The philosophy of Direct Democracy -why we need it in order to democratize

Democracy and what has been achieved so far in Europe

Contribution to the seminar « participacion ciudadana y democracia » of the gobierno vasco

by Andreas Gross (Switzerland)Directeur de l’Atelier pour la Democratie Directe à St.Ursanne /CH Political Scientist, Swiss MP & Leader of the Socialists in the PACE

Bilbao, 21st of January 2009

www.andigross.ch info@andigross.ch

Structure of my presentation on Direct Democracy (DD):

I. 5 keystones of the philosophy II. 5 central elements of a good designIII. The most important effects (New

political culture)IV.Still a European and global exceptionV. Why DD is so important to overcome

the crises of Democracy

1. Democracy is a ongoing, never ending process.

- No Democracy is perfect, every Democracy is unfinished - The process of democracy has always a beginning, but never a end:It started in town, went on to regions, states...It started in Assemblys, went on to Representation, does not have to end here...

2. Citizens are subjects, not objects of Democracy

- “Empowerment” turns the problem upside down: Those who have it, should get it back, should be able to keep more of it.- The idea of Democracy is to enable freedom: More than a choice, not possible to consume- The idea of Freedom: Life is not a destiny, we should be able to organize it as we think it’s right !

3. DD is no alternative to representative Democracy:It makes it more representative !

- Democracy is just more than representative Democracy only !- Representatives just do not have the monopole of Democracy and Politics: Otherwise you have a Representocracy and a Partitocracy !- Representation is important, but not the only possible Democracy

4. In a Direct Democracy the power is really shared

- Nobody has so much power, that he does not has to learn from time to time.- The more you organize the participation of citizens the more they learn and feel part of the decision making process.- The more you can also make use of the creativity and the cultural richness of the society

5. The more and better DD you have, the more you can integrate diversity and unity

- Modern societies are all diverse and pluralistic: You have to establish a decision making process which respects this diversity and enables unity on the basis of the highest possible legitimacy !- DD is the sister of federalism and decentralisation of power.

II.Five central elements of a well designed Direct Democracy

1. Every constitution and law has to open for citizen participation 2. A referendum is a option for few citizens (1-2%/6-18 months of collection time)enabling all citizens to participate3. Free signature gathering4. No quorums for participation and validation5. Fairness rules for campaigning and public access

III. A well designed DD produces cornerstones for a

new political culture1. Politics become softer and more communicative: more reflection, more deliberation, more understanding, less alienation !2. Politicians and parties do not only speak, they also have to listen and learn.3. The distances between citizens and institutions get smaller.4. Citizens become more responsable

IV. A well designed DD is still a exception in Europe

1. Only 9 out of 47 countries in EU have a rich DD experience (Uruguay and Palau too)2. Italy: Quorum kills; DK: Europe only; Ireland: Constitution only; Baltics/Hung/Slovakia: Too exclusive; Slovenia:Law only;F: Plebiscites only; CH: No financial fairness; Liechtenstein: Hegemony of the Kaiser....3. Since 1972: 50 European Referendums on European Affairs !4. Too elitist, too occasional and too difficult !

V. To overcome the one element of the Crises of Democracy is the condition to overcome the

second !We have today a double crises of Democracy: Too representative and too national :In order to civilize markets we also need transnational democracy: A real European constitution with a double power sharing (Italian Referendum 1989) and a global democratic polity !