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Festival of Dangerous Ideas:
Democracy is not for everyone

Photograph of two hands, one young, one old.

4 October 2009

Given the vast quantities of blood spilled and treasure spent in the name of democracy – who would dare to challenge its legitimacy? After all, isn’t democracy good for all?

Is the promise of democracy real, or merely a fiction to advance the interests of the few by beguiling the majority with myths of equality, liberty and fraternity?

Democrats have some obvious rivals for political virtue. God (rather than the people) makes a pretty good showing in many states (the Vatican is ruled by an absolute monarch). Then there are the claims of a variety of Chiefs, Kings ... and even Fiji’s Commodore Bainimarama; who invoke custom, tradition or raw power as alternatives to democratic legitimacy.

It’s time to take the dare and put an intellectual blowtorch to the belly of democracy’s defenders.

IQ² Australia has assembled an international panel of speakers (see below) to debate the merits of the most powerful political idea of our time.

Like all IQ² Australia debates the audience will be invited to join the floor debate, before determining the outcome of the debate with their vote.

Read a background to Democracy is not for everyone produced by Intelligence Squared UK (PDF).

Discuss this topic

About the Festival of Dangerous Ideas

What is a dangerous idea? This is a question that will be explored at the inaugural Festival of Dangerous Ideas, co-presented by St James Ethics Centre, at Sydney Opera House in October.

In partnership with The Sydney Morning Herald, Foxtel and SBS, the Festival will give voice to both thought leaders and the public who will debate ideas ranging from the transformational to the ‘water cooler’ discussions of everyday life.

Learn more about the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, including other events.

Speakers

For:

  • Ambassador MK Bhadrakumar is Former Ambassador for India to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Russia among other countries. He is a specialist in Afghanistan and Pakistan issues, and is an author writing on energy and security issues, and a contributor on strategic issues for Asia Online and The Hindu and Deccan Herald.
  • Professor Carmen Lawrence - as Premier of WA, she was the first woman to hold the office of Premier anywhere in Australia. Professor Lawrence had previously served as state Treasurer, and after moving to Federal politics in 1994, became Minister for Health and Human Services and Minister assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women. She is now a Professorial Fellow at the University of Western Australia establishing a social research centre.
  • Professor Greg Craven is Vice-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University. He is an expert in public law,and has published numerous journal articles and four books, including Coversations with the Constitution. He is a regular contributor to public debate, a leading opinion writer and columnist for The Australian Financial Review.

Against:

  • Professor John Keane is an Australian born author and academic. He is currently Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster and Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy which he founded. Among his many books is the recent The Life and Death of Democracy. The Australian Broadcasting Commission recently described Professor Keane as: “one of the great intellectual exports from Australia”, however, he is returning toAustralia as the new head of Politics at Sydney University.
  • Dr Michael Wesley is Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy and former Professor of International Relations and Director of the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Hong Kong and Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China. Prior to this Dr Wesley was the Assistant Director-General for Transnational Issues at the Office of National Assessments. Between 2007 and 2009, Dr Wesley was the Editor of The Australian Journal of International Affairs.
  • Amina Rasul-Bernardo is the Lead Convenor of the Philippine Council on Islam and Democracy (PCID) a former Presidential advisor, and a noted peace and human rights advocate. She is a research fellow with the Sycip Policy Center at the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines and an expert on minority representation and democratic participation in the Philippines, focusing on the Muslim insurgency in Mindanao.

Chair:

Dr Simon Longstaff is Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre. Simon spent five years studying and working as a member of Magdalene College, Cambridge. Having won scholarships to study at Cambridge, he read for the degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy. He was inaugural President of The Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics and is a Director of a number of companies. He is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum and a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Foreign Policy Association, based in New York. Simon has been Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre since shortly after it was founded.