There are some interesting concepts of democracy being advocated by Australian youth at the moment. These concepts, advocated by youth who say that they don’t believe in Democracy .. are mightily democratic! Did somebody turn the lights off in the classroom since I left?

Of course I’m back in the back blocks with only Suicide Radio for information, that and old blokes who, as they say ‘couldnt give a shit what happens to the country anymore’. Such is life.

Last night I heared a young fella say that all he wants is a representative from his own community .. who will actually represent the community and who will be accountable to the community he or she represents … But, the last thing the young fella wants is democracy. Why? Because it doesn’t work, he says. My head rattles too. Of course, having a representative who IS part of the community and who IS accountable to the community is a fundamental of democracy. The alternative, having a representative imposed on you by some party, in your best interests, as the youngster pointed out, is not democracy. You can’t blame the fella from thinking it is though, after all he was rising 20 years!

Another thing that kept cropping up was ‘imposed representatives’ giving away your votes to another rep who you wouldn’t waste a bullet on. The young fella didn’t think this was fair, and was perhaps the main reason that he wasn’t going to vote. Feels that even though the King’s bribing him for his potential vote .. pretending to pay him from our stash, he doesn’t think they should be able to play with his bribed vote. Thinks that that is democracy. I admit, it appears to be now, but it appears that way only because we’re such a lazy bunch of cocks who have grown up passing the bucks away. Easier to pretend to ignore the process because it appears corrupt than to get off ones arse and use the process – corrupt though it is – to regain control of it. The Process, that is.

While history shows us that no matter what the level of corruption of a government – and yes, here in Australia we have possibly the most corrupt bunch of neo-morons playing governors of the new millennium – sooner or later people want their democracy back .. limited though it may be. History shows us that we will take it back one way or another.

There is a simple way. The Fitzgerald Principles of good government and accountability. A set of 7 little rules for our representatives to adhere to, even if the community has been so lax as to allow an outside representative to be appointed to watch over them. 7 simple little rules that everyone would think would be self evident to both the ‘rep’ and those whom the ‘rep’ is preparing to represent – that’s us.

I’ve done a little research and have found that out that many of our representatives find these 7 little rules to be demeaning to their integrity and their presumed authority over us. God knows why, after all these 7 little rules are nothing more than a non-violent attempt to get our representatives to represent us and to tell the truth! What more could you expect from your representative, imposed upon you or not?

So, the Fascists i.e. the neoLibNats, say ‘No fucking way. I’m not signing that, that would enable true democracy and that’s the last thing we want in the beautiful country. We’re a minority, born to rule & rules don’t apply to us.’
Now the other mob, the Labor Party, excuse the spelling, have all signed it! Says, to me, that they don’t have such a fear of democracy as do the Fascists – which is self evident in a dark box. Wether they’ll adhere to those 7 little rules is still to be seen … But, if they dont, well, we’ve got em by the balls and ovaries. That’s Democracy.

I notice too, that most of the ‘independents’ and the Greens have also signed up to these principles of good governance and accountability .. though by listening to them one would not be so sure, and of course those ‘independents’ for whom the buying and selling of our votes appears proper and in their supposed best interests, regardless of ours, won’t sign. I suppose that, while we still have an opportunity to bring democracy to Australia, we should give it a go. If your nitwit won’t sign .. don’t trust them, and deny them your vote as it’s your only weapon.

Surely if your representative deserves your vote then the least they can do is promise that they will listen to your concerns, will not allow their community to be brow beaten by Divine Right, won’t syphon up public cash for their buddies, will inform the community when they are in over their heads – so we don’t believe that they are deceiving us unnecessarily – and won’t impose upon us petty laws of representative protection made in secrecy for our own good.

I’m all for it! Can’t see what the problem is with Democracy, can’t see the problem of having one of us represent us, can’t see the problem with telling the truth and can’t see the problem with a community removing a representative, imposed or not, at any time the community feels that they are not up to the job. At least with a signed copy of the 7 little rules we can do this without resorting to violence to have to do it. Make sense?

Democracy may be unruly but its peaceful. Fascism may be orderly but it can only induce violence and bigotry. I’d rather have an unruly but peaceful child than an orderly but violent one .. wouldn’t you?

“Its a funny sort of medicine that does away with the principal function! Another doctor I saw could think of no consolation but to tell me I was hysterical. Don’t you think its wonderful, the elastic use of those portentous words designed to hide our ignorance of things? – Baudelaire.