the larger the group gets, the more ridiculous the direct demo fixation becomes...except that this (internet) and other electronic forms do make it possible to have something approaching a democracy that involves far more people, and far more quickly...that could serve to make a large group smaller, for purposes of communication, debate and decision making...it already has, in many cases...
but some folks still crave endless meetings to frame decisions taken by a minority and call it democracy...which is as tyrannical as some forms of consensus, which simply mean coercing a minority to shut up and move on , lest the group be alienated...
this is a vote for representative democracy, until we develop something better.. fs