Democracy, 365 days a year3 reading minutes

Le Regard Libre N° 65 - Jonas Follonier

Democracy as we know it in Switzerland is a precious asset. It's based on a simple idea: that everyone should be able to express their opinion. But not just any old way: on the contrary, Swiss citizens are used to having to argue, confront their opinions with those of others, reflect, contribute to public debate, or simply pay attention. In short, democracy lives, 365 days a year. We hardly realize how lucky we are.

Yet it's essential for a democracy to be alive and kicking. Why is this? Democracy is the sovereignty of a given people, in this case the Swiss. Sovereignty means control over one's destiny. Mastery of one's destiny means collective will. And collective will means not just the sum of individual wills, but also choices that tend towards the general will.

However, the determination of a general will presupposes the active participation of citizens. It's a day-to-day job, aiming for an ideal that by definition can never be taken for granted. It's not a question of simply trying to get as many voters as possible, although it's of course preferable to have 65 % rather than 35 %. It's more a question of whether the general climate is conducive to political participation - in the broadest sense. Moreover, political participation is not only evident at the ballot box; it can also be seen in the involvement of individuals, from an early age, in the life of the city, at all levels.

So it's fair to ask: is the current crisis endangering political participation? Even if no one has a definitive answer, it's clear that certain risks are already being felt. Already, the latest elections have been postponed - and perhaps they'll be postponed again. Add to this the omnipresence of the subject «covid» in the newspapers, right down to the smallest valley gazette, and it's an ideal environment for the disappearance of politics from the topics of conversation. By which we mean topics other than crisis management.

It's enough to take politics out of the limelight for it to disappear from consideration. It's as if we've subconsciously come to terms with the fact that there's no big topic of the moment other than Covid-19. The damn virus has really infected us! The intiative de limitation, on which we will (probably) vote in the autumn, is a gigantic issue, whatever your sensibilities. The hunting law is not a non-issue. As for pensions, land-use planning and taxation, we hear so little about them...

Where are the family, friendly, bistro debates? If the absence in the press of many of today's hot or trivial items is mirrored at the population level, it's because this absence doesn't seem to move many pipeheads. A few passionate critters like me, you might say. Let's discuss it again in a few months' time, when we've grasped the full extent of this abnormality! In the meantime, let's think about what a boon this period of medical and mathematical obsession represents for the media, which have already long been indulging in the standardization of subjects; and what a real boon it would be for citizens to become aware of the importance of pluralistic debate - in terms of both subjects and sensibilities.

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com

Drawing: © Nathanaël Schmid for Le Regard Libre