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From: steven@mcvax.UUCP (Steven Pemberton)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: US weapons in Europe
Message-ID: <6195@mcvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 23-Nov-84 07:25:39 EST
Article-I.D.: mcvax.6195
Posted: Fri Nov 23 07:25:39 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 24-Nov-84 20:54:51 EST
References: <470@utcsrgv.UUCP> <116@talcott.UUCP> <6190@mcvax.UUCP> <688@erix.UUCP>
Reply-To: steven@mcvax.UUCP (Steven Pemberton)
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 22

In article <6190@mcvax.UUCP> I wrote:
>Just because European governments want US arms doesn't mean European people
>want them, as is well demonstrated in Holland among others, where the great
>majority of people don't want the wretched things. And it doesn't mean
>either that we won't complain about the governments wanting them!
 
To which mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams) replied:
> I agree with you about the bombs, but I think your argument is a bit 
> dangerous. What people want and what governments want are often two different
> things. Most representative democracies do not work on the basis that the
> people elected (Members of Parliament or what ever they are called) represent
> the views of the people. The principle seems more to be that the people
> elected should have the old "wise man" role and do what they think is
> appropriate. 

Well, exactly, but I don't see why the argument is dangerous. People of all
persuasions complain about their governments, whether by writing to the
papers, writing to their elected members, or demonstrating. Since the
elected members don't represent your views, you have to try and convince
them somehow to support/oppose your ideas.

Steven Pemberton