In 1440 Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press and heralded in a silent revolution that would change the world. It is unlikely he realized the full significance of his creation nor would he have seen it’s impact before his death in 1468.
In 1997 Time Life magazine would go on to call the printing press the most significant invention of the millennium for it increased the spread of the printed word, and brought to an end the dominance of the religious elite. Suddenly presented with an opportunity to interpret information for themselves the ordinary citizen began to see the world based on evidence and rejected that which has been spun to them by those with a vested interest in keeping them ignorant.
Over 500 years on we find ourselves still dominated by an overpowering elite – this time not religious but political. As power moved away from the church and towards political institutions the dominance of the clergy was replaced by politicians and bureaucrats. In some countries this took on an authoritarian tone, but for many countries in North America, Western Europe and the dominions of the United Kingdom this took the modern form of what we call democracy.
Move forward 200 years and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the difference between accepted democracy and authoritarian dictatorship. An absence of quality candidates, entrenched bureaucrats, wasteful consumption and vested interests have corrupted the system in which we are governed. A recent survey by the OECD showed less than a third of kiwis have trust in our political parties or representatives.
Go back 150 years and we had little choice but to trust our representative to do the right thing. There was little long distance communication, no Internet and a significant travel journey to the seat of power. Sending representation was the only choice.
Thankfully those days are over.
We have never lived at a better time for the public to have their say. The Internet has provided us with access to information and opinion beyond the scope of our expectations. Blockchain provides an ability for secure online voting that can be protected against corruption. And now with AI we can cut to the facts and interpret information that only our politicians could previously access.
Critics will point out that each of these are still in their relative infancy and cannot yet be relied on. That may be true, but the reality is none of these recent creations are a necessity for truly representative government where the people have their say. We have a living example of how democracy should really work which has already existed for over one hundred years. It has contributed to this European nation having enjoyed peace through two world wars and led to them enjoying one of the highest standards of living in the world.
I refer to Switzerland, which has been enjoying citizen direct democracy since the 1800s – democracy where the citizens, not the politicians or bureaucrats, control the decisions that really matter. Every three months they hold a referendum with up to four issues on each referendum. The voted topics can be proposed either by the politicians or the citizens themselves. Secure enough support via petition and you can have any issue included in the referendum, including opposing government legislation. The purpose is not to bog the general population down in day to day minutae, but instead to ensure there are appropriate controls on those in charge.
New Zealand could easily implement a similar system, and far more simply when you consider the period in history when Switzerland first brought this in. Furthermore evidence would suggest our citizens are now ready for this. A recent study in Australia showed 65% of citizens want a direct say in shaping government policy. I have little doubt that a similar survey in New Zealand would yield the same outcome. Australia is already seeing a significant movement for direct democracy growing. It’s now New Zealand’s time too.
This is not a question of if, but when. We are sitting on the cusp of the most significant change since the Gutenberg press. We can either seize it to ensure we have control of our future, or leave it to the politicians and bureaucrats to exploit it for their own ends. If we don’t take this opportunity it may never present itself again.
The choice is ours.
Over 500 years on we find ourselves still dominated by an overpowering elite – this time not religious but political. As power moved away from the church and towards political institutions the dominance of the clergy was replaced by politicians and bureaucrats. In some countries this took on an authoritarian tone, but for many countries in North America, Western Europe and the dominions of the United Kingdom this took the modern form of what we call democracy.
Move forward 200 years and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the difference between accepted democracy and authoritarian dictatorship. An absence of quality candidates, entrenched bureaucrats, wasteful consumption and vested interests have corrupted the system in which we are governed. A recent survey by the OECD showed less than a third of kiwis have trust in our political parties or representatives.
Go back 150 years and we had little choice but to trust our representative to do the right thing. There was little long distance communication, no Internet and a significant travel journey to the seat of power. Sending representation was the only choice.
Thankfully those days are over.
We have never lived at a better time for the public to have their say. The Internet has provided us with access to information and opinion beyond the scope of our expectations. Blockchain provides an ability for secure online voting that can be protected against corruption. And now with AI we can cut to the facts and interpret information that only our politicians could previously access.
Critics will point out that each of these are still in their relative infancy and cannot yet be relied on. That may be true, but the reality is none of these recent creations are a necessity for truly representative government where the people have their say. We have a living example of how democracy should really work which has already existed for over one hundred years. It has contributed to this European nation having enjoyed peace through two world wars and led to them enjoying one of the highest standards of living in the world.
I refer to Switzerland, which has been enjoying citizen direct democracy since the 1800s – democracy where the citizens, not the politicians or bureaucrats, control the decisions that really matter. Every three months they hold a referendum with up to four issues on each referendum. The voted topics can be proposed either by the politicians or the citizens themselves. Secure enough support via petition and you can have any issue included in the referendum, including opposing government legislation. The purpose is not to bog the general population down in day to day minutae, but instead to ensure there are appropriate controls on those in charge.
New Zealand could easily implement a similar system, and far more simply when you consider the period in history when Switzerland first brought this in. Furthermore evidence would suggest our citizens are now ready for this. A recent study in Australia showed 65% of citizens want a direct say in shaping government policy. I have little doubt that a similar survey in New Zealand would yield the same outcome. Australia is already seeing a significant movement for direct democracy growing. It’s now New Zealand’s time too.
This is not a question of if, but when. We are sitting on the cusp of the most significant change since the Gutenberg press. We can either seize it to ensure we have control of our future, or leave it to the politicians and bureaucrats to exploit it for their own ends. If we don’t take this opportunity it may never present itself again.
The choice is ours.
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