The Principles and Values of Democracy

1. Democracy is a system of government established by the national constitution.
2. Democracy is a system of government in which the citizens are sovereign.
3. Democracy is as relevant to locality decision making as it is to whole populations.
4. Democracy is a system of making decisions that is free and fair, and with out fear or favour.
5. Democracy is not just about giving citizens the vote, but it is about encouraging them to have a say at all levels of decision making over issues that affect their lives.
6. Democracy is about understanding the responsibilities and strata of decision making and those decisions that need to be taken internationally, nationally, regionally, locally and by the individual.
7. Democracy is about setting up the structures that allows decisions to be made at the appropriate strata of government.
8. Democracy is about understanding when consultation is required with higher and lower strata.
9. Democracy is about understanding when a joint decision needs to be made with a neighbouring jurisdiction within the same strata level.
10. Democracy is above politics.
11. Democracy concerns itself with the process by which political decisions are made, not the decisions themselves, except when those decisions are relevant to democracy itself.
12. Democracy is about all being equal, regardless of status, occupation, race, religion, creed, age, gender, disability and orientation.
13. Democracy welcomes Diversity.
14. Democracy requires a system of law, order and justice.
15. Democracy is about having the respect for and developing those institutions that promote and support democracy.
16. Democracy supports the concept of universal human rights.
17. Democracy aims to maximise the personal freedom of all its citizens.
18. Democracy aims to maximise the potential of all its citizens.
19. Democracy aims to maximise the health of nature, the environment and the planet.
20. Democracy is about understanding the views and wishes of the electorate and for the elected to turn these views into actions on behalf of the whole electorate.
21. Democracy is about the responsibility to present arguments in a manner that is balanced, truthful and fair.
22. Democracy is about the minority acknowledging and respecting that there is an alternative prevailing majority view.
23. Democracy is about the majority acknowledging and respecting the minority and that there is a minority point of view.
24. Democracy is about the majority acknowledging that they still have responsibility for the care of the minority.
25. Democracy is about free speech and the freedom to express oneself safely and freely without duress.
26. Democracy is about taking the privilege of free speech and using it responsibly.
27. Democracy has a responsibility to uphold and promote the truth and to reflect accurately on the world as it is.
28. Democracy is about having a free and responsible press to disseminate the news along with views and opinions in true and proper balance.
29. Democracy is about giving everybody equal access to the institutions and processes of democracy, regardless of their means or status.
30. Democracy mandates that those who make the decisions are accountable to those on whose behalf the decisions were made.
31. Democracy demands the transparency of the consequences or outcomes of who does what, when and why.
32. Democracy demands that, when mistaken decisions are made, those on whose behalf they were made have a duty to hold the decision-makers to account.

33. Democracy is about the right to demonstrate peacefully and legally
34. Democracy has built within itself, the ability to correct mistaken decisions.
35. Democracy is not to be taken for granted.
36. Democracy is a privilege, a responsibility and a duty to be upheld.
37. Democracy should not be used as a means to manipulate the population, either for self-interest or against democracy itself.
38. Democracy is about having in place protection for Democracy and the institutions of Democracy.
39. Anything that is contrary to the above is undemocratic.

A summary of the above