Direct Democracy in Iceland

You may recall the referendum pushed through by the people of Iceland about one year ago They voted against permitting their governors to subsidize the pay-out of their defaulting banks. At the time this was thought by most of their leaders to be jeopardizing the continuation of Icelandic economic stability. Now just one year later Iceland is experiencing a real boom. It has shaken off that mess somehow. According to a speech by the president of Iceland recorded on CBC Radio on Dec. 11, Iceland is expected to experience 3% growth in the coming year. This is just another example of the common-sense of the public overriding the opinions of the elite. It emphasizes the effectiveness of Direct Democracy. It should not be a mark against democracy to say that one cannot trust the masses to think straight. Democracy with all its possible warts and bruises is still the best manner of governing - and we should not forget that, when permitting votes, not just for representatives, but upon difficult issues.