“Nothing is more surprising than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few.” - David Hume
An agreement by all people represents consent, unity and tends to signify order within a society. The notion that unanimity is necessary in order for a democratic decision to be fully justified can be seen as a morally ideal concept within political thought. When one defines democracy as being a political system that is of the people, by the people and for the people, the assent of the entire populace is portrayed as being essential for ensuring that democratic decisions are justified. The great fear of a participation crisis within the UK clearly shows the need of all-encompassing approval in order to attain full justification and legitimacy behind decision-making, which warrant stability and a true sense of self-government. Nevertheless, from the very birth of demokratia in Athens in the 5th century BC, one can see how, even through the use of direct democracy, known as the purest model of democracy, unanimity is hard to achieve when put into practice. Individuals who are unable to vote and those who abstain from voting undermine the concept of unanimity and this is also clear in modern politics, where the highest point of populace consent is obtained through a ‘qualified majority’. However, to claim
…show more content…
Models of democracy, such as representative democracy, can be seen to merely reflect the organic evolution of democracy in