tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33150821.post9059462017826836559..comments2023-05-15T03:02:07.588+12:00Comments on Better Democracy NZ: Anti Democratic Elitist ThoughtSteve Baronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18231150911705855174noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33150821.post-28570504383766417552010-07-02T10:46:17.451+12:002010-07-02T10:46:17.451+12:00Do we need a Referendum For A New Democracy?
Are ...Do we need a Referendum For A New Democracy?<br /><br />Are you concerned about the future of democracy? Do you feel democracy is under attack by extreme greed in countries around the world? Are you sick and tired of: living in fear, corporate greed, growing police state, government for the rich, working more but having less? <br /><br />Can we use both elections and random selection (in the way we select government officials) to rid democracy of undue influence by extreme wealth and wealth-dominated mass media campaigns?<br /><br />The world's first democracy (Athenian democracy, 600 B.C.) used both elections and random selection. Even Aristotle (the cofounder of Western thought) promoted the use random selection as the best way to protect democracy. The idea of randomly selecting (after screening) juries remains from Athenian democracy, but not randomly selecting (after screening) government officials. Why is it used only for individual justice and not also for social justice? Who wins from that? ...the extremely wealthy?<br /><br />What is the best way to combine elections and random selection to protect democracy in today's world? Can we use elections as the way to screen candidates, and random selection as the way to do the final selection? Who wins from that? ...the people?improvingourworldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09651380866789642032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33150821.post-67494360256309035872010-06-21T08:26:28.582+12:002010-06-21T08:26:28.582+12:00One thing that politicians, political scientists a...One thing that politicians, political scientists and civil servants have in common is that, in the main, they believe that the modern state is far too complex and interconnected with global political and economic forces to function in an autonomous way. That is to say, they believe that sovereignty has to be subservient to these forces. Thus the processes of government become a task of administration within the framework defined by non- democratic institutions such as the United Nations, World Trade Organisation and trans-national corporate businesses.<br /> In order to maintain the credibility of their offices, the political establishment have to give the impression that they are functioning within the remit of democratic government. Thus we have the window-dressing of endless tinkering with minutiae of the law eg. the anti-smacking bill or the new seabed and foreshore act which the commentators say will make very little difference in practice. The proposed referendum on changing the voting system still leaves the same clique in power, albeit in slightly different proportions.<br /> The greatest travesty against democracy in recent times- the suspension of elected Ecan councillors by the Minister for the Environment using his statutory powers shows the true colours of the political class- anti-democratic when is comes to the service of a couple of hundred fat-cat cow-cockies versus the democratic right of 300 000 Cantabrians- because of their slavish belief that the income to the nation of increased milk sales overseas is more important than democracy itself. As Steve Baron says tongue-in-cheek- "Perhaps we could also repeal representative democracy"- well here you see that repeal in action.Kevthefarmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03119504308538393274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33150821.post-57957615196522806942010-06-20T10:05:38.186+12:002010-06-20T10:05:38.186+12:00Very well said.
I remember another comment made b...Very well said.<br /><br />I remember another comment made by some Pols lecturer of mine: "The first use to which power is put is always to preserve the privileges and prerogatives of the power holder."<br /><br />The greatest indictment of our 'democracy 'is the shallow uninvolvement of the masses in its operation, both at local and national level.It is the behaviour of shoulder-shrugging victims, not of involved citizens....<br />Alan RhodesAlanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07158473327999595285noreply@blogger.com