Models of Democracy and Alternatives of Political Organisation

Ancient Athens provided the first working model of democracy. In Greek demos means 'the people.' Every Athenian citizen (a group which excluded women, slaves, and free foreigners) could vote on city issues at the assembly of the people. If you were an Athenian male at least eighteen years of age it was your sacred duty to participate in the Assembly. This was a direct democracy, not a representative, because citizens voted in person. Often the voting was done by each citizen placing a certain colour of rock into a pot to vote 'yes' and another colour to vote 'no.' Afterwards the rocks were counted. As Athens was the cultural trendsetter for much of Greece, most of the other city-states soon adopted the Athenian model of democracy.

Pluralism is a condition or system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of authority coexist. A political theory or system of power-sharing among a number of political parties. A theory or system of devolution and autonomy for individual bodies in preference to monolithic state control (large and solid governmental organisations or bodies). A form of society in which the members of minority groups maintain their independent cultural traditions. Following are the fundamental principles of democracy:

1. Officials of the city state will come through the elections and all citizens are eligible for all posts or offices.
2. A common rule will operate throughout the state and this rule is rule over each and each by turn over all.
3. All the citizens are eligible for all posts excepting the posts which require special qualifications or experience.
4. No tenure of office dependent on the possession of property qualification.
5. The same man not to hold the same office twice. A man will be allowed to hold office only for once in his lifetime. However, in the field of warfare this principle will not hold.
6. Aristotle prescribed short tenure of office.
7. Jury courts will be chosen from all the citizens and will adjudicate on all.
8. The Assembly (in Greek it was called Ecclesia) will have the sovereign authority over anything except minor matters.
9. Payment services in assembly, in law courts and in the offices shall be regular.
10. Good birth, wealth and culture shall be the marks of the rule of the few. The opposite shall be the rule of the many.
11. Perpetual tenure of office is not favoured by democracy.

Direct democracy and plebiscites provide another option to cure the ailments of representative democracy. Thirty-seven countries currently have provisions for citizens to rule on policy outcomes and many more allow referenda at the sub-national level. In evaluating the impact of direct democracy, the devil is in the details and the great variation in institutional design hinders generalizations about it. On several occasions in the post communist world, incumbents expanded presidential power by using or threatening to use referenda. On the other hand, Frey and Stutzer find a positive correlation between direct democracy and perceived happiness. Here, we might ask: does direct democracy undermine support for legislative authority? Does it bring policy outcomes closer to those of the median voter?

Another alternative is “non-adversarial deliberation” which, in its comparative politics guise, emphasizes an underlying harmony of interests in society that can be reached via deliberation. This often takes the form of “democracy with adjectives,” such as “guided” democracy (Indonesia under Sukarno), “sovereign” democracy (contemporary Russia), or “Confucian” democracy (China). One concern with these “non-adversarial” models is that they are much more likely to be put forward by the powerful rather than the meek. In addition, the traditions or concepts cited above are elastic. Huntington sees Confucianism as incompatible with democracy, while Ackerly points to affinities between the two.

Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement with the stated aim of using non violent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse.

Extinction Rebellion was established in the United Kingdom in May 2018 with about one hundred academics signing a call to action in support in October 2018. At the end of that month, XR was launched by Roger Hallam and Gail Bradbrook, along with other activists from the campaign group Rising Up!. In November 2018, five bridges across the River Thames in London were blockaded as a protest. In April 2019, Extinction Rebellion occupied five prominent sites in central London: Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Waterloo Bridge, and the area around Parliament Square.

In conclusion, there are many democratic models, some are better than others, some not so good, and others addressing different themes and issues like the environment and climate.