[EM] Sociological issues of elections

[Michael Allan]

Morning Fred,

> Although I would state it differently, this is essentially true.
> The parties have arrogated to themselves the right to act as
> surrogates for the public and we pretend not to notice because we
> don't know how to retrieve our right to govern ourselves.

I like to think of parties as machines without freedom of action and
therefore beyond morality.  I also like to think of modern democracy
in engineering terms as a bridge that has collapsed into the party
system, which is just the resulting wreckage.  The tangle of that
wreckage, ugly as it is, is now all that supports the bridge and
prevents it dropping into the river.  We can repair it if we wish, but
it cannot repair itself, and therefore the moral fault (if any) lies
entirely with us.

But this is just a point of view, no more valid any other.

Mike


Fred Gohlke said:
> Good Morning, Mike
> 
> I've spent some time with your comparative design table.  You've 
> undertaken a massive task.  I don't feel competent to comment except to 
> say that, if your work reveals common threads which can someday be 
> unified to form a solid ground-up structure, it will be rewarding.
> 
> re: "A modern democracy cannot stand without a legitimizing
>       public.  The only reason it continues to stand (in this
>       view) is because the parties are propping it up by acting
>       as surrogates for the public and we (mostly) pretend not
>       to notice."
> 
> Although I would state it differently, this is essentially true.  The 
> parties have arrogated to themselves the right to act as surrogates for 
> the public and we pretend not to notice because we don't know how to 
> retrieve our right to govern ourselves.
> 
> Fred Gohlke