What we took away, we must now give back
- Details
- Category: Political Corruption
- Created: Wednesday, 06 July 2016 12:47
- Written by Graham Williamson via the Climate Sceptics Party
The decision to reverse the previous government decision to remove this right from the people is certainly overdue, about 30 years overdue. Few people would disagree with the general thrust of this reform (4, 5, 6, 7). What many people object to though, are the motives, the timing, and the undemocratic details of this reform.
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Motives. Liberals know when the people understand their policies they would have no hope of winning the election on merit so the only way is to develop a new electoral rort which will disenfranchise both their political opponents as well as the voting public.
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Timing. The Liberal Party has been exploiting the old electoral rort for 30 years but now changes must be rushed through if they are to have any hope of winning total power in the election this year.
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Undemocratic details. Previously the government had Albert Langer thrown into gaol in 1996 for doing nothing more than publicly encouraging people to make an optional preferential vote in the House of Representatives. Amazingly, the optional preferential voting system he publicised constituted a legal formal vote. John Howard subsequently changed the law, made this voting method illegal, and removed the right of the people to make an optional preferential vote in the House of Representatives. Every government since has continued to deny the people this right. In the Senate the people have had a compulsory preferential voting system which could be fully exercised by voting below the line. However, the right to choose no preference flow was denied voters. Since most people vote above the line, the government wanted to stop or reduce preference flows in above the line votes, while still maintaining the appearance of an optional preferential system. When the government is trying to enforce unpopular policies against the will of the people, it is simply not feasible to allow the democratic flow of preferences to minor parties.
An excerpt from How to scam the system & disadvantage political opponents by ‘giving the power back to the people’, all in the interests of ‘democracy’
