Don ...I read all your posts with interest, and most of the time agree with what you say.
Iv thought about the definition of democracy for a long time and am coming to the conclusion that real democracy is impossible to attain.
The moment people attain power,whether elected or not ,they begin to manipulate others.This seems to apply to the whole political spectrum.Socialists dont appear to be any better than Conservatives in this respect.My conclusions have led me to give up on politics and politicians alltogether. For real democracy we require a creed with no hierarchy...Very difficult to achieve...Best wishes Ake