The problem: My vote in a national election is practically worthless. Whoever is elected the MP for my region will be expected to vote with his party, whose agenda is driven mainly (entirely?) by corporations and special interest groups who can afford to pay full-time lobbyist to schmooze with party leaders. At best, my vote chooses which lobbyist will hold sway. Nobody in government is listening to me.
One nutty solution: A new political party; one without a platform. Instead it has a process, a process that ensures that the will of the people it represents is heard and the influence of big money is eliminated. Think of it as a government within a government.
In this new party, any MPs from the party would be bound not by party leadership, but by the will of their constituents. How? Individual constituents would be able to vote on every bill presented to parliament in an online referendum. Party MPs would vote according to the results of the referendums in their region.
Bills could be proposed by anybody anywhere in the country. Like bills in parliament, individuals would vote on proposals in online referendums. The ones that passed the referendum would be presented by a party MP to parliament.
How’s that for nutty?
[Note to self] This post is destined for Crank o’ the Day for sure.
Ken Dyck 