List of the world's top 10 democracies...and who's NOT on it

1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. New Zealand
4. Sweden
5. Switzerland
6. Norway
7. Netherlands
8. Australia
9. Canada
10. UK

Hmmm. Haven't they forgotten The Greatest The Bestest The Free-est?

11. Belgium
12. Germany

Ok quit fooling around. Where's the "Spreading Democracy" nation?

13. United States

Ahhh there it is.

http://www.worldaudit.org/democracy.htm

funny post. who did this ranking?

Today, Freedom House's chairman is James Woolsey, former head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who surely knows what nefarious governments get up to.

Its trustees are a varied lot, including foreign affairs specialist Zbigniew Brzezinski, who predicted the fall of the Soviet Union a decade before anyone else thought it possible, business tycoon Malcolm S. Forbes, and satire writer P.J. O'Rourke.

http://www.defenddemocracy.org/in_the_media/in_the_media_show.htm?doc_id=232112&attrib_id=9514

:D :D :D

Please, stop posting posts around which my mind cannot possibly wrap around. UGH!!!

April 25th 2003:

To build its case for war with Iraq, the Bush administration argued that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but some officials now privately acknowledge the White House had another reason for war — a global show of American power and democracy.

"We were not lying," said one official. "But it was just a matter of emphasis."

http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/rad-green/2003-April/008466.html

April 23, 2003, Nightline

JAMES WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR
Well, I think we have to realize that the weapons of mass destruction that they find could be a few petri dishes. We've never been looking in this case for things, big things like nuclear reactors...

TED KOPPEL, ABC NEWS
When you talk, Mr. Woolsey, as you do, about the odd petri dish here or there, that's not quite consistent with that compelling argument that the Secretary of State made before the UN Security Council where, indeed, he was talking about hundreds, if not thousands, of tons of this material that was out there. Where is it?

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:WqI1SGd0wMEJ:onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/000748.html+might+find+a+few+petri+dishes+wmd+Iraq%3B+Ted+Koppel&hl=en

<snip>

World Audit is in an international not-for-profit company, registered in England by the registered charity, World Concern. Our aim is to provide a truly global geopolitical perspective because we believe that corruption, human rights abuses, vote stuffing, miscarriages of justice, and press censorship in ANY country should be publicised to as wide an audience as possible.

<snip>

democracy audit > methodology

Countries with fewer than 1 million inhabitants are not audited.

Each country is rated on a scale of 1 to 7 by Freedom House for political rights (P) and civil liberties (C). Countries are assigned to a division (D) within our democracy table thus:

http://www.worldaudit.org/methodology.htm

"corruption, human rights abuses, vote stuffing, miscarriages of justice, and press censorship in ANY country should be publicised to as wide an audience as possible..."

God bless America.

9th in freedom of the press and 14th best in corruption. Only 5 notches ahead of Chile (19th in democracy)

27-27-58 (democracy-press freedom-corruption)
USA is 13-9-14? Wait another yr.

:silly:

See related topic - Democracy litmus test - does the USA pass?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3254088&mesg_id=3254088

Iraq: democracy, 126. Freedom of press, 105. Not to mention corruption, #117.

We're spreading democracy and freedom, dontcha know?

n/t

Heh. :D

countries.

If we were a Democracy we would have a parlaimentary sort of government where each special interest party had representatives in Government, not just the winner take all system we have here.

I was formerly against parlaimentary types of government because often they result in gridlock, but now I'm beginning to think it's not that bad, especially when one party rules all and tries to ram their awful legislation through, the gridlock could be a good thing.

Just a smack-down suggestion for using against stupid morans who try using the "we're not a Democracy" bullshit.

Another suggestion is to mention Freedom House ain't exactly what one would call "librul".

And if you need even more smacking material, the Heritage Foundation is CONSERVATIVE think-tank, and here's their 2005 ranking;

Heritage Foundation Index of Freedom 2005

Rank: 12
Score:1.85

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/country.cfm?id=Unitedstates

it would seem that their more progressive social programs testify to the fact that their system works more like a real democracy than ours. I want an all out social democracy that goes to war only under the most dire of circumstances, when all attempts at diplomacy have failed and not before.

However, I think pigs will fly first.

so is that like practicing magic to make peace? :7

I fixed it. :-)

:7

i am the spelling nazi!

...the Spelling Inquisition!

And I agree, that'll be when pigs soar through the air. :(

I would move to Canada in a heart beat.

In practice, a parliamentary democracy. Not a republic.

Ignore the monarchy thing; they've had nuthin' since 1982 and we aren't giving it back. :D

We are in fact a republic aside from the many other things we are, though I really dont think parlimentary democracy is the best of the many possible labels.

are over-whelming us. From Fairfax, VA to the HILL!

I think (believe strongly) these org's were hard at work long before we even paid mind they existed.

It includes functioning political groups, NGO's, the press, minority rights, all sorts of things. It doesn't mean just holding up a purple finger.

All of those countries have a republic. Republic doesnt mean single member districts. All of the countries mentioned are republics, the issue is how democratic the republics are, meaning how responsive the representation is to the people.

Our single member districts dont make us a republic, they make us a badly structured republic. The problem with single member districts is it was designed to work in a very different society than we have now. Proportional representation is much more suited for a large interconnected population. Single member district works better for a country where the culture is much more localized.

To have a true Democracy, you need to have the citizens all voting on the laws.

I wonder if all the jockfans will start painting 13 all over their faces.

... from the rear, as usual. :eyes:

Don't they hate freedom?

And now for something completely different:
Finland, Finland, Finland.
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland,
Finland has it all....

did you write that?

It's a Monty Python song.

fear, knowing they're the top targets of them freedom-hating terra-ists.

Maybe that's really why the sheep in New Zealand are so frightened...it's not the sound of zippers at all, it's them terra-ists!

:D

But with the Patriot Act, our civil liberties score should be 2/7 IMO. Corruption should be through the roof. Ok, the press score is 9 - but that doesn't tell the story of how our media chooses to use its rights. Another factor that isn't in there is total 1 party control nationally.

have a parliamentary form of government?

Both on the payroll of the corporations.

9. Canada :toast:

... the US not making the top 10 but what I cannot understand is the oldest democracy being excluded altogether x(.

keymaker

Am waiting on a reply.

... but I'm pretty sure it's applicable to the 291,000 Icelandics ;-). I'd be interested to know the answer, if you get one...

keymaker

I'll post their reply soon as I get it. :)

Not fair for Iceland, really.

I've just read the mothodology where they at least acknowledge that Iceland would have a place if it qualified for inclusion.

keymaker

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

that'll be one more reply towards the target for posting my own original rubbish!:thumbsup:

keymaker

Noting the 200 and 2004 elections? Sure would like to know who is behind that polling. Would like to speak with them.

That's the score, not the ranking in the world.

Notice Uruguay also scored 1. And their democracy ranking is #21.

Relieved. At least we are heard outside our borders.

Lately we have indeed scored high on several global "tests".

"Feeling a little proud here :)"

Please catch up :)

Martti




Edited to say "Hello over there!"

America is no longer America any more.

She has lost her way.

Now, what to do?

:(

I wonder if there's anything to be made of that?

invasion -how does one "spred democracy" by ignoring one's own citizen majority?- most his "coalition" are way down the democracy list.

Albania #68
Azarbaijan #135
Colombia #100
Eritria #144
Kazakhstan #135
Uzbekistan #143
Ukraine #126
Macedonia #69
Moldova #118

Before the above go "spreading democracy" in Iraq, they should be looking to themselves...several are lower-ranked than Iraq was. :D

NT!

Oman, United Arab Emirates, and many many more...

as Saudi Arabia is to womens rights

what's the criteria for this? There are a few monarchies at the top of that list. And how do we have more press freedom than Canada, Germany, UK, and Australia? :wtf: this is highly suspect.

In Germany press freedom is restricted regarding Nazi propaganda. E.g. to deny the holocaust is a crime. "Mein Kampf" isn't available in the book stores. But these restrictions are to cope with, I think.

True, they are last in freedom of the press, but its funny how they are one of the seven outposts of tyranny when they are more democratic than 1/3 of the worlds countries.

It's ludicrous for them to suggest the US has more freedom of the press than Canada or the UK.

that in the UK thay have partisan papers, like each paper has a KNOWN partisan leaning, while the only thing we have quite like that nationally is Faux??

Fox is widely regarded as RW, but is not open about it like the papers in the UK. CNN is RW, but is considered LW by Republicans and RW by Democrats. Nobody really acknowledges their partisanship in the US.

However, the UK does have some rather draconian laws controlling what the press can write about, if I recall, in regards to the government.

However, that said, I thought somewhere else had the US ranked like #32 in the world in press freedom... which seems more appropriate.

Fox is widely regarded as RW, but is not open about it like the papers in the UK. CNN is RW, but is considered LW by Republicans and RW by Democrats. Nobody really acknowledges their partisanship in the US.

However, the UK does have some rather draconian laws controlling what the press can write about, if I recall, in regards to the government.

However, that said, I thought somewhere else had the US ranked like #32 in the world in press freedom... which seems more appropriate.

it's much stricter than US and when it comes to covering government secrets in the UK watch out

Why am I not surprised?

You never know what you are missing until things go sour where you are at. I have been planning to move back to Sweden ever since Monkey Boy was reselected. This just confirms that idea.
I'm going to miss a bunch of nice and intelligent people, like the crowd posting here, the other lunatic half I can't wait to get away from.

We are going to sink further down that list, due to the cuts in social programs and other OBVIOUS things. Pathetic.

I guess the re:puke:'s are starting to come around and see things our way!

1 Denmark
- Finland
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Slovakia
- Switzerland
9 New Zealand
10 Latvia
11 Estonia
- Germany
- Sweden
- Trinidad and Tobago
15 Slovenia
16 Lithuania
17 Austria
18 Canada
19 Czech Republic
- France
21 Bosnia and Herzegovina
22 Belgium
- United States of America (American territory)

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11715

eom

Between Ireland and Chile :shrug:

Thanks for caring :hi:

Loved the humor, enjoy your posts. :toast:

Julie

How fitting in this age of reduced expectations.