Features of Liberal-Democratic Government
- Any interference with the freedom of the individual to live as he or she chooses requires to be justified, if it can be, by reference to a system of values drawn from that primary recognition of individual freedom.
- Individuals and groups have the capacity, by their actions, to take away the liberty of others. Therefore there has to be a system of law and institutions which protect individual freedom. Anarchy cannot protect freedom. Democracy is the best known means of achieving that protection through collective institutions, but if it produces simply the tyranny of the majority it is not Liberal Democracy.
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Constitutional protection of minority rights and barriers to the oppressive use of majority power are essential elements of Liberal Democracy, which is the antithesis of the socialist concept of democratic centralism. In many cases the lowest possible level for a decision is the level of the individual, and what is sought is to keep decision-making at that level if possible. Where that is not possible, if a decision can be taken at the level of a small local community, it should be taken there, rather than at national or supra-national level.
- Equally; because some decisions have to be taken at the national, European or global level in order to be effective – for example in safeguarding peace, assuring human rights or protecting the environment – there need to be democratic institutions capable of taking decisions at that level.
- The freedom of the individual is, however, limited or non-existent if he or she is prevented by economic deprivation, lack of education, disadvantage or discrimination from exercising choices about how to live or from participating in the democratic process. It is part of a liberal society that institutions, whether state, voluntary, co-operative or private should have the capacity to meet these needs while being themselves governed by rules which prevent them from becoming oppressive.
- Principles of freedom of access are central to the economic as well as the political sphere; free markets are a part of liberalism because they represent the extension of the concept of freedom into trade. They are also, in many proven respects, effective, but freedom in the market place is neither automatically self-sustained nor sufficient to provide for all those things which a liberal society should have: institutions are required which keep markets free and prevent monopoly. Other mechanisms are needed to ensure that individuals have access to the things which markets are unable to provide.
- Freedoms of present and future generations will be destroyed if we destroy or seriously damage key elements of our environment: sustainability is a freedom issue. Without sustainability we deny choice to future generations. Without respect for the environment we damage freedom today with problems such as flooding, or threats to health and livelihoods from pollution or food crises.
- Human rights are universal: the autonomy of the nation state does not take precedence over the human rights of its citizens therefore there are circumstances in which the international community can be justified in intervening, for example, to prevent genocide or to prevent the overthrow of democratic government by violent means.
- Liberalism is not confined to a system for prevention of the abuse of power or the destruction of individual freedom, and those who believe in it seek not only the establishment and maintenance of that system but also a better society, in which a high quality of life is available and people recognise their responsibilities towards one another – a good society. A concern about the danger of accumulated power does not require a narrow, pessimistic or minimalist view of society. Creating a society which is liberal is part of the contest of ideas within society: liberal democracy is a system which allows people to live together in freedom and peace whether or not they share the same ideas.
- Social and economic inequalities are a key issue in debates on political principles. When equality is pursued as a goal, it also tends to lead to the belief that the central state has the power to achieve it and must be trusted to do so, whatever the cost in liberty. Many of the most repressive regimes of the twentieth century amassed state power claiming that it was necessary to promote equality.
- Rights and freedoms conflict with each other. The right to free speech can conflict with the right of minorities or even majorities not to be the subject of campaigns to stir up hatred. Religious freedom can be in conflict with a desire to protect young people from oppressive pressures to conform to particular life styles, whether by extreme cults or by traditions such as arranged marriages if they become forced marriages. Taxation restricts the rights of those who believe that they should not be paying towards things to which they are deeply morally opposed, such as military expenditure or abortion.
- Liberalism as a philosophy provides no automatic answer to these conflicts of rights: indeed, its belief in democratic and constitutional procedures recognises their existence and provides mechanisms for their resolution. What it insists upon is the recognition that such issues have to be examined in terms of rights, and resolved by balancing rights, not by merely asserting preferences or prejudices.
From these twelve points we can clearly see the supposed benefits of liberal democracy. Whilst it can be easy to see British society as failing in a number of ways, there are many reasons to be positive. Before analysing the negative side of the balance sheet, it is worth remembering some of the good things. The UK is vastly richer now than it was in 1950. People can realise goals that could have been no more than dreams a half century ago. Many enjoy foreign holidays, warmer houses, and longer life expectancy than ever before, as economic freedom grows ever larger. The last fifty years have also seen a rise in female economic emancipation, to match the political emancipation before the war. Women engage in more paid work, there has been a rise in the acceptability of different household forms, and the tax system now treats women equally to men. That rise in economic emancipation has a parallel in social emancipation, with a decline in sexist attitudes to the role of women in society. The benefits of having people of other nationalities and ethnicities in our society are beginning to be better recognised. A change in national consciousness has gone some way towards pushing overt racism to the margins, although it is still a dangerous force.
In analysing the drawbacks with democratic government we must consider some factors. A major source of division relates to the socio-economic background from which people come. This is one of the major factors determining their life chances. In general, children who are born into more affluent homes do better at school and even receive a better education than those who are born into deprived homes. This serves to exacerbate the cycle of social exclusion. There are fewer GPs per head of the population in the most deprived areas of the country than there are in more affluent areas. In addition, these areas are characterised by poor access to information technology, and financial and legal services, while environmental problems such as pollution tend to be worse in economically poorer areas. The freedom of lesbian, gay and bisexual people has been greatly enhanced in recent decades as legal and social hostility has shifted at least towards tolerance, although clear inequalities remain, including explicit legal discrimination. The lack of legal protection from being sacked purely on grounds of sexual orientation makes many extremely vulnerable.
Finally, to conclude. It’s about freedom, that maximising personal freedom is fundamental to a liberal society. This means a commitment to civil rights, supporting fundamental civil rights to protect people from discrimination and abuses of power, and to safeguard freedom of speech and assembly.
Bibliography
Democracy
The Oxford Companion to Politics
D. Held
Leadership Styles
Between Ourselves 2nd Edition
Graham Burton & Richard Dimbleby
Page 218: 4
The Evolution of Democratic Theory
Political Ideologies 3rd Edition
Leon P. Baradat
Page 64: 10
