Referendums strengthen democracy (German video)

  1. Die Neue Zeit
    Die Neue Zeit
    It has been some time since Die Linke's de facto party leader spoke in a weekly address, but here is Gregor Gysi on the relationship between referenda and democracy:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf03Qrrkn0s

    Short summary:
    - Democracy (read: parliament) is being threathened by lobbygroups, for example in the case of nuclear power and the crisis.
    - However, now we see a people's uprising against this. In Stuttgart there is a multi-billion project to build a subterranean station, the people organise massprotests against this.
    - So, we need referendums, to strengthen (not replace) our (parliamentary) democracy.

    [...]

    Gysi isn't known to think outside the box... He's a rightwing careerist. That said, I don't disagree with referendums in principle, but it should be positioned against the existing farce of a democracy, not supporting it.