Quotes About Democracy

The British Polity Fifth Edition Philip Norto

these low percentages are in the context of a lower voter turnout than

The theme of previous editions of The British Polity has

A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a certain degree of education and civic virtue.

But a democratic government cannot afford to be as crude as that. It never goes in for summary repression or direct control; it nullifies rather than conceals undesirable news; it controls emphasis rather than facts; it balances bad news with good; it lies directly only when it is certain that the lie will not be found out during the course of the war. This was the method

The democratic theory is that if you accumulate enough ignorance at the polls, you produce intelligence.

The worst of all states is the people's state.

Where liberals see as an ever-more-splendid diversity of colors, creeds, ethnicities, ideologies, beliefs and lifestyles, the Right sees the disintegration of a country, a nation, a people, and its replacement with a Tower of Babel. Visions in conflict that democracy cannot reconcile.

Our two nations share the important values of democracy and freedom and liberty. My visit to the United States has indeed reinforced this mutual conviction and determination to ensure that our two peoples cherish these values.

My first visit to Haiti was in May 1991, four months into the initial term of Haiti's first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. At the time, it seemed that Haiti was on the cusp of a new era.

Can a democratic nation fight a War on Terror and at the same time bend over backward so as not to offend a few visitors' rights?

Evidently the arts, all the visual arts, are becoming more democratic in the worst sense of the word.

Taiwan matters because of its vital role in spreading democracy in East Asia. Taiwan matters because of its strategic importance to promote peace in the Pacific region.

If we want to preserve the foundation of our democracy, it's vital that we find common ground that allows us to work for the greater good of this nation. This does not mean giving up our values. This does not mean swallowing a bitter compromise.

Science and policy-making thrive on challenge and questioning; they are vital to the health of inquiry and democracy.

You can't have a free democracy if you don't have a free media that can provide vital and independent information to the people.

Ukraine is a vital link for Europe: our energy transportation networks; our location between the European Union and Eurasia. We're the melting pot of Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. The democracy we founded with the Orange Revolution has to be an example for other post-Soviet states.

The Commonwealth is a vital and positive partnership between countries striving to develop trade relations and promote democracy and human rights, united by shared values.

We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital.

In emerging democracies like Russia, in authoritarian states like Iran or even Yugoslavia, journalists play a vital role in civil society. In fact, they form the very basis of those new democracies and civil societies.

Transparency in government, no less than transparency in choosing government, remains a vital national interest in a democracy.

We must restore faith in politics. Reform of the House of Lords is only one part of the answer, but it is a vital one.

A vital democracy requires an informed electorate, civil discourse, and bold thinking.

I think that it's a vital moment now for Russian democracy to convince people that it's only our actions, our joined actions and protests that could force Kremlin to reconsider its plans to abolish presidential elections.