This week: why democracy may not be doomed, why people can't be copied, and why girl groups made the Beatles. DOOMOCRACY There is now a whole sub-genre of books which look at why democracy seems to have gone haywire. As this long but very lively review of them points out, democracy is a baggy and misunderstood term. It's not just about voting or "the will of the people", it's about processes and institutions and the rule of law. The process stuff is vital to a functioning democracy, but it doesn't make good TV or viral memes (except negative ones). It can easily be made to seem boring and arcane and irrelevant to everyday life. So in an age when we're used to having our say in the free-for-all of social media, that's what is getting steamrollered at the moment. Anyway, that's my interpretation - do read the piece itself, if only as an example of excellent essayistic writing. Then read this
Tell me why you cried and why you lied to me
Tell me why you cried and why you lied to me
Tell me why you cried and why you lied to me
This week: why democracy may not be doomed, why people can't be copied, and why girl groups made the Beatles. DOOMOCRACY There is now a whole sub-genre of books which look at why democracy seems to have gone haywire. As this long but very lively review of them points out, democracy is a baggy and misunderstood term. It's not just about voting or "the will of the people", it's about processes and institutions and the rule of law. The process stuff is vital to a functioning democracy, but it doesn't make good TV or viral memes (except negative ones). It can easily be made to seem boring and arcane and irrelevant to everyday life. So in an age when we're used to having our say in the free-for-all of social media, that's what is getting steamrollered at the moment. Anyway, that's my interpretation - do read the piece itself, if only as an example of excellent essayistic writing. Then read this