At 06:36 AM 10/1/2006, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > *Communication* is the key to political reform. FA/DP is a device for > > making *deliberation* possible on a large scale. The FA aspect of the > > design strongly favors the seeking of consensus, but it does not require > > it. No caucus is prevented from acting at any point. FAs are not > governments > > and governments are not FAs, by definition. From the model FA Traditions, > > those of Alcoholics Anonymous, "Our leaders are but trusted servants, > > they do not govern." > >Right, however, as you say yourself, the trick to getting a system like >this to work is exactly that they don't be given any power. This means that >there needs to be a way to assign power. If consensus is reached, then >it doesn't matter (much) what form that takes. However, it is the default >option for when consensus is not reached.
Just to be clear, the FA/DP proposals are entirely independent of election reform or other political system changes. Those changes will occur, I'm sure, but I've been assuming, essentially, that they are not necessary. In other words, there is already a way that power is assigned. It is whatever already exists. What FA/DP brings that is new is direct organization of the people in a way that should foster consensus. If it does not, the "stick," so to speak, is that the existing power tools will be used. And they are expensive and often produce less than satisfactory results. If the FA/DP organizations do their work, the people will, in an election-based system, approach the polls already having settled on an outcome, the polls merely ratify it and demonstrate that the process worked. As I pointed out, the penalty for failing to approach consensus is that the resulting struggle is expensive and unreliable. Being content with a mere majority as a prediction for an election outcome could result in losing the election, with all the losses involved in that, the wasted campaign spending, the disappointment and, often, cynicism that can last a generation. FA/DP is a device (actually a collection of devices) for organizing people on a mass scale while remaining thoroughly democratic and organizationally nonpartisan. Once people realize what an FA/DP organization is, they will also realize that there is no reason *not* to join. It should be quite unlike what people are accustomed to being necessary for organizational participation to be meaningful. Essentially, it should be *easy*. If there is a better way, I'd sure like to hear about it! ---- election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info
