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candika and curlygrrrl:
A petition against the Australian government further tightening the noose on parliamentary democracy.
Speaking from personal experience, small parties and independents don't have the resources to maintain ongoing campaigns to get their supporters to enrol and vote. So the calling of an election often represents the beginning of a clearly-defined period in which such a campaign can be run. Under the new laws, this will no longer be the case.
Even if one believes (as i do) that parliamentary democracy is greatly overrated (albeit still better than many of the alternatives!), election periods represent a time when many people are more willing to talk politics (e.g. about the limitations of parliamentary democracy) than would normally be the case. One imagines that if some people are completely disenfranchised right from the beginning of such a period, their apathy towards politics would be likely to increase. Which would suit the major parties just fine. :-/
candika and curlygrrrl:A petition against the Australian government further tightening the noose on parliamentary democracy.
Speaking from personal experience, small parties and independents don't have the resources to maintain ongoing campaigns to get their supporters to enrol and vote. So the calling of an election often represents the beginning of a clearly-defined period in which such a campaign can be run. Under the new laws, this will no longer be the case.
Even if one believes (as i do) that parliamentary democracy is greatly overrated (albeit still better than many of the alternatives!), election periods represent a time when many people are more willing to talk politics (e.g. about the limitations of parliamentary democracy) than would normally be the case. One imagines that if some people are completely disenfranchised right from the beginning of such a period, their apathy towards politics would be likely to increase. Which would suit the major parties just fine. :-/
