In a previous blog I commented that everyone thinks democracy is a good thing and their version is the best, but almost all of them espouse one or more of the following beliefs which are incompatible with anything I would call democracy. Please add a comment if you think I’ve you think I’ve left anything out.

Don’t talk to me about Democracy if you agree you believe any of the following are OK.

You invade a foreign country to replace a native dictator with another dictator of your choosing.

You use the power of the almighty dollar to influence the internal affairs of another country, or are so spineless and sycophantic as to succumb to such influence. You answer to a foreign power, or someone who can buy influence, instead of those who elect you.

You make political decisions without input from those most affected, whether on a domestic and international level although they may overlap. Domestically it means that elderly or disabled people should not have decisions made about them without them having a meaningful say in the matter. Internationally the same applies to black and indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ+

You regard some people as being inherently inferior by virtue of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental incapacity, wealth – there is no virtue in possessing great wealth built on someone else’s labour.

Billionaires and corporations have an inordinate amount of influence compared to the Many because they create more wealth for all. This is most blatant in the USA but a sizeable donation to a political party in the UK can buy a seat for the life in the House of Lords.

The only way I see of replacing the House of Lords with a democratically elected House of the Nations and Regions is to pack it with as many Peers as possible who are willing to vote for its abolition. There are a few but not enough.

You proscribe direct action against genocide as terrorism while condoning, if not encouraging, terrorist activities by IDF, ICE and Met Police.

You silence, or co-opt, everyone who stands up for their right to free speech – which doesn’t mean what ‘free speech’ advocates think it means. We’re all free to say what we like, not what someone else likes. Nobody is obliged to listen but nobody has the right to prevent another from hearing what we have to say. The only reason freedom of speech should be curtailed is if it invades someone’s privacy or incites violence.

You weaponise language by interpreting words and phrases to mean whatever suits your purpose, regardless of how other people understand them. Truth has an objective meaning which does not depend on the number of people who believe it or how often it is repeated.

You attempt to pervert the course of justice, internationally and domestically, by threatening judges, replacing them with others who are more compliant, suppressing evidence, and my restricting trial by jury. Citizens are morally obliged to disobey a law they believe to be unjust, with the understanding that they risk imprisonment for their belief. Politicians responsible for passing a law cannot claim that it doesn’t apply to them, if they choose to defy it they put themselves in the same position as any other citizen who acts according to their conscience. There can be no double standards, if you vote to pass a bill you have an even greater obligation to abide by it.