On Jun 12, 2008, at 21:01 , Fred Gohlke wrote:
As a very good friend wrote me recently about what would happen if
members of parliament in his country were selected by such a
method ...
"When people in parliament form cliques, they (would be) building
majority opinions on specific issues. They (would not be) bound by
manifesto or indebtedness to backers. I would expect different
cliques (to) form, in response to each issue raised. ... Before
election, cliques are formed to get power, not to solve problems."
I see also some benefits in being "bound by manifesto and
indebtedness" and having related "cliques" already before the
election. The cliques certainly serve also as tools to get power but
they may also clarify the political field to the voters. If there are
plenty of candidates it is very useful to know what each candidate
stands for (and is morally bound to).
(This need not mean a traditional flat party structure (and large
parties) but can also be e.g. a tree like structure that makes it
possible to identify the "green republicans" and to support some of
those candidates or that whole block.)
Maybe the key idea is to avoid situations where the parties start
dominating the political life, candidate nominations, their opinions
etc. more than what is ideal for the society (and thereby making the
society more stagnant and causing citizens to lose trust and interest
in governing the future of their own society).
Of course, as you pointed out, that implies a relatively high
turnover of elected officials at each election. So, while that
makes the system very dynamic and makes it difficult for rot to
find a sticking place, it also makes it difficult for those who
take time out of their lives to serve in public office, for they
have no career guarantees. Such people must be afforded salary
continuation and something similar to the G. I. Bill of Rights ...
advanced education, career training, small business loans, and so
forth ... to ease their transition back to private life.
In many places high turnover would be good. There are also rules e.g.
on how many terms a president can serve. Keeping half and changing
half of the representatives may also work in many cases.
Juho
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