Well Well

It seems that some people have worked out the problem now all you have to do is act.

You have a choice
you can either be a representative or

you can be represented

and we know that these people from the parties have to do as they are told so they are not there to represent us.

Enough is Enough

Stuart Ulrich
Independent Candidate for Charlton
swulrich@bigpond.net.au

Well said Divergence. Leigh's no vote simply excludes him from any right to comment really as I see it. While he's in the voting booth he should vote and give his first preference to anyone but the big 2. That way at least the majors do not get the $2+ (CPI adjusted) they get for each first preference.

Yes Leigh you would still have to decide which of the big 2 gets last and 2nd last but at least you give new Parties and people some encouragement.

Note though that the majors have brought in payment to Parties for votes only to favour themselves. If any candidate gets less than 3% of the vote they get NOTHING.

If we can't abolish public funding for political parties to lie to us then I say reverse what is there. So that anyone under 3% gets the $2+ and over 3% gets nothing. That way again the smalls are at least reimbursed for some of what they spend to oppose these 2 frauds.

Of course the other public funding of political campaigns is almost endless and favours incumbents greatly. The public pays for most expenses until the campaign launch. That's why they are so late now compared to the past. If we keep going their openings will be after the election!

We also allow each MP about $200,000 funding in production of pamphlets etc. We pay for that garbage referred to by another above.

We also pay for all the "non political" advertising that incumbents do before the campaign starts. Not sure of the figure but I think Howard has exceeded 1/4 of a billion bucks this time.

Think how many orangutangs he could save with that! Did any of you see that You Tube ad by Howard where he used an autistic child to appear animal and autism friendly? $500,000 for Indonesian monkeys. I suspect those suffering autism may also need such funding. Nothing against monkeys, they do make up our Parliaments after all so Howard was simply saving a part of the MP family with that rort.

Luca,

I've been to your site and signed up. However the link you gave gives a partial error and takes ages to load at all.

Additionally I can't find anywhere that people like myself can actually contribute anything other than a short comment on joining.

Could you clarify for me please?

If it's another Getup type site where we just sign up and follow your decisions then I'm afraid you are wasting your time.

Stu,

It'll take another 20 years for most of the rabble to get it mate. They'll just keep voting for liars until it's too late. They are too used to hearing both sides call each other liars etc. Most believe one side or the other. I say believe both sides as that is about the only time they are close to honest. That is, when abusing each other.

I'd like to congratulate you, Stu, for having the guts to stand. You've got a big task but Centrebet rate you as the third favourite of 5. And that is against probably Labnor's biggest "star recruit" if you want to give him a title.

I doubt any of the usual commenters here could achieve anything like you have. They just like to complain and moan and do nothing. Good luck and I hope you get the needed percentage. Who knows? On the day anyone can win.

A great necessary initiative.

Any attempts by friends and I to raise, debate, discuss democracy and its importance receive almost non-responses. People have forgotten what it means, because it is something that someone else attends to after they have compulsorily voted. It's become a means of casting off responsibility, and by others of taking away responsibilities - one reason why it's become de rigueur to blame government for every effect on people's daily lives.

Democracy is still the best means for people to govern themselves. However, representative government is not delivering what people need and want. Only through greater individual participation will democracy change for the better.

Experiences in many avenues of Australian life, business, government and the criminal justice system have informed my views about democracy and the relative power or more so, lack of power of people to have an effect. And this starts from the youngest age. Disempowering people has become an object for government, entrenched bureaucracies, and probably also one or more mainstream political parties. And this appears to be an issue about the power and wealth that can be wielded by elected governments, at the urging of, or at least with the assistance of monolithic public services, relative to that of people doing what they know to be in their, and their communities' best interests. "Public service" has become an anathema. Government roadblocks that stop initiative, innovation, enterprise and change abound. Human rights, as reflected in International Human Rights Law ratified by successive Australian Governments, and the complete legislated lack thereof, is central to the issue - because democracy, human rights and sustainability are inextricably connected.

Our strong abiding interest is in participatory democratic education, which has proven, over decades in other places, especially the USA (see, for example, http://www.sudval.org/) that young people flourish and become accomplished in an environment in which democratic values prevail and are put into practice every day. Yet we have Schools that treat democracy as a short term subject rather than a practice. Schools do not reflect or implement democratic values. Autocracy and hierarchy is preferred.

"If people actually stopped voting (or spoiled their ballots), then this would send a REAL signal"

I'm not sure about this. If people stopped voting (or voted informal) that's just one less vote that's counted: politicians don't worry too much about this. On the other hand, if you use your vote to promote change (ie vote for a new party or candidate) it has double the impact of voting informal, because not only are you denying a vote for the incumbents, but you're actually giving it to their opponents.

Apparently Luca isn't bothering to read here as the site he gave the link to has error problems and, as I wrote earlier, there appears to be nowhere for anyone but those that set it up to contribute. And a number of those people are ex politicians. Do you need to lnow anything else really?

Failing a response from Luca I can only say you are wasting your time. Without real input from other than the "chosen" you might as well give up now as no political Party is going to listen to a small group of people who make themselves the only ones with ideas.

Another blind alley although I agree with the idea. But what is the point of allowing yet another group of self appointed experts to make all the decisions? NONE as that's what we have now. And that is not democracy at all. It's still oligarchy.

Luca, Luca, Earth to Luca. How about a response or fix your web site so we can actually look at it?

Sheesh, is this amatuer day/night or what? Even I can set up a web site without errors.

Remove the soapbox and try mixing with normal people mate.