17.

No rule is better than self-rule. In the light of the statement, discuss any six merits of Liberal Democracy. 

Liberal democracy is a form of government. It is a representative democracy in which the ability of the elected representatives to exercise decision-making power is subject to the rule of law, and usually moderated by a constitution that emphasizes the protection of the rights and freedoms of individuals, and which places constraints on the leaders and on the extent to which the will of the majority can be exercised against the rights of minorities.

The rights and freedoms protected by the constitutions of liberal democracies are varied, but they usually include most of the following: rights to due process, privacy, property and equality before the law, and freedoms of speech, assembly and religion. In liberal democracies these rights (also known as 'liberal rights') may sometimes be constitutionally guaranteed, or are otherwise created by statutory law or case law, which may in turn empower various civil institutions to administer or enforce these rights.

Liberal democracy is the combination of a democratic system, in which policy is ultimately determined through popular elections and liberalism, in which the state has limited control over the individual, and there are strong protections for civil liberties. In a liberal democracy, people are generally free to do what they like, even if that involves criticizing the government; the government doesn't get to control society, suppress opposition, or do whatever they please, the government is bound by laws just like the citizens are.