Warwick MacFadyen gives seven reasons for loving democracy, two of which took my fancy.
1. (Democracy) turns self-delusion into self-parody, which is always good for a laugh. Recently a candidate for the seat in which I live was pictured in a local paper. She was attending the announcement that her party would build speed humps on a road in the town centre. How good is that? Not only would there be said humps, there’d be more kerb and guttering and more road signs. Her opponent has also attended many announcements.
Announcements have involved large and small animals, large and small children, netball courts, soccer grounds, kindergartens, schools, community groups and flagpoles. I confess I’m not too sure about the flagpoles, but if there hasn’t been an announcement involving flagpoles, there should be. Of course, attendance at announcements has been happening across the state.
These events are undertaken in the mistaken belief that showing your face where it’s never been shown before is a plus to the electorate. Laugh? We almost cried.
2. The second is a series of quotes from H.L.Mencken:
“I enjoy democracy immensely. It is incomparably idiotic, and hence incomparably amusing.”
“The mob man, functioning as citizen, gets a feeling that he is really important to the world – that he is genuinely running things.”
“Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.”
“Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.”
Enjoy the last week of Victoria’s election campaigning, get ready for that ‘advance auction sale of stolen goods’.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/seven-reasons-to-love-democracy-20141120-11qjix.html#ixzz3JsqIZA4Y