It was rather astutely observed some years
ago that a huge oak tree was once just a nut that held its ground. The birth and
struggle of democracy in Greece was also a fragile concept that managed to hold
on and grow to epic proportions throughout the world yet today our democratic
traditions are under threat as never before.
Even the very word democratic is
reprehensively misused in that wretched country - the “Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea”. There is nothing remotely democratic or republican about
North Korea yet the desire to use democratic in their name shows that even they
understand the importance of a democratic pretense. The major difference (in
part) is that corrupt politicians within a democratic system get caught. The
socialist /communists leaders get rich.
We are however in NZ moving towards
authoritarian, top down politics where the public's expectation of the
democratic processes is viewed as an inconvenience to be subverted. The French
President Charles de Gaulle once infamously said, “basically the republic is me.” President Trump shows glimmerings of a similar attitude as do so many of the
political elite. The EU political elite are fighting for dear life to ensure
their privilege and survival endures. European politics has faced down challenges
before but for how long in the face of continual unrest? France sees the
“yellow vests” battling the police on the streets every weekend. Greece, the home of democracy itself suffered
a military coup in 1967. Cyprus was held to ransom in 2013 by the banks and the
International Monitory Fund – both of whom are forces far removed from
democracy. Italian politics has a long-established tradition of political
chaos. Spain continues its attempts to unite an increasingly disparate
electorate. New Zealand too is turning its back on true representative
democracy.
David Runciman (Professor of Politics
Cambridge University) in his book ‘How Democracy Ends’ states – “contemporary
representative democracy is tired, vindictive, paranoid, self-deceiving, clumsy,
and frequently ineffectual”. The description is fair. Here in NZ we allow
our own representatives to chip away at the very foundations of democracy with
impunity. Representative Democracy is a really simple human construct and as
such can easily re -created, destroyed or paid lip service to, simply by
retaining or inserting the word democracy into the title by the party-political
machines. Had Bill English as PM at the last general election refused to accept
the now cobbled together coalition of the left (as he led the party with the
most votes) - our representatives’ democracy could easily have broken down.
Integrity and convention are therefore very important in politics, or more
correctly - were important. The inexorable movement towards “negotiated” big
government under MMP is when and where our freedoms will go to die, as they are
traded off for the right to exercise power. Something over 5% of the popular vote
is now enough in NZ to be able to trade off limited acceptance for substantial
influence.
Many
years ago, political representation was thought of as a temporary interruption
to one’s career or profession. Not so today where a job for life within a
political party structure is all too common. A lifetime in politics does not
allow the truth to breath any easier as our political masters learn to scramble
or mask unpalatable realities. Most of the heroic promises made before an
election under MMP are now traded away for a Ministerial position around the
cabinet table as they play pass the promised parcel. Even the ubiquitous promises to hold
referendums are meaningless as the wording of any such referendum is carefully
chosen to better ensure the desired /correct outcome.
The essential oils of trust, integrity and
respect for one another’s opinion, which may well be challenging, smooths the
way for meaningful debate - in all forms of Government, but are now all but
gone. Recent examples abound here in Dunedin. It is unfortunate that retiring Dunedin City Councilor
Kate Wilson will probably be best remembered for her denial (as a committee chair)
to allow a debate council had agreed to, due to personality issues. Another was
the attempt of chair of the Otago Regional Council Stephen Woodhead to bury a
report critical of the ORC's water management policy in a publicly excluded
session of the council. These are all examples of representative democracy on
the way out. It is however the decision
to allow non-elected people (Ngai Tahu representatives) to sit and vote on the
crucial policy committee of the ORC that really condemns our local democratic
system to the scrap heap of political expediency. The system of local
government now becomes one of selected democracy as integrity and principle
depart from their essential position within council or Government. Acceptance
of - one person one vote principle - are rarely if ever openly challenged. The
ORC has now even manipulated away the public’s legal right to demand a referendum
on the issue of unelected appointees to vote on the important policy committee.
There has never been any kind of protection
under the Consumers Guarantee Act with representative democracy. Its future is
solely reliant on our representatives’ understanding of how dependent
representative democracy is on councilors understanding of first principles. Our
local government representatives in Otago have shown (with feet of clay) they
practice the dance of political subterfuge – with impunity.
Gerry
Eckhoff is a former MP and councillor on the Otago Regional Council.
1 comment:
All I can say is: “Put Out The Trash” – MMP and Political Parties.
Independent MP’s for a Better Democratic New Zealand
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