[LINK] Democracy and bit rates ...

[Jan Whitaker]

At 07:17 AM 14/08/2013, Frank O'Connor wrote:

>In Australia the figures are probably about 15 million voters and 
>the politician count is up because we have a Parliamentary rather 
>than a Republican system of government ... but conversely we have 
>less Separation of Powers so the risks are higher for what, in the 
>US, would amount to our Congressional elections.

There are more factors involved, procedural and cultural.

1. As a population, we don't have any option to influence at the 
'candidate selection' level in Australia. Parties rule -- either 
local branches or power brokers in head office. We get what we're given.

2. As we are reminded time and again, we vote for a party with its 
own rules of operations. The public has no say about that even. Vote 
for a local member could be voting for Donald Duck. Except for the 
rare occasion of a conscience vote, the party votes as a bloc. US 
Congress doesn't. They may vote ideologically, but they also know 
they must go home and face the voters every 2 years (House).

3. Australians still speak of governments as 'ruling' rather than 
'governing'. That is a hangover of monarchies. Americans don't think 
like that. We rule ourselves under the rule of law. It is 
government's job to organise and administer the laws from a US 
perspective. The Australian culture is quite different in how they 
speak about their relationship to authorities in elected positions. 
In America, they are our employees, not our rulers.

4. But frankly, most people in America just ignore the 
government.  It may appear to be this on-going circus, but really, no 
one really cares very much, which is why they don't vote very much, 
although that has been trending higher recently. One thing that 
struck me when I arrived here many years ago was this difference of 
political engagement in Australia.

5. Lacking preferential voting (the latest maneuver in the news here) 
in the US means the local vote is all you get. Having that in the US 
would be a really good addition since there is this idea of some 
loyalty to local constituents and the frequency of House elections.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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