Article Critique: The Consensus Model of Democracy

The problem proposed by the author is that a majoritarian interpretation of democracy does not actually represent democracy and alternatively a consensus model is needed to insure that the primary meaning of democracy is not violated. The author believes that this is an important subject since belief in the majoritarian view can not only exclude minority groups but it can lead to problems such as war. As an alternative to the problem, the consensus model is presented.

The author argues that in a plural society such as Northern Ireland, which is divided into a Protestant majority and a Catholic minority, a majority rule democracy is actually a dictatorship leading to problems such as civil war. When the minority is not considered, the majority rules and this can be dangerous. Instead a consensus model is needed to ensure that all parties are represented and democracy rules.