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The Forum > Article Comments > Putting the people back into politics > Comments

Putting the people back into politics : Comments

By Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, published 14/11/2007

It's time for a dialogue about how citizens can become more active in the political system which shapes their lives.

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Unfortunately conversations are not enough because the system as it is has an almost unstoppable momentum to it an cosmetic changes around the edges wont make any real difference.

We have to all start doing things differently as indicated by this essay: 1. http://www.dabase.org/radicpol.htm
Posted by Ho Hum, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 9:10:22 AM
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Luca, I'm there. You are exactly right.

Ho Hum has already given up. Ho Hum and all of us know all our politicians lie, practically all the time. Lying by evasion I include. Yet these same people ignore that and still vote for Parties that have lied to them for decades.

If we keep letting them lie, evade, avoid, cover up, bully and the rest (using our money of course) then they will only increase how much and how often they do that.

They do treat us like total morons. The choice is to sit there and whinge or get off your butts and try.

Right now I want Howard out, regardless. I don't like Labor either as my State, QLD, has been brought to the verge of no water and more through Beattie's total lack of action. As has Howard. I detest both Parties.

The difficulty people see is how to change the domination of the major parties.

I have many ideas on that, and yes they are hard, but if you do nothing you will be crushed, as we have been.

Ideas :
. Stop public funding of electoral campaigns. The current system rewards the majors and punishes the smalls.

. Change the role of Minister's. Right now as soon as they sit in the chair they are taken captive as we've seen in Yes Minister. Minister's immediately start defending the actions of their portfolio staff simply because they won't accept blame. I say change their role to external auditor of that portfolio with their brief being to discharge the policies. In other words the Minister is not a part of that Agency, they would be the mean, nasty auditor of all functions, with suitable staff.

. Change the loyalty of MP's from Party to electorate. This is tough simply because the existing Parties would have to change it. That's the hurdle. Essentially though what I'm thinking is the contract with their electorate allows that electorate to dismiss the MP if they fail to support the electorate's needs.

There more I could say and will at your site.
Posted by pegasus, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 9:28:23 AM
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One of the main problems, apart from the similarity of ‘different’ parties, is that our electoral representatives do not represent us, their supposed masters, but themselves and their lack lustre parties.

What is contained in the rubbish we are having stuffed into our letterboxes, email in boxes and other electronic media prior to the election on the 24th? ‘Look at me (the candidate/sitting member). Look at my party. Look at what we’ve done.’ Not, ‘What do you, the electors, want me and my party to do for you?’

Most voters regard the cant and promises they get before every election as bullswool, yet they continue to vote for the same boring, self-interested hacks time after time.

We should all withhold our votes from the lot of them! That’s what I intend to do this election. I will right short comments on both papers, but not vote for any of the same old bunch of no-hopers who have proven beyond a shadow of doubt that they are not worthy.

No votes for anyone. See what the boofheads make of that.
Posted by Leigh, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 9:35:59 AM
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I like the idea of democracy to have the feeling that I have control over my life, can chose a career, chose a town to live in, can provide a secure family setting to raise healthy kids.

However my work experience, conversations and reading and has lead me to think that the nations have been superceded by multinational corporations. Politicians are just puppets being jerked around by Big Business like Murdoch, Bunge, Manildra and unknown others. Politicians promote the interests of the last lobby group to talk to them or the lobby group that pays the highest bribe. I thought that Australia was immune to corruption but today's politicians are a very venal bunch.

Take the National Country Party, or whatever its name is this year. This organisation collects annual subscriptions from farmers via automatic bank transfers for sums like $2.10, $4.20, $6.30, $8.40 when the wheat, wool, milk cheque is due to be received. The average farmer looks at the statement and thinks "another bloody bank charge". Now financially this money isn't worth the effort it takes to collect it but if the organisation doesn't collect the money it can't honestly say it represents the farmers. The organisation gets its funding from Monsanto, Pivot and other large businesses that want to control and collect subsidies for agricultural production in this country.
Posted by billie, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 9:46:31 AM
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Luca, public cynicism should come as no surprise to anyone who has participated in a few elections. Since 1983 the Parliament has seen fit to transform Senate elections into a party political barganza requiring very little input from Joe Public. Force someone to attend a polling station then give them a no-brainer option like ticket voting and hey presto, 96% of votes become, by default, the play things of political parties, bargaining chips to be wagered behind closed doors. Little wonder people feel a little disconnected from the process.

Perhaps the best place to start is to clean up this travesty and see if allowing people to cast a vote according to their wishes makes any difference?

For more on this go to www.myspace.com/savethesenate
Posted by tebbutt, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 10:18:28 AM
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tebbutt,

I agree with you and the previous posters. However, you people seem to think that you will get a more democratic system if you ask the politicians nicely or point out that the compulsory preferential voting for the senate makes it difficult to allocate your preferences - as if they didn't know and intend exactly that!

Instead of opting out, like Leigh, I suggest throwing a spanner into the works: just put incumbent politicians last, even though this will be a nuisance for the Senate. I number backwards to avoid getting mixed up. Nothing will get politicians' attention better than seeing their colleagues booted off the gravy train. The new incumbent is likely to be just as bad, but no problem, as you will be putting him last the next time. There is a US website for an organisation called Vote Out Incumbents for Democracy (VOID) that advocates this approach

http://www.voidnow.org

You can write "Democracy" or "Proportional Representation" on the ballot paper (if it doesn't render the vote invalid) to explain why you are doing this.
Posted by Divergence, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 10:54:16 AM
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