Books
Welcome to our Books page, a dedicated resource for exploring the principles, challenges, and opportunities of direct democracy. Here, you'll find a carefully selected collection of titles that delve into the history, theory, and practical application of this empowering form of governance.
Whether you're a seasoned advocate, a curious learner, or seeking solutions for a more inclusive and participatory political system, these books provide valuable insights to deepen your understanding and inspire action. Join us in uncovering the transformative potential of direct democracy—one page at a time.
ONE VOTE AWAY : SAVING THE WEST by Neil Petrie
Amazon Reviews : 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Neil Petrie launches an all-out assault on those parties and politicians failing the voters. In “One Vote Away” he provides a proven but little heralded means to end our slide towards a global totalitarian dystopia: a hybrid part-representative, part-direct democracy. He looks to the Swiss model, a system that has prospered for 175 years, with its people the happiest in the world with their political system.
The hybrid was born in 1848, the same year that Marx unleashed his totalitarian handbook, The Communist Manifesto. The Swiss hybrid is not only the clear winner over the Marxists, but also over the representative democracies currently collapsing across the West. The Swiss lead the world in educational, social, and financial wellbeing surveys, and the secret to their success? That the people have the final say on the laws they must live with, not the politicians. Not only that, their politicians run a country more heavily populated than Scotland, but they only work 12 weeks a year and are only paid a daily rate, often holding down normal jobs.
Over 130 years ago, A.V.Dicey, Britain’s most eminent constitutional lawyer, lost faith in pure representative democracy, and came to support the Swiss hybrid’s reliance on the referendum. It is time we learned from Dicey and took control: we need to elect those supporting the hybrid, the people, and letting us have the final decision over where our destiny lies. We can save the West, but we must kick out the political clowns who have failed us so disastrously. All Just One Vote Away.
DIRECT DEMOCRACY TODAY by Simon Gregory
Are our politicians truly serving the people, or has the trust in representative democracy been compromised? In this groundbreaking book, we delve into the pressing questions surrounding political transparency, accountability, and genuine representation. “Direct Democracy NOW” challenges conventional wisdom and explores a radical approach to address the shortcomings of our current political systems.
Is there a need for greater political transparency and accountability? Are voters authentically represented, and if not, why? Could Direct Democracy offer a more effective alternative? How does Direct Democracy function, and what lessons can we draw to fortify democracy against erosion?
Direct Democracy features in the Politics in Pubs website. "On Tuesday 23rd June 2026 (the tenth anniversary of the EU Referendum), Politics in Pubs met to discuss the Direct Democracy Movement. We were delighted to welcome guest speaker Neil Petrie, author and former intelligence officer, to introduce this topic and lead the discussion." Click the logo below to read the report and the in-depth question and answer session.
People in the UK are now ready to reject the government’s hard power control tactics as a means of governing the country. The UK’s Government hasn’t been considering the views of its people, which they are meant to represent, for a very long time, most recently proven throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
Experience has shown that democracy is enhanced when the electorate is directly involved in making policy decisions, inputting, learning and self-correcting as they go. Referendums and Initiatives allow voters to address matters that the parties might prefer not to, often out of self-interest or to avoid “controversy”.
Neil Petrie has written a "seminal work attacking the self-interested elites driving globalisation, controlling representative democracies, and manipulating peoples around the world". Below we offer his book as an audiobook.
A growing number of nations and localities recognise the benefits that voters bring to their policy-making process and have adopted direct democracy. In general, they retain the existing representative system to “manage” day-to-day matters, but also use three tried, tested and simple voting tools to top-up the half-full democracy tank. These are:
