This is a popular saying but I'm not sure I actually believe it anymore. Most of the time in a democracy we get to vote for the people presented to us and most of that is pretty skewed to those who have the most influence in the media and who has the most influence online and who has the most spending power on adverts.
I think if you ask most people in this country do we want a functioning health service and railway, nationalised water gas and electricity, better human rights, better working rights and a better living environment everyone would say yes but the reality is we keep consistently voting for the opposite.