“Democracy needs dissent to thrive”

Daniel Cohn-Bendit is a German politician whose life and career have played out in France and Germany. He has been a European Member of Parliament since 1994 and co-president of the European Greens/European Free Alliance group since 2004; he was one of the main protagonists during the events of May 1968 in France. In the 2009 European elections he headed the Europe Écologie list in the Île de France constituency (20.86% of votes) – the list won 16.28 per cent of votes nationally. In a telephone interview with The World of Parliaments, Cohn-Bendit talks about his commitment to parliament and analyses democracy in general.

Q: Where do you think democracy stands today?
Mr. Daniel Cohn-Bendit: Generally speaking, our parliamentary democracies work. At the same time, there is obviously a gap between society and democratic institutions. Societies in general are very sceptical of the capacity of democratic institutions to solve problems.

Q: What is the role of elected representatives in strengthening democracy and ensuring respect for political tolerance?
DCB: The problem for elected representatives is to show they are capable of understanding what’s happening in society. It is the task of parliamentarians – and this can sometimes seem contradictory – not only to find solutions for today’s crises – the financial and economic crisis, the ecological crisis, the globalization crisis – but also to try, by their presence and the action they take, to forge closer ties between democratic institutions and society.

Q: Should lawmakers serve as a bridge between voters and government, for example to convince governments of the urgency of saving the ecosystem?
DCB: Elected representatives have to push the majority and hence the government in a certain direction. Parliamentarians serve, not just as bridges or channels, but also to express contradictions. Democracy needs dissent to thrive. There is never just one answer in politics. Democracy can only be successful if societies are convinced that debate, the expression of conflicting points of view, leads to solutions. The problem is that elected representatives tend to say, “All we have to do to weather the storm is …”, and that’s never true. Saying “all we have to do” is a threat to democracy.

Q: You say things can be changed via parliament and the ballot box, but what do you say to those who have lost confidence in their political representatives?
DCB: One of the problems of democracy is that our societies are relatively unilateral. Most people are in favour of reform on condition that nothing changes for them. The result is an impasse, with elected representatives sometimes faced with society’s refusal to budge. If you take the case of the changes or reform needed to save the ecosystem, we have to do more than just adopt laws, people also have to change the way they behave, and that’s one of the most difficult things to do.

Q: You helped spearhead the 1968 student movement, and you are very active in the European Parliament. What is your message to young people to convince them to strengthen democracy and get involved in order to move things forward?
DCB: I’m not as sceptical as you are about young people. True, young people have an individualistic outlook, which in fact corresponds to the state of mind of society, but at the same time many young people are getting involved in non-governmental organizations and are fighting for a better world. My message to them is, yes, we can change the course of events by getting involved.

Q: What was the turning point that convinced you that you could change things by becoming a member of parliament?
DCB: It was in the 1970s, after I had been part of the very important events of 1968 and had been an activist in the ecological and anti-nuclear movements. We realized that while those movements mobilized society, the decisions were made by a parliamentary majority. A democracy can change things only if there is a parliamentary majority able to implement change. Working at the institutional level helps bring about change. Social movements and new majorities go hand in hand. You can change the world by acting on society and by taking action at the institutional level.

Q: What can Europe do to help other continents, notably Africa?
DCB: It is vital for Europe to take part in all the negotiations relating to how globalization works and to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Europe is going to renegotiate the common agricultural policy, which has an impact, positive or harmful, on Africa. We have to stop export assistance for our agriculture. Europe must be at the core of reflection on the need to develop the poorest countries, which implies new WTO regulations and a new common policy in Europe.

Q: You're also very interested in Latin America …
DCB: The situation's the same, whether it's Africa or Latin America. In international negotiations, Europe must impose the possibility for emerging countries to develop on their own; at the same time frank dialogue is needed with Latin America, in particular Brazil, a very strong emerging country, on issues relating to the environment, climate change and fuel, which pose genuine problems of environmental degradation.

Q: You have always supported partnerships between men and women in politics. Have you seen progress or setbacks in this area?
DCB: We're making progress, but too slowly. In some countries, you have political forces, like the Green parties or the ecologists, who have achieved true parity, while other more traditional or conservative political forces still have a long way to go. The same holds true in the economy, where the number of women reaching the top is relatively small.

Q: Where do you take the energy to continue pushing for change?
DCB: I'm very optimistic. Take Jimmy Cliff's reggae song, You can get it if you really want. It says that you can if you want. That's the message Barak Obama developed.

Q: Can President Obama really change the world?
DCB: Let's say that Barak Obama has a key part to play. Of course, he's not on his own, he can push American society to change, but you see the opposition his health reform programme has encountered in the United States, for example. He is no doubt one of the people who can bring about the greatest change at this time.