Dead-mocracy?

In 1789, a mob of Parisians stormed the BastilleA fortress in Paris used as a prison by France's kings. It was stormed by an armed mob during the French Revolution. and beheaded its governor. In 2013 hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians erupted in anger after their government sought closer relations with Russia. From 2010, millions of people took part in the Arab SpringA series of mass protests across the Arab World against dictatorships that had stood for decades. In Tunisia, the protesters succeeded in creating a democratic government, but many other countries collapsed into civil war or experienced new dictatorships., challenging the region's deep-seated authoritarianEnforcing strict obedience to authority. regimes.

Yesterday's strikes may be less historic, but they were significant. Wednesday marked Britain's biggest day of industrial action in over 10 years, with teachers, public transport drivers, university lecturers, civil servants and more all walking out of work.

The strikes have been called the "symptom of a sick society". In Paris, Kyiv and across the Arab World, history's protestors lit a flame to topple authoritarianism and move towards liberal democracy. But now, many of the West's modern democratic paragonsPerfect examples of a good quality. are in crisis.

"Never assume the stability of a civilised democratic order," advises Martin Wolf. He is one of the world's most prominent economic thinkers, and an advocateTo publicly recommend or support a particular cause.  for democratic capitalismA form of economy characterised by private property and competition between companies..

Wolf describes market capitalism and democracy as complementary. Where market capitalism places some above others as a reward for merit, democracy should ensure the equality of every citizen in making laws and participating in free debate.

They should both ensure that power - political and economic - is distributed throughout society.

But democracy and capitalism are now both controversial issues.¹ Wolf thinks this is a result of economic instability and rising inequality, which make people lose faith in established systems.

"If the economy fails to serve the interests of the majority, the sense of shared citizenship will fray and demagoguesA leader who takes power by whipping up the people against the elites, usually in a cynical and self-serving way. will emerge," Wolf summarises. Capitalism's failures are behind modern democracy's troubles.

What is to be done? Wolf suggests some unconventional reforms to protect democracy. One is citizens' juries, which were used successfully in Ireland in 2016.²

He also suggests solutions to the "short-termism" of voting, suggesting either that mothers are given a vote for their infant children, or that voters are awarded votes according to their age, with younger people carrying up to five times more voting power than their grandparents.

Yes: We need to scrap democratic capitalism altogether. Fair and equal democracies are not compatible with the volatile highs and lows of capitalism, and it is clear that democracies are not doing their job of stopping economic power from becoming too concentrated.

No: It is taking it too far to call these strikes symptoms of a "sickness". They are one small issue which would be easily solved by just boosting workers' wages.

Or... We do not need to scrap it, but we should take Wolf's suggestions of reform very seriously. Strategies such as citizens' juries or giving younger people more representation in our voting system could be game-changing.