I don't think representative government was the issue, I think it was the nature of the state's power and influence. It is possible to have a majority opinion that is wrong, and a majority decided policy that is unjust. Surely arguing against the majority that has a policy of punishing dissent is a bad thing if you want to survive, but fortunately the majority still sort of values civil discourse, so we can talk like people solving problems instead of being partisans.