On Liberal Democracy – Specifically, the British and Israeli Models

Part I

On Democracy

The concept, the word and its application in the form of its Assembly, are all said to have been Greek. Whatever their origin may have been, the etymology of the noun itself as it is used today is Greek – Demos meaning “the people” and Kratia meaning “power”, “rule”.

The first known democracy was the ancient Greek state of Athens, which developed in the 5th Century BCE, lending weight to the conclusion that the word itself actually originated in Greece.

The Athenian Assembly, the “power house” of Athens, consisted of “citizens” – all of whom were men.

Women, slaves and foreigners were excluded, which policy implying that the latter three categories: women, slaves and foreigners, were counted as neither “Demos” – the people – of the state, nor “Kratia” – its “citizens”, its lawmakers.

Significantly, in terms of the overall picture, the Athenian “citizens” were not elected. They ruled directly. Athens, it should however, be pointed out was a sparsely-populated state.

On Democracy and Britain

In contrast, elections in Britain are considered the sine qua non of democracy by those who laud its system. But the exaggeration of this unique, outstanding characteristic should not obscure the practical necessity of elections in a densely, over-populated state.

Britain’s Parliament, known as “the Mother of all Parliaments”; its many ex-, and existing colonial systems, are all based on the principle of the representation of the people by election of its lawmakers.

All the European states’ political systems are included here; Japan and Taiwan spring to mind as the main non-European countries with models inspired by that of Britain.

A propos its other credentials, up to the 20th Century, the British system excluded women and those whose financial status did not qualify.

Though the British may boast that their system is superior to that of of the much-trumpeted Athenian prototype, the writer begs to differ.

Is King Charles elected? Why, then does the majority of the British public support him? Don’t his supporters realise that their support is “undemocratic” as such and that the British king wields power?

Does the House of Lords consist of elected lawmakers – directly representing the people directly?

The Athenian Assembly’s politicians represented directly the interests of its populace.

And what of Freemasons, external actors such as Russia, China, the EU, media moguls and, of course, not forgetting central and local government bureaucrats?

(The writer, moreover, feels certain that others have been omitted.)

Are they elected? All hold the reins of power to a greater or lesser degree: all, in effect, organised or not, are not elected, and cannot but be described as “states within the state” of Britain.

In part II, the writer will offer a few observations on the present state of Israel’s political system.