The Good State : On the Principles of Democracy
Book Details
Format
Paperback / Softback
ISBN-10
1786079321
ISBN-13
9781786079329
Publisher
Oneworld Publications
Imprint
Oneworld Publications
Country of Manufacture
GB
Country of Publication
GB
Publication Date
Sep 2nd, 2021
Print length
256 Pages
Weight
228 grams
Dimensions
12.80 x 19.80 x 2.40 cms
Product Classification:
Political science & theoryConstitution: government & the statePolitical structures: democracy
Ksh 2,350.00
Werezi Extended Catalogue
Delivery in 14 days
Delivery Location
Delivery fee: Select location
Delivery in 14 days
Secure
Quality
Fast
As democracy shows signs of decay, how do we not only arrest its decline but build something better – a state which is democratic in the fullest sense?
As democracy shows signs of decay, how do we not only arrest its decline but build something better – a state which is democratic in the fullest sense?
The foundations upon which our democracies stand are inherently flawed, vulnerable to corrosion from within. What is the remedy?
A. C. Grayling makes the case for a clear, consistent, principled and written constitution, and sets out the reforms necessary – among them addressing the imbalance of power between government and Parliament, imposing fixed terms for MPs, introducing proportional representation and lowering the voting age to 16 (the age at which you can marry, gamble, join the army and must pay taxes if you work) – to ensure the intentions of such a constitution could not be subverted or ignored. As democracies around the world show signs of decay, the issue of what makes a good state, one that is democratic in the fullest sense of the word, could not be more important.
To take just one example: by the simplest of measures, neither Britain nor the United States can claim to be truly democratic. The most basic tenet of democracy is that no voice be louder than any other. Yet in our ‘first past the post’ electoral systems a voter supporting a losing candidate is unrepresented, his or her voice unequal to one supporting a winning candidate, who frequently does not gain a majority of the votes cast. This is just one of a number of problems, all of them showing that democratic reform is a necessity in our contemporary world.
The foundations upon which our democracies stand are inherently flawed, vulnerable to corrosion from within. What is the remedy?
A. C. Grayling makes the case for a clear, consistent, principled and written constitution, and sets out the reforms necessary – among them addressing the imbalance of power between government and Parliament, imposing fixed terms for MPs, introducing proportional representation and lowering the voting age to 16 (the age at which you can marry, gamble, join the army and must pay taxes if you work) – to ensure the intentions of such a constitution could not be subverted or ignored. As democracies around the world show signs of decay, the issue of what makes a good state, one that is democratic in the fullest sense of the word, could not be more important.
To take just one example: by the simplest of measures, neither Britain nor the United States can claim to be truly democratic. The most basic tenet of democracy is that no voice be louder than any other. Yet in our ‘first past the post’ electoral systems a voter supporting a losing candidate is unrepresented, his or her voice unequal to one supporting a winning candidate, who frequently does not gain a majority of the votes cast. This is just one of a number of problems, all of them showing that democratic reform is a necessity in our contemporary world.
Get The Good State by at the best price and quality guaranteed only at Werezi Africa's largest book ecommerce store. The book was published by Oneworld Publications and it has pages.