Do we know what is our community? This is the crux of the question of just who can represent us in a Parliamentary system. We should assume this Parliament operates on democratic principles and when we can’t assume that, then we, us, the community members, must ensure that it does.

I have written and debated within myself from one end to the other of this now flat Earth on this single subject – integral representation.

The quality of the debating process. At this present time, here in Australia, the building in which the debates, in theory, take place is a very fine place .. a lovely building. But a building that is fenced off to those of us who have given our trust to those who disappear into it. And once these representatives disapear into this building we have no idea just what it is they are up to. Its a building of blocks. There is no reason that it should be so, its not enshrined within any public declaration, or in fact any public belief or acknowledgement, that blocks are the only way to build, no one has made a law that says Mans future must be built with blocks. But the system coerces independent integrity into blocks and says this must be so because it is easier to build this way. Those who benefit through our laxity and who build with blocks would also have us believe that it is cheaper. They mean that it costs less .. but in fact what they say is what they mean – Cheaper it is .. but at our expense.

There lies our problem, ‘That it is easier … this way’.

How can I appraise a vote for an Independent to a Parliament that is just a Club for a people who only wish for cheap and lazy? I harp on this continuously – because my life depends on it – our only assurance is to ensure that our representatives remain our representatives. That they are not sucked into the building with blocks. That they are not to upend the privilege that we, us, the people, bestow in them and start to tell us what a privilege it is to have them represent us. Because once they join the Club and embrace the secret Club rules – the rules of preferences – they begin to misrepresent the ideals that we believe are in the community interest .. they cannot help it, because they are led to believe that building can only be done with blocks.

Where do these Independents preferences go? Such an important point in a system that allows the trading of our precious votes. Until our representatives are bound to us and not to the Club, how they trade our interests are all important – who’s coat-tails will they hang their fortunes on? Just how independent are they? What exactly do they mean by independent?

So I say this, vote for your Independent but hold them to account. And don’t wait for the King’s Men or Billy Boy’s Crew, or for that matter the Green PC, to give you rights that are yours already – they will take your money regardless – and until you can give the time and effort to make demockracy Democracy hold this up to them and say,

“Sign this and I will vote for you. And I will hold you to account”

… And that is as cheap and as easy as you can make it!

“You’re right. We can’t think of what we might have done or what we ought to do. We’ll just have to do it and hope it works.” – Henry Helms 1927 (one of the Santa Claus Bank Robbers).

* I have written some particularly poor essays on the privilege of representation.