The Voice of Exit - Towards a Theory of Democratic Inconsistency

Abstract

The international armed conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are only the most apparent manifestation of the dilemmas that challenge the European liberal democracy. A much more crucial paradox, as far as certain European countries are concerned, is produced by the inertia of the democratic game it self. That is the construction of religious and ethnic affiliation as the very entrance ticket for immigrant populations to political participation. Taking departure in populism as the common denominator for major actors, as well as the characterising feature of the very arena for political competition between elites, e.g. media, the tendency becomes more and more obvious. Based on empirical evidences with Denmark as a critical case, that is both with regard to democracy and participation, this article introduces a "Theoretical proposition of Democratic Inconsistency", arguing for the emergence of a new development in liberal democracy, addressing a situation characterised by a growing ethnic division of specific European counties.