Your net is no longer neutral buddy!

[JimC]

Again, it's not black or white. There is a spectrum of democratically elected representative government, with some being a bit closer to the ideal of exactly equal voting power for each individual. Party politics and potential gerrymandering are also issues. But all countries that allow free voting systems are reasonably described as democracies, even if the fine details can be criticised...

[Hermit]

Meh. So many problems with democratic governments. Gerrymandering, different sized constituencies and the first past the post rule are not the only ones. In my opinion there are at least three others that are even worse. The influence of the media is one of them. They influence voters hand in glove with big business. Another one is the issue of who nominates the candidates (see Youtube clip below). The third (also dealt with in that clip) is whose policy wishes are implemented on and whose are ignored.

In the end, though, Scot Dutchy is completely out of order when he asserts that there are "many systems of government but only one is democratic". The Dutch iteration may well be among the best, but it is not the only democracy in the world. Arguably, the Swiss may have a more democratic one, what with their frequent referendums giving the people a direct say. Then again, Switzerland was the last first world nation to give women the vote (shut up, Laklak & co).

[Scot Dutchy]

Again, it's not black or white. There is a spectrum of democratically elected representative government, with some being a bit closer to the ideal of exactly equal voting power for each individual. Party politics and potential gerrymandering are also issues. But all countries that allow free voting systems are reasonably described as democracies, even if the fine details can be criticised...

While agreeing up to a point Jim. They are not democracies but systems of government that create the illusion of democracies.
Election are not just a question of going along and choosing a candidate. It is the whole process from registration to government forming which is where many fail. Registration is in many countries a huge hurdle even in first world ones. The financing of the elections is another very dodgy area. Then the actual system of voting; paper and pencil or a voting machine.
These are all mine fields that have to be solved at the top level to be even recognised as democracies.

[Rum]

Unfortunately for your argument they all actually are recognised as democracies. You are just digging a hole for yourself.

[Svartalf]

well, I'm going to finish by agreeing that democracy, for all that it was a grand ideal 2 centuries ago, has become a travesty, wool pulled over the eyes of the masses to hide the fact that the same self renewing and cooptating elites have gone on ruling us and the actual by word is ruling by the elites for the elites with the people's misinformed consent.

[Scot Dutchy]

That is one way of seeing it.

Who is recognising what Rum? America recognises itself as a democracy? Of course it does. The illusion has to be continued. Like the UK. What are the requirements to register in the UK?

The Sixth General Review of constituency boundaries: public consultations

Nice reading.

2.1 Public hearings The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill originally only made provision for written representations to replace the previous system of representations and local inquiries. During the Second Reading debate on the Bill, Mark Harper, Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, responded to criticism of the abolition of local inquiries by citing academic opinion on the matter:
They have described oral inquiries as ‘very largely an exercise in allowing the political parties to seek influence over the Commission’s recommendations – in which their sole goal is to promote their own electoral interests.’ They also say that ‘it would be a major error to assume that the consultation process largely involves the general public having its say on the recommendation.’ 4
During the extended Lords Committee stage of the Bill the Government announced that it would make concessions on certain points and would bring in number of amendments at Report Stage. One of these related to the demand for a public hearing stage in the consultation process

So independent is the commission.