Ron Levy, Australian National University Many commentators have been alarmed at the electoral wins of ultra conservative leaders around the world, as well as policy decisions such as Brexit made by a popular referendum. They see these as signs of a rising populism. In its benign forms, populism can simply mean ordinary citizens’ desire to […]
Electoral Reform in the U.S.A. – Step One
Here’s a simple first step on the long road to participatory democracy. Leave the individual states alone – they can clean up their own act, should they desire. Establish a (real) Federal Electoral Commission Define federal electoral districts by population independently, with a panel of electors to approve by 2/3rds majority Automatic enrolment of all […]
A Contract with the Electorate
This doesn’t require any structural change, just a procedural one. Contesting parties and independents each publish a policy prior to an election at any level. Each candidate enters into a legally-binding contract with their electorate to uphold the policy they subscribe to, whether party or individual. If it’s a party policy, then each party-endorsed candidate […]
Will Trump Be Meeting With His Counterpart — Or His Handler?
On June 14, 2016, the Washington Post reported that Russian hackers had broken into the Democratic National Committee’s files and gained access to its research on Donald Trump. A political world already numbed by Trump’s astonishing rise barely took notice. News reports quoted experts who suggested the Russians merely wanted more information about Trump to […]
The Coming Collapse
It is impossible for any doomed population to grasp how fragile the decayed financial, social and political system is on the eve of implosion. by Chris Hedges The Trump administration did not rise, prima facie, like Venus on a half shell from the sea. Donald Trump is the result of a long process of political, cultural […]
Community Plan Candidates 2017
Here are the candidates who have expressed their support for, and/or contributed to the drafting of, the CPCC so far: Wyong Ward: Group A – Louise Greenaway – Central Coast New Independents Group D – Kyle McGregor – Labor Party Budgewoi Ward: Group A – Doug Vincent – Labor Party Group E – Sue Wynn […]
Rebecca Solnit: The Loneliness of Donald Trump
ON THE CORROSIVE PRIVILEGE OF THE MOST MOCKED MAN IN THE WORLD Once upon a time, a child was born into wealth and wanted for nothing, but he was possessed by bottomless, endless, grating, grasping wanting, and wanted more, and got it, and more after that, and always more. He was a pair of ragged […]
Flux & Issue Based Direct Democracy
by Max Kaye, first published on http://voteflux.org on Friday, 26 May, 2017 The Flux Movement is founded on (what I now call) Deutschian Fallibilism. It’s an evolution of Popperian Fallibilism and David Deutsch’s book The Beginning of Infinity does a great job of explaining both the theory and exploring the breathtakingly profound consequences. In one light it’s […]
Ordinary Australians
ORDINARY AUSTRALIANS © G. J. Olsen Esq 2017 Ordinary Australians, take a bow Proud of what you’ve done? Set the bar oh so low And acted so very ho hum Your politicians appeal to you “Mums and Dads” they say They throw you bones for you to chew And send you on your way Ordinary […]
Ex-Presidents – 2017
The one thing that might prevent the United States from becoming totally unrecognizable by 2020: Meet the ex-presidents America prides itself on peaceful transitions from one president to the other. No coups. No backstabbing. No backward glances at what might have been. We witness this every four years or, at the most, every eight. No […]
