On populism, technocracy, representative democracy, and truthfulness

Recent years have witnessed a heightened disrespect for truthfulness in democratic politics. This development has been generally associated with the rise of populism. Our analysis adds a new dimension in arguing that truthfulness forms an intrinsic part of a working system of representative democracy that not only populism but also technocracy work to undermine. Both overlook how representative democracy both relies on and to some degree promotes an ethic of truthfulness among policy-makers and citizens alike. We shall argue that representative democracy respects the ‘circumstances of truthfulness’ and that it is precisely the competition among parties and the system of representation within a pluralist society that encourages truthfulness. It does so through the very processes of intermediation among citizens and between them and their representatives that both populists and technocrats disparage. We start by exploring the nature of ‘truthfulness’ and why it forms a necessary condition for democratic representation. We then explore how representative democracy requires and promotes an ethics of truthfulness which is promoted by processes of public deliberation and interest mediation by political parties. Finally, we discuss how both populism and technocracy betray the ethic of truthfulness and along the way political equality, freedom and impartiality.