Menzies Research Centre Frank Furedi: Democracy Under Siege
The lurch away from democratic government towards technocratic command and control has been one of the most disturbing developments in the last two years.
Some are content to see it as inevitable as we wage war against the Covid-19 virus - that parliamentary process and executive accountably must take a back seat while we put the experts in charge.
But is there any guarantee that the experts will turn in their badges and allow normal service to resume?
Or is it part of larger retreat from democracy amid a growing fear that leaving affairs in the hands of the demos is fraught with danger?
Frank Furedi brings some light to these important questions in his recent book Democracy Under Siege: Don’t Let Them Lock It Down!
Frank joins Menzies Research Director Nick Cater from Kent, UK.
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More about Democracy Under Siege
https://www.booktopia.com.au/democracy-under-siege-don-t-let-them-lock-it-down--frank-furedi/book/9781789046281.html?source=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjJOQBhCkARIsAEKMtO1AMDtXNPQbFQKe-bDoYe-m6AYHU8DOfCngWF_T6_btkTzDdg7JX-oaAuaGEALw_wcB
In Democracy Under Siege, Frank Furedi examines the frequent claim that democracy is a means to an end rather than an important value in and of itself. The prevalence of this sentiment in the current era is not surprising, given that the normative foundation for democracy is fragile, and there is little cultural valuation for this outlook. Until recently, virtually every serious commentator paid lip-service to democracy. However, in recent times the classical elitist disdain for democracy and for the moral and intellectual capacity of the electorate has acquired a powerful influence over public life. Democracy Under Siege outlines the long history of anti-democratic thought, explains why hostility to democracy has gained momentum in the current era, and offers a positive affirmation of the principle and the value of democracy.
Frank Furedi is a Hungarian-Canadian academic and emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent. He is well known for his work on sociology of fear, education, therapy culture, paranoid parenting and sociology of knowledge.