"There is nothing more valuable, more powerful and more precious than the will of the people."

What a cliche - since when do people (plural) have a will?

Is it rational to attribute the highest value, power and preciousness to something which doesn't even exist?

"Democracy is defined as a form of government which all people have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives."

OK, so it's equal (assuming an ideal implementation of democracy) - BIG DEAL: what good is it if that [equal] say over that which affects my life equals just about 0.000007% (1 over 14 million)?

Surely one should have more power when it comes to decisions that significantly affect their own lives than others whose lives are not significantly affected by those decisions!

I have no interest in affecting your life - why should you want to affect mine?

Great article Ruth – I think that we have had a fundamental failure of the democratic process in this country and desperate times demand some direct “people power” action to send the message. And with the Greens now controlling the senate, we ain't seen nothin’ yet. My prediction is that this country will be set back 10 years in the next two if a change cannot be somehow forced.

Although opposed to both the carbon and mining taxes (for many reasons that are irrelevant here), I can respect that the reasoning and motivations for these proposals have some logical basis. The last straw for me was the snap ban of live cattle exports. This knee-jerk reaction, based on a Four Corners program (for goodness sake) without any apparent thought of the many and varied local and international impacts, is beyond belief. I do not condone the animal cruelty depicted but I wonder if anyone associated with this farce stopped to consider the suffering of thousands of cattle cooped up in holding pens for several weeks? (Maybe Four Corners should do a follow-up program documenting the mess they helped create?)

It is made more ludicrous if you draw comparisons with the Malaysian Solution for asylum seekers. We ban cattle exports because a clever journo discovers mistreatment at the other end but almost simultaneously sign an agreement to enable the export (and trading) of people amid real concerns they might be mistreated at the destination? What the ...?

Cate S – I'm glad someone is keeping score on the failures of this government (there has been so many I had forgotten quite a few). I wish all the participants good luck and safe travels in the convoy and at the demonstration in Canberra. Ignore the knockers here.

Cate S
If the "failures of this government are so drastic" don't you find it incredible that we are the envy of the rest of the developed world? Please don't tell me it was because that serial liar John Howard left so much money in the kitty that we just spent our way out of the problem! I only mention the liar business because now, it seems to be a worry for the conservatives. Tony Abbott deals with that issue by accepting that he does not "tell" the truth, and only writes it, after due consultation with, presumably, his lawyers. Do get a grip Cate! In politics a week is a long time, and what is said in all sincerity today may not be the case next week. In Abbott's case sometimes, the next day!
If this is Australia under an incompetent government, long may they reign!

a fundamental failure of the democratic process in this country .
Peter Mac,
From my observations it's not only a failure of the democratic process that fails this beautiful country. It's the failure of its born & educated here to just not take heed & learn from other countries' blatantly obvious mistakes.
Once bitten twice shy doesn't apply. It's please bite me again & again.

Oh so some think its wrong to protest. WAKE UP PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA.

I for one support the CONVOY OF NO CONFIDENCE purely for the fact that the majority of us have become SLAVES of the government corporations.

For far to long the government have ignored us the people who elect them to serve us, instead they have enslaved us.

My understanding of the CONVOY OF NO CONFIDENCE is to reclaim our DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS which have been cunningly and unlawfully imposed on us.

Regardless of your opinions of the CONVOY OF NO CONFIDENCE look at the bigger picture, IT WILL SEND A MESSAGE TO THE POLITICIANS AND GOVERNMENTS OF AUSTRALIA that we the people WILL NOT BE THEIR SLAVES and it will give us back our DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS!
GYPSY

Its time we the people used our initiative and reclaims our roights and freedoms.

As Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote, "Rise like lions after slumber, in unvanquishable number - shake your chains to earth like dew, which in sleep had fallen on you, - Ye are many - they are few.

We the people are many and they the government are few. We the people have been asleep and not taken notice of what is occuring on a daily basis by our governments. (Federal and State) Foreign investors are buying everything they can get their hands on in Australia and this is condoned by our governments. Soon Australia will be totally foreign owned. Just look at our utilities as an example, our properties to. Most of our rural farm areas are being purchased by Chinese investors. How long will it be before the begin importing their own people to work here in Australia? which will be at the cost of Australian workers jobs and financial future.

said it better than i could Neutral.