On Mar 23, 2007, at 5:00 , Abd ul-Rahman Lomax wrote:
Setting aside the possible uses of proxies within formal power
structures -- which is actual practice in corporations and really
ought to receive more attention -- "formal parties," if organized
traditionally, have been tried over and over again. They are
subject to certain hazards, and ultimately they succumb to them.
But hope springs eternal.... hey, let's roll that stone up the hill
again.
Are you saying that FAs would not succumb to the old hazards? I think
it is probable that many FAs would drift towards more formal
structures, strict leadership and rules (especially if the ideology
that they promote makes that has a positive attitude towards such
control).
I don't exactly know if you propose the FA structure to be adopted as
the main working method or if you only want to keep the formal rules
(of the political machinery) such that FAs are allowed to operate.
You used "FA" to name the method but maybe you didn't intend to ban
the use of more formal associations too. Or maybe the intention is
just to establish a structure that is parallel (or "sequential") to
the traditional political decision making process.
I think the goal of keeping the political structure responsive to the
needs of the citizens and keeping the discussion process productive
is a good goal (I think this is what you are looking for). There is
always space to improve the methods that we use to govern ourselves.
There are people claiming that the system they have or promote is the
ultimate best system, but probably the ideal system has not been
developed yet, and possibly never will be.
The FA model (and DP) sets some positive targets and may have some
positive impact but I'm not sure it would work so well that it would
automatically lead us to a better future. There are many risks, like
getting infiltrated with "the old politicians" as soon as it gets
some power. Maybe there will be trials and fine-tuning of the theory.
Juho
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