Philosopher Slavoj Žižek and former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange discuss Europe’s future. With the recent economic crisis in Greece, unprecedented challenges to centralised European policy, and the lack of consensus on the ongoing refugee crisis, many would agree that Europe faces […]
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Question (4/7): Another argument against direct democracy is that wealthy lobbying groups can “buy” a positive referendum result with the use of advertisements, TV time etc. Is this true? Do you have any relevant examples from Switzerland? What kind of measures have you employed in Switzerland to […]
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Question (3/7): One of the most commonly used counterarguments in Greece against referendums [especially, the purest form of it, the referendums triggered by the people] and citizens’ initiatives is that the people are not “educated” and “mature” to properly vote in favor of the “right” option. It […]
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Question (2/7): What is the current situation in Finland regarding Direct Democracy? Does the political system allow the participation of citizens in the decision making process [besides parliamentary elections] and, if yes, how? What is the opinion of the Finns about direct democracy? Do they have similar […]
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Question (1/7): You used the term ‘real democracy’ to describe direct democracy. Could you please briefly summarize the main characteristics of direct democracy that make it a real democratic system compared to other forms of democracy like pure representative parliamentarism – according to your opinion? Answer: Democracy […]
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