side, why retreat in that way? There are two reasons. One is simply respect for your fellow-citizens. You may disagree with them deeply on the particular issue that is on the table, but their voices are supposed to count equally, in a democracy, and so you must listen to them before you decide and if possible find a solution that takes account of what they say (there are some issues over which no accommodation is possible, but these are actually quite rare: even in a case like abortion, for instance, there are other possibilities besides an outright ban and making abortions freely available on demand). The other reason is that next time round you may find yourself in a minority, and then you will want those on the other side to take your concerns into account. In other words you have an interest in promoting a democratic culture in which majorities do not simply ride roughshod over minorities, but try to consider their interests fairly when reaching decisions.