Signs that we are moving towards the degenerative form of democracy Aristotle warned against are everywhere. Consider, for example, the impatience of some who voted for the UK to leave the European Union and believed that once the referendum result was in, Brexit should have followed immediately. The idea that the UK has legal obligations and cannot just announce its departure from the EU is taken to be obfuscation rather than a statement of the obvious.
European populist parties show the same disregard for the rule of law, arguing that nations can and should unilaterally tear up legally-binding transnational agreements if that is what the people demand. In many countries, this unimpeded democracy is proving to be disturbingly popular. Vladimir Putin’s popularity in Russia is in part because of, rather than in spite of, his disregard for the rule of law, which is seen as simply obstructing the muscular implementation of the popular will. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán’s disregard for constitutional constraints and processes is considered a source of strength. His phrase “illiberal democracy” is as good a name as any for the form of government Aristotle warned against.
