Politics, Australians and Participation

Winston Churchill once said that democracy was the worst form of government apart from all of the other ones. Never has such a cynical statement been more accurate.

The sheer number of people I talk to who not only don't care about politics but actively attempt to sabotage the democratic process by donkey voting is astounding.I should clarify at this point the dim view I take of donkey voting - the type of voting where you intentionally choose to not choose a poltical party; and instead pick the first name on the list or perhaps they remember the neat hair on one of the politicians and votes for them.

Australian laws states that all citizens must vote; the purpose being to encourage involvement in the democractic process.

Bogus.


Why must we involve these troglodytes in the process when they care so little as to know nothing about their government? Why is it necessary for us to require every uninformed idiot with a driver's licence to be involved? We have millions of voters who dilute the outcome so greatly as to make the winner have no mandate for governing; in other words, the new Prime Minister has no imperative to do anything except gear up for the following election. We have no poltical direction and nothing will ever reform or evolve.

We should have an experiment for several decades - remove the necessity for people to vote, and then institute a requirement for understanding the politics before you can vote. A failing grade in Politics 101 will make you ineligible to vote in the next election.

There is a form of government known as an Oligarchy - the rule of the elite. If only those who understand the issues and have opinions on them can participate, the quality of the democracy will dramatically improve.

It's our fault that the state of politics is so poor - much like the media. It reflects what the public wants, not what it needs or deserves. Perhaps after having it taken away for a time, the people will come to value the right to vote once again.