"This government can't be undemocratic, because they were elected", is often heard and always wrong.

The false notion that "the will of the people" is the only thing that matters - that a democracy is nothing more than an election every few years...

Dangerously wrong.
Let me explain...

Say you & 9 other people are in a room, and 6 vote to throw you out the window. 6 out of 10: a majority!

Do you still think "the will of the people" is the only thing that matters?
Something may be "the will of the people", yet still be wrong, even horrific...

...because others things are more important, more fundamental than a popular vote.

Like human rights.
No one's fundamental human rights - like the right to life in this case - can be removed by an election.
A political system of popular elections without respect for fundamental human rights is not a democracy.

It's a tyranny of the majority.
Something to think about the next time you hear a politician try to claim he can't be undemocratic because he won an election.

Or the next time you hear one of the government's supporters say a rights-abusing policy is "the will of the people."
(Or just the next time you're physically in a room with 9 other people.)

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More from @astroehlein

27 Nov
When you hate human rights and democracy so much, that you are willing to make yourself look ridiculous internationally...
Remember, this is the same ruling party extremist in Poland who said #LGBT people were not equal to other citizens, "We stop listening to these absurdities about so-called human rights..."
And this same person - Poland's education minister - also said people should have more children and beat the tar out of them.
reuters.com/article/worldN… Image
Read 5 tweets
26 Nov
Here's the chief propagandist of the Orbán regime in Hungary taking a break from his normal anti-Semitic rants to quote his dear leader...

As in every dictatorship, the ruler of Hungary has the delusion that he is the people and the law. Image
Meanwhile, on the @EPPGroup website right now, they are promoting their ally, the authoritarian ruling party of Hungary, which is currently trying to destroy democracy in the EU. Image
Read 5 tweets
17 Nov
The authoritarian governments of Hungary & Poland have blocked the EU's €1.82 trillion budget & Covid recovery package because their ruling parties refuse to respect rule of law.

This is a crisis of democracy that has been brewing a long time...
politico.eu/article/eu-in-…
How did the EU get itself into this mess?

1) It tolerated the Hungarian government's authoritarian moves, saying little & doing less for years, as Orbán & his ruling party gutted independent courts, free media, etc.

In short, the democratic bloc let a dictatorship get a veto
The European People's Party @epp (a group of parties from across EU) played a critical role, protecting & supporting their ally, Hungary ruling party Fidesz, nearly every step of the way.

Merkel, Tusk, von der Leyen, Weber, Juncker… All EPP.
hrw.org/news/2020/04/2…
Read 16 tweets
10 Nov
Arguments that haven't worked for 5 years but people keep making...

"He'll calm down & act normal soon."

"He has to accept reality."

"GOP leaders will abandon him."

"His supporters will see through him."

"He won't get away with it."

"GOP leaders ought to be ashamed."
Exceptionally good piece from @fotoole: on Trump, the GOP, and the rise of zombie politics
bit.ly/32rdXhB
“He was just kidding. It was a joke”

That’s another one...
Read 6 tweets
10 Nov
What if all news outlets cut away from politicians and officials who were lying or making wild, completely unsubstantiated claims, & then instantly contextualised them, rather than letting the lies keep running unchallenged?
Currently, there's far too much, "let them speak and then debate in studio later":

Official: "The moon is made of cheese."

Studio: "Welcome back. Let's discuss this big cheese announcement by the government…"

Guest 1: "The moon is made of cheese."

Guest 2: "No, it isn't."
That doesn't really provide any service to the voting public. It's simply service to the government.
Read 4 tweets
27 Oct
Poland's ruling party leader Kaczyński calls on Poles to defend his policies & the church against widespread anti-government protests demanding women’s rights:
reuters.com/article/us-pol…

Opposition leader accuses him of inciting hatred & civil war:
apnews.com/article/poland…
Background thread on how Poland got here...
Poland's ruling party: anti-government protests are illegal because of Covid.

Also Poland's ruling party: government supporters should take to the streets to defend us.

🤔
Read 10 tweets

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