Re:Is Trump mulling Peter Thiel for a top intelligence advis...
by maccard on Thursday September 21, 2017 @09:57AM
(#15303413)
> Well, one way to address the problem of the tyranny of the majority is to make minority rule plausible. :b
It is in some places - the UK had it in 2010, and technically has it right now too. You can't really do miniority rule in a two party system though.
> a plurality will do for a lot of operations,
a plurality in a two party system seems ironic to me, but I understand your point.
Well, one way to address the problem of the tyranny of the majority is to make minority rule plausible. :b
> to say that that you require a "supermajority" in most western countries isn't strictly true.
A supermajority isn't necessary for many things; a plurality will do for a lot of operations, including becoming POTUS. But in the US there's also some legal concepts that you can only do away with via a supermajority and one spread out over different branches of government at that. Doing away with any of the bill of rights is not happening with a plurality in an election.... because the US already is a republic with a democratically elected representative government based on rule of law set down in a constitution that can't be changed without supermajority buy-in.
Most western democracies that I'm familiar with have some similar sets of principles that aren't up for democratic election (at least, according to the stated rules of the governance game -- unofficially, any principle is always vulnerable to contention and falling out of value, that's a reality of governing human beings, not a flaw in a system of government).