Shades of Gilbert and Sullivan.....
"I always voted at my party`s call, I never thought of thinking for myself at all"
Or something like that.

The bloke who wrote this convoluted twaddle has got to be a lawyer.

And I was really silly.

I thought this article might be about the union control of the Labor Party. But no that was limited to a sanitised comment about Labor Members being Loyal to Caucus.

Don't you see the elephant Max. That is really where the rot begins.

Max,
“ The duty of elected members . . . is to serve the community “ , which community are you talking about, the community at large or the community of his electorate?
I would be inclined to think the latter. As you point out, this makes the Australian political system a joke. The only entities who comply with this would be some independents (Tony Windsor springs to mind) or minor parties.
Some argument could be made for a political party to pursue a project such as refurbishment of the Murray-Darling system where the benefit goes to the population at large but to the detriment of some minor group.
The rot in Australian politics goes even further than what you have outlined. There are three shibboleths. These are unspoken commandments for any Australian government.
• Support for an out of control immigration policy.
• Support for the Jews in Palestine – whether it be ethnic cleansing, murder of Palestinian children and so on. It cannot be criticised.
• Support for road transport (Tasman highway?)
The Australian population at large doesn’t support any of these things. Politicians act on behalf of those who pay into their election campaign

How is it that these academics can get it so far wrong, & still be teaching our kids. Well, perhaps indoctrinating would be a better word.

Come on Max, it really is time to grow up.

If we want independent MPs we will vote for independents. Perhaps academics have the time to study all those standing for a seat adequately to know how they will think on every issue, but those who work for a living don't. That is why we vote for parties, not MPs.

We can usually have a pretty good idea of how a party will react & vote, provided we don't get another Gillard lying to us.

Assuming we have time to analyze the parties, we vote for a local member, on the understanding they will vote the party line, often not even knowing the local bloke/birds name. That is why we have how to vote cards.

So Max, please catch up with the average citizens problems, & don't, whatever you do, get MPs believing they should start to think, vote their conscience, or what they may perceive as the will of their electorate.

Trying to judge the electorate will lead to MPs thinking the noisy ones, like you, are speaking anything like the majority.

"political theory must rest on the values common to a community, not the interests and preferences which divide its many groups and factions."

So multiculturalism would have no political validity, since it promotes the "factions" and ignores or undermines the "common".

How can people from 6000 different cultures produce a "community" with "shared" values?

All Progressive policy seems to be about promoting factions: feminists, gays, immigrants, Muslims, Aborigines, environmentalists, atheists.

Remove the plank from your own eye, lefties.

You want to know what the "community" wants, then a plebiscite should be conducted regarding any policy that would have significant, long-term impact.

This doesn't necessarily require the entire body of voters (expensive if frequent), just a large enough random sample (10,000?).

You'd probably find little Progressive policy is actually supported by Australians.

Interesting article, thanks. Now how to reconstruct our democracy ?

Don't mind the trolls, they haven't a positive thing to say about anything.

All Parliament members follow their religious beliefs, especially the Catholics, Voluntary Euthanasia is wanted by 80% of Australians, well why isn't it law, because their Bible, decrees killing, but not war killing. John Howard and Alexander Downer would be up for war crimes if the public had their way, but they sit on the "right" side of the fence with all of their Parliamentary cronies around the world, the untouchables.

i agree with too much your saying
buT THE ROT BEGINS..by pre-selection..if the 'good' GUYS WOULD ONLY KNOW..the vile wolves in sheeps clothing who play the Numbers games..VIA HAVING THE DIRT ON THE KEY PEOPLE..[KIDDIE PERVETS SEEM PREFuReD../GOVT EXCELS AT SEIZING KIDS TO SATE THE NEEDS OF OUR HEAD POLIES POLICES/CHURCH AND STATE..public service and courts]

THOSE [majority]..selected for the ignorance..
are there only to FILL A SEAT]..WITH THEIR LAZY BUTTS..OR OTHER 'BENEFITS'..OF ORIFICE.

IN THE END NUTHIN CHANGES BUT THE FACES..[ITS SAME HEAD BUTTS..THAT PLAY EVERY PLAY FROM BOTH SIDES]..THE GAME IS RIGGED..by FIATISED CASH/BORROWED FROM WALL STREET[ITSELF RUN BY BRItish intel agencies

there is a long chain..of useless eaters seat warmers ..SLURPING OFF THE CREAM..OF endless WAR's..FROM DRUG WARS/DOWN TO THE LATEST TRYING TO BE WARS.

THE ROT RUNS DEEP
BUT THE CURE ISNT CHANGE[THE CHANGERS JUST CHANGE AGAIN]

THE ROT ENDS WITH HRH
near all have sworn to serve here and her heirs /and suck-ceasers[us/her common wealth]..its become subVERTED IN MISSION[SHE NEED BUT DECREE TO THOSE SWORN..to serve..to restore the true values back into her coin

see wal street/newyork/london..have inflated her coin[the only conbstituted lawfull tender]..by debasinG HER [OUR]..COIN[IN TIMES OF WAR..THATS TREASON

SO IT WAS DONE AFTER WW2[THEY HALVED THE SILVER CONTENT
BEFORE STEALING ALL THE SILVER FROM coinwhen we went to dollars and cents

im sort of trying to explain..it in court 6 may
exposing the..highest treason..AND REMINDING THE SERVICES OF THEIR OATH.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=6152&page=0#178808

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=16029&page=0

http://rss.infowars.com/20140220_Thu_Alex.mp3

THERE..WAS A RAID..ON channel 7
now its called a PROCEED DISCOVERY..something/something
ie a search..to discover info they got no proof exists..[and following the raid..granted by court order..where NO EVIDENCE EXISTS..THE POLICE JUST WALKAWAY

mumbling 'DISCOVERY'..DISCOVERY..

its the same thing with the delusion..OF DRUG DOGS NOT BEING UNLAWFULL 'DISCOVERY'..RANDOM SEARCH/DITTO POLICE STOPS..SO Much..unlawful stuff SIMPLY SLIPS BY SOME MAGESTRAIGHT/OR by getting a guilty plea by Threat/intimidation/programing/duress/and stress..[and police access by threat]..BY DEFACTO/BY virtue of threat..implicit authority/where no SUCH POWERS EXIST.

[THEN PUNITIVE ENFORCEMENT OF MORAL CRIME/STATUTORY..CRIME IMPOSED BY LIE OF Person/WHILE IGNORING THE CORRUPT ELITE LOOTING US into sefdom

dicovery..

He who pays the piper calls the tune!
Arguably, we need a few more independents or Clive Palmers, too independent minded or too rich to be swayed by mere money or party loyalty, which is the real cause of the so called rot.
Rhrosty.

democracy has flown out the window.
Max Atkinson,
What democracy ?

DEMOCRACY ..means 51 percent..
can abuse the 49 percent
until they submit

TO..a..NEVER ENDING ABUSES AT WHIM..of the 51/per-cent
TILL IN THE END..THE USELESS EATERS AND 49 PERCENT STOP PAYING FOR EVERY THING

IN TIME THE 51 PERCENT REMAINING
divide ALOMG creed lines and A NEW 51 PERCENT EMERGES
TO..LOOT PLUNDER EXPLOIT AND IMPOVERISH..INTO SERVITUDE FROM CRADEL TO GRAVE..THEN..KILL OFF THE NEXT 49 PER..into extinction

..WHEN THE LAST TWO/remaining...CHOSE..WHO To eat next..
THEN IT Became 50/50..AND THE SNEAIEST SNAKE WINS