I have already said there's a conflict within the model of democracy, where although in reality the government is never completely representative of each and every member of the democracy, the responsibility of the government decisions falls on each and every member of the democracy.

My point in comparing the company with the country wasn't that you should leave a country if you don't like a government decision, but to stress the above, that when you choose to stay on, you accept responsibility for the decision that has been taken, whether you subscribe to it or not.

A glaring example of this is the recent TARP scheme under which the government has now spent taxpayers' money on salvaging the very companies and institutions which siphoned off the same very taxpayers' money. Many people would not agree to bailing out the financial institutions, but once the government decides to do that, these people also have to share the responsibility, by way of whatever taxes they have to pay or the missed opportunities of using those funds for better purposes. Similarly when a country goes to war, its people have to sacrifice by way of joining the military, contributing to the war chest by additional taxes or surcharges and by many other means.

It is with this premise that I say the responsibility for a decision taken by the head of the state lies with the whole country, even if you individually do not subscribe to or accept the decision wholly/partially. If my country borrowed heavily from the World Bank or the IMF and then hiked taxes in order to repay these loans, I cannot stop paying the taxes saying I didn't agree with the decision to borrow. I am sure nobody will even bother asking me my opinion in this matter. But once the government decides that it will borrow now, and will hike taxes in the future to repay the loans, I must either follow the decision or leave the country. As a citizen of my country I must accept my share of the responsibility of my government's actions, whether I like or not.

Now, since this paradox is inherent in the democracy, it is also important to keep in mind that while you as citizen of a particular country may have to bear the responsibility of its actions, you as an individual may not agree with it. We usually tend to mix up the two, which is where the America-bashing or the Muslim-hating comes into picture.

To answer your last statement, if you are a Brit, as a Brit you are as responsible you are for the decisions Tony Blair took as the Prime Minister as I am for the decisions of my government. Thankfully Osama doesn't rule my country, but if he were heading a democratically elected government of my country, I would have to share the responsibility of his decisions too.

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