have a laugh. It's all in good fun.

[wdh1550]

maybe the kid that sokt that gays coke was ower age. democratie is wen the catholics do not rulles the world!

[julianmck]

Idiots! There are no laws except don't harm others and don't mess with contracts. Statutory law is when you are a ward of the state or an employee of the company Australia. Check the Magna Carta for a start. You all don't understand what a strawman is in legalese do you???

[Aaberg123]

Nah, if people would only uphold the constitution, I'd be happy. The religious nutters doesn't seem to understand the words in the 1st amendment, but G.W. Bush didn't seem to understand any of it... at all.

[acr08807]

When you consider the leaders we've elected in the United States since 1920, you have to conclude that it's time to take the vote back away from the women.

[WitchesHallow]

lol, too funny!

[MindCBase]

What a clown.

[liber8me]

actually just so you know there are a lot of people who support different models of direct democracy. you think your ideas are the only ones? there are people who believe in direct democracy for everything, and there are people in believe in direct democracy once in a blue moon when decided something very important.

[mistaspot1]

You're being irrational. Direct democracy is simply when a group of people (however big or small) vote on an initiative or referendum, or when they recall a politician. It doesn't surprise me that I'm talking to someone who doesn't know the first thing about direct democracy. Most people don't. Yet, that doesn't stop them from having an opinion about it. Representative and direct democracy exist alongside each other. It's not a case of one or the other. You can have both. And we *do* have both.

[liber8me]

really? so everyone in america and switzerland votes on all the laws that get passed? that is direct democracy. anything else is representative.

[mistaspot1]

It's been working in Switzerland for 700 years. It's also working in the Republic of the Philippines, and in Uraguay. It's also working in the United States. We have it on the city and state levels already.