The Best Political System In Europe

Democracy – a largely interperated word with several of meanings. Yet to me, despite being so ambiguous, and having researched its meaning, it’s different forms and the different implications of each form, have convinced me at this point that this is the best political system in Europe. Switzerland, though not in the European Union per se, has caught my attention as a democratic country throughout my studies. The form of Direct Democracy exists in Switzerland, which is rare, in comparison to the majority of European countries, where a form of Democracy know as Representative Democacy exists for the most part.

I will discuss in detail both forms of democracy in this essay. Hague and Harrop (2010: 84) have concluded briefly in a clear and direct way that a direct democracy occurs when citizens gather “to debate and reach decisions on matters of common interest. ” (Gramlich, 2017) defines a direct democracy as “a democratic system where citizens, not elected officials, vote directly on major national issues to decide what becomes law. ” In accoradance with some of my conducted research, (Lucchi, 2017) believes that the countries’ direct democratic system has some “high-powered admirers. ” World known politicians such as the French President, Emmanuel Macron has stated that the Swiss system in which referendums are put in place appeals to him. He has openly announced that he would like to have a system, similar to the Swiss system in place in his country for his French voters.

The fact that such a renowned political figure is so impressed with another country’s approach caused me to focus my attention particularly on Switzerland, a country whose political system is admired and acknowledged worldwide as being a very effective political system. When we study politics, it is important that we begin by understanding different theoretical approaches. By gaining insight into such theories “we can gain a sense of the different ways politics can be studied. ” The behavioural approach is one of many approaches that fits in with the Swiss system in that it “emphasizes the study of individuals rather than institutions” (Hague & Harrop, 2010: 28). The study focuses on “the relationship between politics and society” and the effects one can have on the other. For example, Hague and Harrop (2010: 29) state that the “voting behaviour of the people depends on features of an electoral system. In the next paragraph we will see how this theory is implemented, where the Swiss government grant citizens the freedom to vote on proposals and even to create proposals if certain criteria is reached, and how that aspect of politics has a positive knock on effect on society. How does the Swiss democratic system work? Switzerland uses the democratic form of Direct Democracy to run it’s country.

One of the key “instruments of direct democracy” according to (Lucchi, 2017) are the different types of referendums that can occur. As part of this system, the first type as is a Mandatory Referendum. A mandatory referendum takes place when the Swiss citizens who are eligible to vote, vote on an amendment for which they wish to amend in their constitution. Double majority is required to successfully change the constitution which implies that both the majority of the voters and of the Cantons, different regions/states of Switzerland is needed to adapt the change. The second type of referendum that can take place is an Initiative Referendum. (Lucchi, 2017) states that this type of referendum allows the public to “launch a popular initiative to demand a change to the constitution. ” It grants citizens the right to challenge their constitution if they believe that there could be better ways in which the country could be run or organized. In order to publicly launch the initiative before commencing to gather signatures in the attempt to have a referendum, a group needs to consist of seven or more members. No more than 100,000 signatures are required from eligible voter in order for a referendum to take place. A 100,000 signatures seems like a very small proportion (0. 00167%) of their population of almost 8. 566 million people, recorded by (Switzerland Population (LIVE), 2018).

This concludes that the people’s voices are listened to by those who are in the country’s government. With such a small percentage of signatures needed to call a referendum in the attempt to amend their constitution, the Swiss residents and voters have enormous power to freely express their concerns, thoughts, wishes and opinions. Minority groups are not oppressed. They have a great opportunity to put their beliefs and views into their constitution, which will result in their country running in a manner for which they, the Swiss community, believe that it will run in the most effective and efficient manner. Why is Initiative Referendum under democracy so important and advantageous to citizens in comparison to having another type of political system? To have a better understanding of how it benefits the people of the country, a real-life example is needed. Recently, the Swiss people rejected “fair food laws” which were proposed to ensure that food would be healthier and more environmentally friendly (Press Assocation, 2018). A strong No vote of 60. 2%, denied the proposal to go any further. “Cost concerns, government opposition, and other factors appear to have dented public support for proposals. ” It is evident here that the people have huge input in their economy, declining proposals that may increase costs and expenditure that they believe is not necessary in their country. Another example was the rejection of the “sovereign money initiative” (Atkins, 2018).

Again, the Swiss did not see the advantage in providing a safer financial system “by changing the way banks provide loans to the economy. ” The Swiss citizens are at the heart of the decision making of the country, a unique but powerful tool to have as they can influence how their country is run to their liking. In contrast to this effective system in which the government and the people communicate and work together closely, take another type of political system, a Dictatorship. “Dictatorship is a situation where a single person or political party rules the entire country. ” (AAKANSHA, 2017) Therefore, we can broadly state that this type of situation suggests that the leader is the dominant force of the country and holds all the power. Is there space for the country’s citizens to speak their voice and have some type of input in the running of the country and implementing its policies? Inequality for the people comes to mind having read the definition of the word dictatorship. An example to help enhance our understanding of exactly how this type of system shuts down the people’s voices is that of the dictator Adolf Hitler. Hitler took over power of Germany in 1933 and had certain views and values which he believed everyone should have. If one did not have the same mindset as he, one was advised to convert to these views, otherwise one would become his “enemy. ” Hitler was a racist and “he imprisoned millions of enemies in camps before executing them” (Wilde, 2018).

To conclude, if one did not meet his criteria, one was punished. The Jewish people who he referred to as his “enemies” because of religious differences were targeted. If you don’t agree with your leaders’ objectives and ways of life, and try and oppose them, will you be at risk, just like the Jews were? The vast and extensive voice that democracy gives citizens of a country has helped me to reach a conclusion that democracy is the best political system. With the right to speak openly and to play a part in amending the country’s constitutions in a way that the people wish for the country to be run, I confirm that this type of system should be an integral part of a country. This guarantees to have content citizens. Peoples interests are protected and what they believe in is adopted into their constitution. If the country is run effectively in a way that represents what the people want it may lead to a high human development index (H. D. I. ) which promote strong levels of health and education systems. Evidence is found that “detailed and patient compromise between the advocates of cantonal rights and those of federal power” exits enormously (Brooks, 1920). The majority of countries around the world will strive to ensure that a safe environment is placed in their countries, maintaining peace at all times. (Brooks, 1920) sees Switzerland as a country that has mastered this challenge declaring that due to this connection between the people of the country and the people in power, internal friction and civil strife is prevented, therefore, giving Switzerland “a high rank among the political virtues. ”

According to (United Nations Development Programme, 2017), Switzerland is placed second on the list for having a high H. D. I. Does this link back to the fact they have a direct democracy which grants the Swiss people power to influence the running of the country. Referring back to our behavourial approach, we see that individuals are at the heart of what is important, rather than institutions. Another form of democracy mentioned earlier in this essay is Representative Demorcracy. In Thomas Paine’s 1791 study cited in (Hague, Harrop, McCormick, 2016), the “British political activist” stated that Representative Democracy was “a system of government capable of embracing and confederating all the various interests and every extent of territory and population. ” Rather than having citizens of a country directly involved in the decision-making of their country, such as direct democracy, here “members of community elect people to represent their interests and to make decisions affecting the community. ” A considerable advantage of representative democracies is that the citizens have “A place to run to. ” (Lombardo, 2015). In this type of system, elected candidates, voted in by the people of the country, are assigned to cover and represent different areas. This type of system is used in the United Kingdom. If a citizen “has an issue that they think should be addresses or something that they feel should change, they can easily access their local official. ”

There is a sense of harmony between those who run the country and the members of the country, acting as a collective unit creating types of alliances. Another advantage of having a Representative Democracy is that the people in their constituencies have power to remove a Member of Parliament (MP) “if they fail to perform (or if the party has done badly during its time in office)” (Trueman, 2015). Citizens are reassured that they will not have to live in a society controlled by leaders who do not do their jobs effectively, granting the citizens “excess control over their representatives” (Trueman, 2015). Let us consider the communist system which exits in North Korea. There is a stark difference between the political system of the United Kingdom and that of North Korea. In North Korea, people fit under different categories. Those who oppose the regime and are associated with being in the “hostile class are discriminated against in terms or employment, food, housing, medical care, and place of residence. ” (Kongdan Oh, 2003). Where is the sense of unity and working together in an equal society? It does not exist in such a political system, thus strengthening my argument that democracy is the best political system as synergism is evident. The vast and extensive voice that democracy gives citizens of the country helped me reach a conclusion that democracy is the best political system. By taking another type of political system such as Communism, and comparing it to democracy, we have seen how it oppresses certain citizens who are not perceived to be powerful in society. Would I want to live in a society where freedom of speech was limited to a point where my voice was not heard? Absolutely not. Such division is prevented in democratic countries in that we see how society and state bodies are almost one unit making it an appealing environment in my view. Initiative Referendums, a feature under Direct Democracy have numerous functions such as to “restore the sovereinty of people” and to “educate and develop the people” (Johnathan Bourne, 1912: 3). Again we can see how people are centre to what’s important, following the Behavioural Approach Theory. Citizens have the opportunity to put their beliefs and views into their constitution, something that cannot happen in a country under communist rule.

There is no room for complacency amongst political representatives who are not performing well in a country where representative democracy exists. There is no opportunity for representatives to rest on their laurels. Knowing that they can be removed from government ensures that they will do their best to fulfill their duties and to represent their citizens to the best of their ability. There is also the advantage of having quick access to representatives if one believes something should be changed or something should be implemented to improve the running of society. I want my voice to be heard, and my opinions, views, annd beliefs to be implemented in our constitution which establish our country’s political principles and so I believe that living in a democratic system is the best political system.