Reviews of Nkrumah's 'Consciencism' and Coetzee's 'Youth' added to the Library 2.0
3 January 2008
Article on the 'Ideas of Anarchism' rewritten and an RSS feed of this 'Latest Updates' list made available (see bottom of this box)
17 December 2007
The RSS-feed for my blog is finally available for subscription!
9 & 13 December 2007
A quite thorough update of the Library 2.0
31 October 2007
Introduction to Anarchism updated and a review of U2's Pop added to the Library 2.0
22 October 2007
Started the work on updates to the anarchist section. Articles on modern anarchism and origins of anarchism updated.
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Bernard Crick - Democracy: A Very Short Introduction
Through this brief book, Crick gives an interesting overview of the concept of democracy
both in an ideological and an historical setting. He explains - in a simple and graspable,
yet very precise language - what constitutes a democracy and how various forms of government
observed in the modern world are linked to that. Simply put, Crick gives and overview of
'the word and the deed' (as his first chapter is called) - from the quite basic ideas to
the specifics of citizenship.
A particularly interesting feature is the chapter 'Democracy and Populism'. "Populism has
come to mean many things, but I see it as a style of politics and rhetoric that seeks to
arouse a majority, or at least what their leaders passionately believe is a majority",
Crick writes. And about politics as an academic dicipline with carefully reasoned arguments,
Crick notes that "that older style had been appropriate to a smaller political class, often
bound together by friendship, even family connection, at the least by social acquintance and
common codes of behaviour" but that it is unsuited to attract popular support. Overall, the
chapter becomes an interesting evaluation of modern interpretation of the term democracy.
Overall, however, the book remains a short introduction, as suggested by the title, with those
advantages and limitations that entails. Considering the scarce space the format provides,
Crick's book is a highly relevant and very yielding introduction to one of the most important
issues of modern politics - be it geopolitics or local engagement: the right of each citizen to
be heard.
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Through this brief book, Crick gives an interesting overview of the concept of democracy
both in an ideological and an historical setting. He explains - in a simple and graspable,
yet very precise language - what constitutes a democracy and how various forms of government
observed in the modern world are linked to that. Simply put, Crick gives and overview of
'the word and the deed' (as his first chapter is called) - from the quite basic ideas to
the specifics of citizenship.
A particularly interesting feature is the chapter 'Democracy and Populism'. "Populism has
come to mean many things, but I see it as a style of politics and rhetoric that seeks to
arouse a majority, or at least what their leaders passionately believe is a majority",
Crick writes. And about politics as an academic dicipline with carefully reasoned arguments,
Crick notes that "that older style had been appropriate to a smaller political class, often
bound together by friendship, even family connection, at the least by social acquintance and
common codes of behaviour" but that it is unsuited to attract popular support. Overall, the
chapter becomes an interesting evaluation of modern interpretation of the term democracy.
Overall, however, the book remains a short introduction, as suggested by the title, with those
advantages and limitations that entails. Considering the scarce space the format provides,
Crick's book is a highly relevant and very yielding introduction to one of the most important
issues of modern politics - be it geopolitics or local engagement: the right of each citizen to
be heard.
