IS THIS what democracy looks like? I can’t get too worked up either way about the table-top protest during York councillors’ budget cuts debate; it didn’t appear terribly offensive or even that disruptive compared with similar protests elsewhere, but it wasn’t likely to change many minds or add to the debate either.

What intrigued me was one of the phrases they chanted: “This is what democracy looks like.” The thought generated in my mind was of protest politics, taking to the streets with massed banners and determination to defeat the cuts being steamrollered through by an unheeding government, the demonstrators no doubt buoyed up by the sight of tyrant-toppling movements in the Middle East.

Well, people power is certainly a part of democracy and an important one, too, but I wonder if, like many other aspects of the political process, it’s one that needs approaching with a certain amount of care.

First, in societies encompassing many millions you can get a very impressive turnout, maybe even of hundreds of thousands, and not necessarily represent the majority. Even the recent uprising in Egypt is seen by some as a movement of a relatively small section of the populace, but one which, crucially, could congregate in the centre of the capital at relatively short notice.

This may not seem so important to you if you consider the demonstrators to be “right-minded” people, or even “our” people, but it’s as well to remember the difference between “people power” and “mob rule” often comes down to whether you approve of who’s manning the barricades.

There’s also a question of how far you go with direct action. I went on a couple of anti-cuts demos when I was a student (plus ca change and all that), including a big one in London. They were very peaceful and no one took a blind bit of notice.

Some years later I witnessed the terrifying aftermath of the capital’s poll tax riot, which kicked off when the vast majority of peaceful protesters were heading home. A rioter I met years later told me his action was definitely pre-planned.

The tax and its patron, one M Thatcher, departed soon after. People learn lessons from that sort of result, not always comfortable ones for the rest of us, and there are always those ready to turn your relatively peaceful protest into something you never envisaged.

If you’re sufficiently convinced of your righteousness not to be bothered about being unrepresentative or that violence may ensue, it’s still worth considering whether the “right” side will prevail on the streets. It’s something of a cliché to cite the Nazis, but they were pretty good at turning direct action to their advantage, and at orchestrating big crowds in public places; rather good at a certain kind of democracy, in fact. No one is suggesting jumping on a table will rip society apart, but perhaps we should look a little before we leap too far into a certain type of politics.

• CHANNEL 4 has a brill new wheeze, with a televised competition for representatives of gritty, modern urbanity to win a home in the “ancient” Dales village of Grassington.

But viewers should be aware the culture clash this new slice of reality TV is likely to provoke will not be modern urban life vs traditional rural ways, because Grassington is no longer remotely representative of old-style Dales life. Indeed, for any old-style Dales folk left the best chance of affording a home in this “idyllic” community would be to become one of the contestants.

Actually, Grassington is a pretty successful post-rural village – for want of a better piece of jargon – relying on tourism rather than agriculture and open to incomers with new ideas, so long as they can afford the property prices.

The Channel 4 programme, which starts on Thursday, may well prove a fascinating social exercise, but I suspect it won’t set 21-century contestants against Olde England; instead they’ll be competing for a piece of modern Middle England.