Comments on: A new democracy? http://kenalovell.com/blog/2007/05/16/a-new-democracy/ Guru = Pahlawan Tanpa Tanda Jasa Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:58:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Guy http://kenalovell.com/blog/2007/05/16/a-new-democracy/#comment-1440 Thu, 17 May 2007 01:50:48 +0000 http://kenalovell.com/blog/2007/05/16/a-new-democracy/#comment-1440 Interesting post Ken. I agree with most of your thoughts on the state of democracy, but I am not sure how consensus politics can resolve the problem either. As the number of people involved in a debate on a given topic increases, the prospects of everyone involved being satistifed by the results decreases rapidly. Like most countries, Australia is so diverse that I think it is difficult to present policy in such a way that everyone will agree. To the extent that it is possible, policy is likely to be so watered down to please everyone that its effectiveness is undermined. I often wonder whether the only (fantastical) way everyone could conceivably get the representation and governance that they want is to live in the same area as people who agree with them politically. Local, state and national borders would have to be redefined in such a way that you don't get situations where the country is so divided, with close to half of the population hating their local members and their government but having to live with it. But such ideas are so absurd as to be laughworthy. Interesting post Ken. I agree with most of your thoughts on the state of democracy, but I am not sure how consensus politics can resolve the problem either. As the number of people involved in a debate on a given topic increases, the prospects of everyone involved being satistifed by the results decreases rapidly. Like most countries, Australia is so diverse that I think it is difficult to present policy in such a way that everyone will agree. To the extent that it is possible, policy is likely to be so watered down to please everyone that its effectiveness is undermined.

I often wonder whether the only (fantastical) way everyone could conceivably get the representation and governance that they want is to live in the same area as people who agree with them politically. Local, state and national borders would have to be redefined in such a way that you don’t get situations where the country is so divided, with close to half of the population hating their local members and their government but having to live with it. But such ideas are so absurd as to be laughworthy.

]]>