
Originally Posted by
lucy
Ok, i see. Thanks. But i like to disagree on two different levels. Let me explain: I live in Switzerland, our system is quite close to what you describe here. We get to vote directly on issues. From whether or not abortion should be legalized to whether or not there should be a new sewage treatment plant.
But there are many "safety catches", including the constitution, international laws (from the human rights bill to trade bills signed by Switzerland) but also a supreme court who can overthrow a decision voted on by a majority. That is quite possibly happening in the near future: We have to vote for (or against, in my case) a law banning minarets on mosques. Even it that law is voted for by a majority, it may very likely be overthrown by the supreme court because it is agains the constitutional right of freedom of religion. Why we have to vote if it's already pretty clear that a possible pro-vote wont stand in the end is an altogether different question, of course.
So far Switzerland did quite well, and to my knowledge no "extreme" issue was ever voted for. There were some ugly votes on topics regarding foreigners living here, but i am the first to admit that they are only ugly from my point of view.