How to Save Democracy: the Swiss Safety Valve

In which the author looks to Switzerland for a solution to our political problems

I think we can learn something from Switzerland. Not about how great the mountains are for defence, nor about silly accents, not even about triangular-shaped chocolate, but about democracy.

You see, we have a problem. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our democratic institutions are creaking under the weight of radical politics.

The reasons are manifold, but today I don’t want to talk causation but to suggest a cure.

I have a radical Populist friend who’s fond of telling me that “if you don’t deal with the moderates, you’ll deal with extremists”. Invariably, I am repulsed by the implied threat in that statement whenever I hear such sentiments from a radical. One can’t help but hear a justification given in advance. That being said, I can’t fault the truth of it.

The model I want to play with today is a heating system. I trust you know just as little as I do about such things, and so we can proceed happily together in our ignorance. Our democratic institutions, like heating systems, are built with a certain amount of pressure in mind. For the most part, it ticks away within a certain range. But sometimes you get a buildup of pressure, and that’s dangerous. Too much pressure and the system something has got to give. In the absence of any safety mechanism, the break will come within the system. A pipe bursts underground, and now you have to tear up your floorboards, dig up your floor and overhaul your plumbing system.

In boilers as in democratic systems, it is good to have safety release valves. This allows us to expel the pent up energy and thus alleviate the pressure in the system.