www.rulebythepeople.org
P.O. Box 5035, Alphington 3078, Melbourne, Australia.
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS - TWO MINUTES OF ILLUSORY POWER
Sick and tired of giving parliamentary representatives a signed blank cheque to do whatever they like every election? Then READ on!
Every 3 years in Australia, you are forced by law to give a parliamentary representative the power to make decisions for you for the next 3 years. Irrespective of what they promise you, whether they break their promises, change their political colours or join another Party while in Parliament, you can do nothing about it until the next election when you go through the same charade again. Parliamentary democracy has as much to do with democracy - rule of the people, by the people, for the people - as the A.F.L. has to do with promoting soccer in Australia. While both Coalition and Labor governments have actively promoted economic, social and cultural reform since Federation, not one major political Party has advocated and promoted parliamentary reform that puts power back into the hands of the people.
Parliamentary reform is long overdue and discussion regarding the type of reform necessary to put power back into the hands of the people should be at the forefront of the debate during this parliamentary election.
During this election campaign, we will be promoting:-
� GIVING THE ELECTORATE THE POWER TO RECALL non performing politicians in between elections. If 20% of the electorate demand that a fresh election be called to remove a non performing or badly performing representative, a fresh election will have to be called to determine whether the electorate has lost faith in that parliamentary representative. THE POWER OF RECALL currently exists in many States in the United States.
� CITIZEN INITIATED REFERENDUMS - Giving the electorate, not just Parliament, the power to directly alter the Constitution. This power currently exists in Switzerland and many States in the United States. If 10% of the electorate sign a petition that they want a particular issue to go to a referendum, a referendum must be held to determine whether the majority of the population supports constitutional change.
� DIRECT DEMOCRACY NOT PARLIAMENTARY RULE. In a parliamentary system, electors give their REPRESENTATIVE a signed blank cheque to make decisions on their behalf. In a community that uses DIRECT DEMOCRATIC processes to make decisions, electors make decisions and then elect or appoint DELEGATES to co-ordinate these decisions at a local, regional and national level. Once a consensus has been reached by the delegates, the decision made goes back to the electorate for ratification.
DIRECT DEMOCRACY ensures that the hopes and aspirations of the electorate always take precedence over the power that is exercised by those sections of the community who own the means of production, distribution, exchange and communication who currently dictate policy to parliaments.
Irrespective of what you think about the ideas expressed in this article, this country is in dire need of parliamentary reform. You can limit your participation in the democratic process to casting a ballot every 3 years, or you can become involved in a growing movement clamouring for electoral and parliamentary reform. If you want to become involved in the struggle for parliamentary reform we encourage you to consider joining organisations and supporting candidates who promote electoral and parliamentary reform.
Written and authorised by Dr. Joseph TOSCANO
National Convenor / DIRECT DEMOCRACY NOT PARLIAMENTARY RULE
Level 1 / 21 Smith Street, Fitzroy 3165, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Email: [email protected]