A Post-Democratic Era?

Interview with Declan Ganley: Just Say No to the Lisbon Treaty. - WSJ.com: "Mr. Ganley says. 'You will hear it discussed quietly across the dinner tables in certain sections of Brussels and elsewhere that we're entering into this post-democratic era, that democracy is not the perfect mechanism or tool with which to deal with the challenges of global this-that-or-the-other"

Few things stir the debate in blogs in Sweden as the famous democratic deficit of the Lisbon Treaty. If Ireland votes yes in three weeks, are we entering a post-democratic era?

What is the difference of electing a president like the Americans directly from the people, or so it seems, or having the European Council, the heads of states of the 27 member countries, electing one for us? The heads of states are elected by the people directly and perhaps these people are better suited to pick a leader among them or other for optimal function. I have a problem with how this would count as a post-democratic event. If people turn out to dislike the president they will not vote again for the heads of states.

The American system, by the way is not particularly popular among Americans right now. Relatively few people show up to vote for the president and the Congress have an approval score of 29%. More people show up to vote for the heads of states in Europe. I would go so far as to say that under the Lisbon Treaty we will get a more democratically elected president than in America.

So what is Ganley talking about in the citation above: democracy is not the perfect mechanism or tool...