I can't speak for all non Brits, of course, but for me interest (apart from general curiosity) is in whether we do have a shining example of Democracy or not. Believe it or not, this is quite practical a question: it would be nice to be able to tell a supporter of the current ruling party in Russia: "See? This is how it's done!"
What I see time and time again is not encouraging though, to say the least. Establishment's control of the public in the West is almost as tight as in Russia -- it's just so much subtler, up to the point of being unnoticed by the majority.
But there's a huge, basic difference: in the UK, at least, you can vote various parties in and out, and that's how it's been for ages.
Part of the responsibility of an elected government - no, all of it, it to assume responsibility on behalf of the voters. It's impossible for sixty million voices to speak in unison or coherently at the same time: the noise would not only be deafening, but bedlam. So the government is supposed to act on the voters' behalf, making the calls, all in the best interests of the population
as a whole.
And there the rub: that population is not a homogeneous whole. There are infinitely varying levels of ability, aspiration, education, realistic possibilites and hope. This will ever be so because people are not created equal, despite the dreamer's dreams. I lag way behind what some of my classmates achieved; I had not their interests nor they mine; some became lawyers, some architects, doctors, think of a classy number and they got there. I became a snapper, because that's where my ability and desire lay. You can't blame birth, education or anything much else: it all boils down to the individual and how he/she thinks or does not think. Period.
Now, back to governmental responsibility: those people are supposed to take the right actions on our behalf; putting out a major decision to referendum is crazy, and a betrayal of duty: government should make those decisions because it's there, at the bloody coalface, knows the players, and the circumstances. We, the general public, do not. All we know is the spin, half-truths and downright lies that vested interests trying to unseat government (so they can move in) feed us.
In this instance, the outers fed the fears of foreign competiton in the workplace, of a zillion Turks swimming into the south of England with a jihadist under each arm. Those wise men with the buses decorated with images of marching refugees were glib with tales of an additional 350 million pounds being regularly poured into the sacred British cow of National Health, which would be nice were it true or even possible, but turned out to be the first 'fact' about which they then went on to say whoops! that was a mistake! No 350 million quid, sorry! But hey, you've just voted yourselves a new holiday: Independence Day! Rejoice, brothers, we've got our country back, so that's all right!
And people believed them, in their millions. Which is why despite all the bleats to the contrary, you can't trust the great unwashed to know what's right: they simply have not the information. I would far rather fly with an expert who
might make a mistake than with a guy who hasn't the slightest idea what gives.
