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Electoral reform (Read 7804 times)
hawil
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Electoral reform
Sep 27th, 2010 at 6:03pm
 
As there are virtually no real Democracies in the world, they have been hijacked and turned into Plutocracies, it does not matter which voting system is used, hardly anything will change.
What could change the governance for the better would be, if groups of people organize themselves and ask politicians pertinent questions and the politicians are obliged to answer the question within a certain time and not just political gobbledegook.
Everybody should have the opportunity to have his/her question put to the politician and there should be rules that the groups are again not hijacked by people with interests which only benefit themselves.
I read a book recently written by a MP who has since left parliament, and he described the question time in parliament as a "Circus".
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aussiefree2ride
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #1 - Sep 28th, 2010 at 9:32am
 
I think our political system does need reform, as does our "justice" system. It seems that all systems devised by humanity corode over time.
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freediver
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #2 - Sep 28th, 2010 at 10:19pm
 
You cannot force a politician to say what you want to hear. There is also a limit to what you can expect from question time, given that the real decisions are made outside of parliament.

If you want electoral reform, demand it. Don't settle for a few crumbs off the table.

We should switch to voting by delgable proxy. Every enrolled citzen gets a vote on every issue. There is the option, which most would take, to delgate your vote to a sitting MP, who votes on your behalf and wields as much power as the public gives him. You can change your delegation at any time, on an issue by issue basis, or you can keep the same representative till one of you dies. This differs from common concepts of direct democracy in that it does not force everyone to vote on each issue and does not disenfranchise those who don't have the time.
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BobH
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #3 - Sep 28th, 2010 at 10:45pm
 
How about people just decide what they want to do, and do it?
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Equitist
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #4 - Sep 28th, 2010 at 10:57pm
 

BobH wrote on Sep 28th, 2010 at 10:45pm:
How about people just decide what they want to do, and do it?


*Bill (I mean Bob), I've gotta ask: are you a father and/or do you ever expect to sire and nurture a child?

The reason I ask: you seem to be extraordinarily individualistic, monetaristic and short-sighted.




*Freudian slip!?
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BobH
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #5 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 12:10am
 
For once I think you're describing me fairly. I am individualistic, somewhat of a monetarist, and if I'm being honest with myself I am often short-sighted. An example to that is the answer to your question. I am not a father and at the moment I have no plans to be one. I am open to having children one day. If it happens, it happens. So far that's mostly been the way I've lived my life, if it happens it happens. My actions and decisions are more impulsed based than based on long term plans. I did not plan on running for office until someone from the LDP called me up and asked if I'd help them out by putting my name up for election. I am a very here-and-now person but that doesn't mean I don't think about long term consequences. I often think about the future and future implications of what I'm doing or what's being done in the world around me. I just don't make plans in my own life. I'm not a planner, I'm not a fan of plans. That's consistent with my political beliefs too. I don't believe in government planning, which I'm sure you've noticed in my ramblings. I am more for the spontaneous order of things. Let it be, laissez-faire.
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aussiefree2ride
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #6 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 7:22am
 
freediver wrote on Sep 28th, 2010 at 10:19pm:
You cannot force a politician to say what you want to hear. There is also a limit to what you can expect from question time, given that the real decisions are made outside of parliament.

If you want electoral reform, demand it. Don't settle for a few crumbs off the table.

We should switch to voting by delgable proxy. Every enrolled citzen gets a vote on every issue. There is the option, which most would take, to delgate your vote to a sitting MP, who votes on your behalf and wields as much power as the public gives him. You can change your delegation at any time, on an issue by issue basis, or you can keep the same representative till one of you dies. This differs from common concepts of direct democracy in that it does not force everyone to vote on each issue and does not disenfranchise those who don't have the time.


There is a lot of merit in what you say FD. I`d expect this concept to grow in popularity in the near future. The use of the internet will enable this process too. This system could be monitered easily too, to determine participation and satisfaction rates.
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freediver
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #7 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 7:39am
 
BobH wrote on Sep 29th, 2010 at 12:10am:
For once I think you're describing me fairly. I am individualistic, somewhat of a monetarist, and if I'm being honest with myself I am often short-sighted. An example to that is the answer to your question. I am not a father and at the moment I have no plans to be one. I am open to having children one day. If it happens, it happens. So far that's mostly been the way I've lived my life, if it happens it happens. My actions and decisions are more impulsed based than based on long term plans. I did not plan on running for office until someone from the LDP called me up and asked if I'd help them out by putting my name up for election. I am a very here-and-now person but that doesn't mean I don't think about long term consequences. I often think about the future and future implications of what I'm doing or what's being done in the world around me. I just don't make plans in my own life. I'm not a planner, I'm not a fan of plans. That's consistent with my political beliefs too. I don't believe in government planning, which I'm sure you've noticed in my ramblings. I am more for the spontaneous order of things. Let it be, laissez-faire.


So if you got into office you wouldn't actually do anything?
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BobH
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #8 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 10:01am
 
freediver wrote on Sep 29th, 2010 at 7:39am:
BobH wrote on Sep 29th, 2010 at 12:10am:
For once I think you're describing me fairly. I am individualistic, somewhat of a monetarist, and if I'm being honest with myself I am often short-sighted. An example to that is the answer to your question. I am not a father and at the moment I have no plans to be one. I am open to having children one day. If it happens, it happens. So far that's mostly been the way I've lived my life, if it happens it happens. My actions and decisions are more impulsed based than based on long term plans. I did not plan on running for office until someone from the LDP called me up and asked if I'd help them out by putting my name up for election. I am a very here-and-now person but that doesn't mean I don't think about long term consequences. I often think about the future and future implications of what I'm doing or what's being done in the world around me. I just don't make plans in my own life. I'm not a planner, I'm not a fan of plans. That's consistent with my political beliefs too. I don't believe in government planning, which I'm sure you've noticed in my ramblings. I am more for the spontaneous order of things. Let it be, laissez-faire.


So if you got into office you wouldn't actually do anything?

You say that like it's a bad thing. He who governs less governs best.
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freediver
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #9 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 10:36am
 
Would you expect to get paid for doing nothing?
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locutius
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #10 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 11:34am
 
BobH wrote on Sep 29th, 2010 at 10:01am:
freediver wrote on Sep 29th, 2010 at 7:39am:
BobH wrote on Sep 29th, 2010 at 12:10am:
For once I think you're describing me fairly. I am individualistic, somewhat of a monetarist, and if I'm being honest with myself I am often short-sighted. An example to that is the answer to your question. I am not a father and at the moment I have no plans to be one. I am open to having children one day. If it happens, it happens. So far that's mostly been the way I've lived my life, if it happens it happens. My actions and decisions are more impulsed based than based on long term plans. I did not plan on running for office until someone from the LDP called me up and asked if I'd help them out by putting my name up for election. I am a very here-and-now person but that doesn't mean I don't think about long term consequences. I often think about the future and future implications of what I'm doing or what's being done in the world around me. I just don't make plans in my own life. I'm not a planner, I'm not a fan of plans. That's consistent with my political beliefs too. I don't believe in government planning, which I'm sure you've noticed in my ramblings. I am more for the spontaneous order of things. Let it be, laissez-faire.


So if you got into office you wouldn't actually do anything?

You say that like it's a bad thing. He who governs less governs best.


Oh well, at least you are nothing new and represent well the status quo of political stupidity.

Were you being self mocking when you described yourself as individualistic?
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Life_goes_on
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #11 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 11:51am
 
Quote:
As there are virtually no real Democracies in the world


Thankfully. The last thing I want is for the ill-informed masses to be making the important decisions.
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BobH
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #12 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 12:06pm
 
freediver wrote on Sep 29th, 2010 at 10:36am:
Would you expect to get paid for doing nothing?

Would you rather pay someone to take away your money, your property and your rights? I'd rather pay someone to protect my freedoms, and protecting freedoms means making sure no new restrictions on liberty (known as laws) pass through the legislature.
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freediver
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #13 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 12:15pm
 
So people who vote you in wouldn't gain any previously lost freedoms either? A vote for you is a vote for the status quo, and an easy job for you?
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BobH
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Re: Electoral reform
Reply #14 - Sep 29th, 2010 at 3:00pm
 
freediver wrote on Sep 29th, 2010 at 12:15pm:
So people who vote you in wouldn't gain any previously lost freedoms either? A vote for you is a vote for the status quo, and an easy job for you?

How does a new law restore freedoms? Repealing old laws is the only way to restore freedom. We don't need new laws, we need to repeal old laws. But as we know, repealing an old law is near impossible unless you are the super majority. So the most important thing is to block new laws from being passed.
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