“One of the oldest rubs against
democracy is that ordinary people aren’t up to the job. And the
friends of populism aren’t helping the cause. They’re lining up
to throw democracy under the bus in the name of, well, more
democracy. The result will surely be less, not more.”
He goes on to point out that its not so
much the recent decisions by newly the elected Ontario Premier but
the process that got short circuited in making them is the most
troubling.
“Take Doug Ford’s decision to
intervene in the City of Toronto’s election. It’s a textbook
example of how contemporary populism sacrifices the essentials of
democracy for shallow, short-term gains. Ford’s view that a smaller
City Council will result in better governance is not the problem.
That’s a fair subject for debate. Derailing the Toronto election is
the show-stopper. This sure looks like an abuse of power.”
Indeed given that the provincial
government does have the right to make such decisions (questionable
that it might be) that legislation to enact a drastic reduction in
the number of councilors representing the citizens of Toronto being
introduced and passed in just a couple of weeks with little or no
'consultation' is clearly undemocratic.
“Ford justifies this one by
saying that no one has ever asked him for more politicians. In fact,
this is just the kind of thinking that gives democracy a bad name.
Process is there to guard against abuses of power, yet populists want
to discard it the moment it gets in the way of a good idea.”
(not that this is necessarily so good)
Populist leaders generally claim to
represent the unified "will of the people". He stands in
opposition to an enemy, often embodied by the current system - aiming
to "drain the swamp" or tackle the "liberal elite".
Whilst not limited to 'right wing' regimes such governments seem to
strongly fit that mold.
“Over the years, we’ve seen tons
of examples of populist governments around the world. All too often,
the effects are exactly the reverse of what people like Wente claim.
Far from enhancing democracy or “results,” they simply weaken
accountability and centralize power........ Donald Trump is the
exemplar of this kind of politics. Less than two years into office,
his MO is clear. He is intent on divesting his office of as much
accountability as he can, while centralizing decision-making as far
as possible – all in the name of Making American Great Again “.
In his book The Global Rise of
Populism, Dr Moffitt argues that there are other traits associated
with the typical populist leader. One is "bad manners", or
behaving in a way that's not typical of politicians - a tactic
employed by President Trump and the Philippines' President Duterte.
The other, he says, is "perpetuating a state of crisis" -
and always seeming to be on the offensive, they also tend to dislike
the "complicated democratic systems" of modern government
which ties in to its links to authoritarianism, - a lack of trust in
the established system gives rise to "strongman" leaders.
(That certainly seems to fit with where Mr Ford seems to be headed)
“(Mr Lenihan is) not denying that
there are too many rules in government or that “bureaucracy”
sucks. We’ve all been tied up in red tape and cutting lots of it
out of the system may be liberating. But concentrating power in the
leader so that he/she can “get things done” is the wrong way.
There are no short cuts to better
democracy, and anyone selling this one is peddling snake oil. The
true friends of democracy are willing to do the hard work of weeding
out bad rules and finding and testing new solutions.”
I can only add that the recent actions
by Mr Ford and what appears to be a caucus of willing yes men and
women scares the H out of me in both the proposals tabled and the
speed of legislation passed. It seems to me that 'due process' is not
a phrase that our new government here on Ontario recognizes and if it can happen to Toronto it can happen to ANY municipality in Ontario..
