Democracy Under Siege
Frank FurediSince that night in Amsterdam I have frequently encountered the claim that democracy is a means to an end rather than an important value in and of itself. The prevalence of such sentiments is not surprising since in the current era, the normative foundation for democracy is shallow and, as I argue, there is little cultural valuation for this outlook. Scaremongering about the threat of ‘too much democracy’ is widespread and those who wish democracy further are condemned as populists. Since June 2016, when the British electorate voted for Brexit, opponents of this decision often resort to a language of panic when they discuss democracy.
Democracy Panic regards populism as a disease that can infect the body politic. ‘I think what we have at the moment is a populist virus,’ complains former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spin doctor, Alastair Campbell. According to a professor of politics, populism is a ‘recurrent autoimmune disease of democracy’. During the coronavirus epidemic, some speculated that this was a ‘virus that could kill populism or make it stronger’. One Wall Street Journal commentator asked, ‘Will coronavirus kill populism?:.
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