Michel Guénaire criticises the democracy of opinion

"Our democracies are showing us the spectacle of a new relation between opinion and power. The press, polls and daily news commentary all favour conventional opinion", notes the French writer and jurist Michel Guénaire, observing the beginning of the French electoral campaign. According to him, opinion "is becoming an implicit obligation of thought. ... The democracy of opinion is not a real democracy. It leads to a demagogical democracy, which leads to a populist democracy. Opinion is against democracy. Maybe our new candidates wish to reconcile the masses with institutions through democracy of opinion. If this is so, they are mistaken, because the masses want authorities who define a project beyond their feelings. Maybe they no longer know any more than what the polls say. In that case they should give up the exercise of public responsibilities."

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