Sir, – Karl Martin (Letters, November 14th) asks: " . . . if a majority of voters in European countries like Italy want immigration dramatically reduced but elected politicians cannot do so, because of activist judges and outdated international refugee conventions, voters are sooner or later going to ask themselves: what’s the point of democracy?”
While democracy has been defined as the rule of the people, by the people, for the people, the question must be asked whether there are limits to the power of elected politicians to legislate as they want.
In most democracies, the powers of representative government are limited by constitutional law which ensures that democratic governments are obliged to respect national and international inalienable human rights.
Otherwise, democratic populism will lead to tyranny. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER,
Dublin 9.