Good Government
People need governments for
- security
- organising collaboration
Principles of good government:
- Democracy: governments must be democratic, i.e. by a system that citizens would choose if given the choice
- Power: In a democracy, the power of decision makers comes from the consent of the citizens
- Elections: Citizens must be able to elect the most powerful people in governments
- Governments must be open and understandable
- Decision makers must make decisions competently, according to the facts, and following best practice, avoiding bias from personal interest
- Governments must consult citizens on important decisions
- Minority groups of citizens must be protected
- Systems must exist to deal with suspicions of malpractice
- As a last resort, citizens have a right and sometimes a duty to insist that malpractice is corrected, perhaps by public protest