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Is God democratic?
Like the Bible, democracy uses mercy and peace. And if mercy means going that extra mile for people and not being judgemental, then I would say that God is democratic in his own way because he allowed us to do what we wanted to do, allowed us to grow as people. He doesn’t dictate – he has clear instructions to people but he would not force people to follow them.

Is God democratic?
I don’t know if God is democratic. Sometimes I think that religion plays far too big a role in politics but I hope that God is democratic.

I don’t know if God is democratic. Sometimes I think that religion plays far too big a role in politics right now. In fact i think religion should play very little role in politics. Values yes religion no. So is God democratic - I hope so.

What is democracy to you?
Democracy is the exercise and experience of liberty of choice. It is the practice and experience of liberty of thoughts and the action of these thoughts. Democracy is the intention and action of liberty’s experience.

Why bother to vote?
I can understand why many people who are poor and out of jobs feel that it doesn’t matter whether they vote or not and that it will have no influence whatsoever on their own personal situations. It is understandable. But on the other hand voting is a way of saying that this my opinion, I want to have some influence on the development of my own life and of society, and that is one thing you can do. And if more poor people actually voted, that would have an influence, would change the world.

Can democracy solve climate change?
Yes, I think it can and I think it must. There is only one way that we can alter the patterns of peoples’ behaviour and that’s through consent. However, I think that you cannot tackle climate change without first tackling the democratic deficit; you’re not going to get people
to do things only because the centre says it’s a good thing. People have to feel they have some control over the decisions that are made and that they have a set of choices before them in shaping those decisions. So I think you can tackle it through democracy but not without some reform to the democratic system we see operating in most Western countries.

Who rules the world?
No one does and that’s really as it should be. What we need to make sure of is that there are many different people doing many different things, and as far as possible ruling themselves.

Who rules the world?
I’m an old-fashioned Marxist – capital rules it, not in a paranoic sense of some big capitalist meeting between Washington and New York, Wall Street, but simply this anonymous process, the process of recycling, reproducing, which is infinitely expanding. It’s clear that this logic of capitalist expansion is the underlying key – kind of a hidden point of reference to everything that goes on today.

Who would you vote for as the president of the world?

The president of the world should be a woman, over 50, I think she should be a mother, perhaps a grandmother, because they know really what democracy is.

Is democracy good for everyone?
It can be. The greater good is served by the greatest freedom. But governments tend to believe that they know what is best for the individual. They believe that they can determine an individual’s
security, happiness and well-being. When we are confronted with such problems as terrorism and the environment, the government should promote an active, not passive, response from its public.

Is democracy fair for everyone?
I believe democracy is suitable to everyone, but there are two values among other fundamental ones, two values or instruments
fundamental in democracy, and there many nations that sadly (though it's not their fault), do not uphold those values, to wit: education and culture. Without them, a democratic regime or a democracy cannot work. Any other way, it's utopian.