🚀 go-pugleaf

ljh655@anugpo.anu.edu.au (Lubosh) wrote:

>H.Grant in his letter to the Editor of The Canberra Times (Thursday 5 
>September 1996) suggests that the MPs do not deserve their perks... 
>What a discovery! I would like to add a suggestion that Mr Howard should as a 
>matter of priority replace the intended People's convention on the Republic 
>issue with a convention on how the country should be governed and how the 
>politicians are to be elected and subsequently made accountable to the people 
>who elected them.  Current technology allows for almost immediate response 
>and/or vote (referendum) of the electorate on important issues.

All well and good if *everyone* is *wired*.

> At the same 
>time the current proposed Charter of Budget Honesty should go a bit further 
>and be replaced by "Charter of Political Honesty" which would include the 
>following :

good idea

>1. To bring the MPs closer to the people the remuneration should be based on 
>the average salary of the workforce, and not exceed a double of it;

Why this particular fugure?

>2. To make the politicians more accountable to the electorate compulsory open 
>forums in their electorates would have to be held regularly to discuss issues 
>debated in the Parliament; 

This looks a bit like the Jefferson model to me.  Participatory
democracy requires people to get off their butts and look at the
issues.

>3. To avoid the MPs backing out of their service there should be provisions 
>which would prevent them from resigning before their term is finished, and 
>their superannuation should not be accessible until they complete their term.

In most work places, you need to be of retirement age to draw super.
Why make it the same rules for MP's?

>I believe these suggestions would not only bring the politicians closer to the 
>people, but also weed out those who are aspiring to the Parliament for wrong 
>reasons (personal ambitions, search of financial benefits, etc.), and would 
>promote those who would seek election to serve the community.

"You might think that.  I couldn't possibly comment" -F.U.

To paraphrase Churcill, "Democracy is the worst form of govermnent -
except for all the others"

Derek