The Backlash has Begun
There are lots of Western articles on the Net moaning that democracy has stopped working; some going as far as to say that elections are bad for democracy ! The “evidence”? Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump. This sounds like a stupid and dangerous argument. In fact, it sounds like what everyone who doesn’t like the outcome of any election would say, doesn’t it? Instead, I feel that Santosh Desai nails the underlying theme that is playing out: simplification. - Brexit was a complicated question with a simple answer: “Yes or No. In or Out.” - Trump calls out everything as black or white. Good or bad. And so says Desai: “When what you feel is what is right, the world becomes so much easier to deal with. Brexit and Trump both connect with an emotional truth that precedes logic.” But why is this so appealing even in sophisticated Western democracries? “The dominant int...