It could be a discarded Game of Thrones script: a handful of plucky northern rebels holding out against the government. But the King in the North in this telling is not Robb Stark but Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham; and his blonde opponent is not Joffrey Baratheon but Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

For the last ten days, the UK government has been trying to impose a Tier 3The strictest Covid restrictions that can be imposed in England. Under a Tier 3 lockdown, all pubs and bars must close, wedding receptions are banned and people may not meet others from outside their household, even outdoors. lockdown on Manchester and other northern cities. Burnham had been calling for more funding to survive the lockdown. But yesterday Downing Street overruled him, imposing the lockdown against his will - and offering only a third of the requested budget.

Central government and local administration in England have historically often clashed. Once, parishesAn old unit of local government in England, Scotland and Wales. It was religious in origin: each parish was centred on a church. However, each parish also had its own council, with a number of civil functions. were responsible for many state functions, including welfare, but in 1834 the central state took over these. The dispute between Burnham and Johnson can be seen as a continuation of this history.

Yet Britain is not the only country witnessing central crackdowns on local democracy. In 2012, the Kurds of northern Syria created a decentralised, grassroots, independent democracy called Rojava. Last year Turkey invaded and crushed Rojava.

Many experts are not surprised that a new survey has discovered millennials all over the world are losing faith in democratic systems. The survey found that just 48% of those born between 1981 and 1996 say they are satisfied with democracy.

The most significant reason for disillusionment is inequality of wealth. Millennials are the first generation in modern history to be poorer than their parents.

Democracy is historically closely linked with meritocracyThe idea that status comes from talent or ability, not privilege or social class. Sandel argues that many voters feel "humiliated by meritocracy and this entire political project".. Yet wealth inequality, poor employment prospects and the difficulty of getting on the housing ladder have persuaded many millennials in the UK that success has less to do with hard work and more with your background and connections.

The last few years have also seen a number of high-profile democratic failures. In 2015, the European Union forced Greece to accept a humiliating bailoutGiving money to a struggling organisation to stop it from collapsing.  deal, even though Greeks had voted overwhelmingly against it in a referendumA direct vote by the population of a country on a particular law or issue..

Scotland and Northern Ireland had to leave the EU against their will thanks to votes in England and Wales. Donald Trump became president of the US despite losing the popular vote by 2.3 million votes. Many young people have come to feel that their votes mean nothing.

Some argue that democracy is irrelevant because the power of the nation state has waned. When corporations aren multinationalDescribes a company or group of companies having operations in several different countries, usually taking advantage of their varying tax and regulation regimes., democratic states cannot tax and regulate them. States are unable to provide young people with the same standard of living that they could afford for older generations.

But others think that it is too soon to give up on democracy. They argue that no other system has ever delivered such stability, freedom and prosperity. Young people simply have to be persuaded of its advantages.

Yes, say some. In TunisiaA North African state that in December 2010 rose up against its dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, triggering a series of rebellions across the Arab world., for example, the freedoms that the people created in 2011 still stand, while in Hong Kong, crowds defy the Chinese police state to defend their rights. Democracy can survive if people fight for it.

Not at all, say others. Democracy has historically proven very fragile, especially in times of economic stress and natural disaster. Systems of government legitimise themselves by providing a decent standard of living; if democracy is unable to do so because of the rise of global corporations, then it will collapse.