Values Over Policies
The Preamble to the US Declaration of Independence starts, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident.’ It goes on to list the values which the Founding Fathers believed a nation should be built on, including the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. Also, by inference at least, there was a rejection of ‘despotism’- which would negate those rights. They also believed that all men were created equal although, you would have to argue from a 21st Century perspective that they didn’t apply this in practice – and they forgot women.
According to this paradigm, the duty of government – of whatever political hue - was to make laws and implement policies which would enhance what we would now call ‘human rights’. Different governments would naturally have different ideas on how to do this – but their legitimacy depended on their intention of doing so. It was essential to put these values before their own self-interest. An incompetent government might cause disillusionment with democracy but probably not to the extent that a corrupt or self-seeking government would.
Now, two and a half centuries later, many people have become disillusioned with democracy.
YOUTH DISILLUSIONMENT
This is according to a report called “Youth and Satisfaction with Democracy” from the Centre for the Future of Democracy at the University of Cambridge, which finds that in almost every global region satisfaction with democracy is in steepest decline among 18- to 34-year-olds. The lead author, Dr Robert Foa, writes, “This is the first generation in living memory to have a global majority who are dissatisfied with the way democracy works while in their twenties and thirties.”
The study analysed a global, novel data set combining 25 data sources, 3,500 country surveys, and 4 million respondents between 1973 and 2020. One of its key findings was widespread democratic disillusionment, in particular in “developed democracies.” One of the major factors among young people was “economic exclusion.”
The implication of this study, I would suggest, is that those of us who believe in democracy need to do two things. First, we need to give more economic opportunities to young people, even where it may involve pain for those of us who are older. Second, we need to encourage leadership qualities, especially integrity, in those who aspire to seek public positions within our democracies.
On the first point, as we celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the ending of the European phase of the Second World War, it is worth recalling that our parents’ and grandparents’ generation made tremendous sacrifices to save us from fascism. Many literally gave up their todays for the sake of our tomorrows. Does our debt to them not demand that we, too, be ready to sacrifice in order to keep freedom alive for the next generation?
THE RIGHT LEADERS
How we develop leaders of quality is a challenging question which merits the attention of everyone who believes in democracy. Perhaps readers of We Are One Humanity will come up with some helpful suggestions.
My own belief, for what it’s worth, is that education has a major role to play in this. Education need not be limited to formal settings – family, community and sports associations all have a role to play, particularly with younger people.
Formal education should include the accurate, insofar as possible, teaching of history. For without knowing our own story we can all too easily repeat the mistakes of the past. Those of us who are British, for example, rightly take pride in our democratic traditions and our struggles against tyranny. But do we learn in school that while our Empire brought us great wealth, it was often a disaster for those whom we ruled? We drew lines on maps that divided peoples and we exploited the natural resources of the lands we ruled. We did eventually give back freedom to many countries but we often left them with the form of democracy without the training and resources to make it work – sometimes leaving long-suppressed tensions unresolved. No British person can write authentically about democracy without awareness of our failures as well as our successes.
In terms of leadership skills specifically, academic education has a role but theory needs to be accompanied by practice. Having the right role models is important. We can learn about historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, William Wilberforce or Nelson Mandela. But seeing living people who practice unselfish leadership is even more convincing. We need more politicians who will not abandon their principles no matter what the inducements – promotion, popularity, or lucre. And politicians who think long-term and beyond sectional interests. How rare it is to hear a politician own up to wrong-doing; and how refreshing it is when they do so. One example that springs to mind is the apology which the Australian Prime Kevin Rudd made to the Aboriginal people of Australia in 2008 on behalf of his Government. This was for the so-called ‘Stolen Generations’ when indigenous people were forcibly removed from their families.
IMAGINATION AND COURAGE
Having honourable leaders is necessary but not sufficient. No democracy will function properly without a citizenry who reckon to practice democratic values and take responsibility for those around them. ‘People get the governments they deserve,’ it is said. And it is clear that a country full of people who tell lies, avoid taxes, defraud others are not going to find yet alone elect honest candidates for political office. Neither will a self-centred, hedonistic generation find candidates who work for the good of all without fear or favour.
The British war-time leader, Sir Winston Churchill, famously quoted the saying that democracy was the worst form of government, except for all the others. If young people really believe that some form of coercive government is needed, it is time for those who believe in democracy to re-evaluate why we hold that belief – and work hard, with imagination and courage, to demonstrate its validity to citizens of all ages.
