Democracy is not a universal good, it is a political system, and like
all political systems it is open to corruption. The word 'democracy'
means 'rule by the people', not rule by a simple majority. To achieve
rule by all the people, it used to be accepted that as much of civil
life should be kept out of party politics as possible. A mixed
constitution was one way of achieving this. By absorbing into itself the
institutions of civil society, the modern democratic state has become an
ever more pervasive 'tyranny of the majority' accountable to the
electorate only once every few years. The powers it has assumed,
together with the powers of corporations, represent a 'new world order'
that respects neither freedom, the individual, the vulnerable nor, in a
true sense, the rule of law.