James is examining an option to take democracy to the people. His votemeter is to be installed in every house and people can vote on any subject that they want to. The most votes wins whether it is 2 or 20,000,000.
Join in the discussion there. So far he has three but watch out for more.
Votemeter Pt 1
Votemeter Pt 2
Votemeter Pt 3
I’m a great believer in putting the power in the hands of the people. This is one way to do it and we could do this with technology now.
Needs to be refined of course.
I’d be concerned about the system being hacked into and controlled by someone in Moscow, or by some teenage misfit in a suburban bedsit (as I may have said before on this issue). Like so many things it sounds worthwhile in principle but is vulnerable to corruption – but then so is our current system, and our current MPs. Then there would be the problems of people whose network went down at crucial times, either due to random glitches or fraud again. It would also be important not to over-use it on every little detail. But it is certainly something worth exploring to tackle such things as those big issues where public opinion is clearly opposed to what our elected representatives want (or have been told by their party bosses to say they want). It may also remove a lot of cause for argument and simmering resentment by people who feel they have no voice. I would not be persuaded against the idea by those who argue that our representatives are better qualified than the general population to take big decisions. I do trust “the wisdom of the crowd” more than the wisdom of whipped MPs who have often been bought by secretive and powerful lobbyists. This way, we’d all have to be bribed
There would also be the issue of dominant family members persuading or intimidating weaker ones to let them do their voting for them. I can envisage plenty wives and daughters and grandmothers having little choice but to hand over their machines and passwords etc to powerful patriarchs or matriarchs, a behaviour more enshrined in some cultural groupings than others. At least in a ballot booth people can secretly vote as they really wish, whatever a dominant family boss has told them to do
James,
As does everything once it is in place and running for any length of time.
Andrew,
All systems are hackable but it is possible to secure systems and make them safe enough for our requirements. The weakest point is always the people so we need to minimise their capability of changing things.
There would not be crucial times. We are taling about laws here not bidding on items. The law would be proposed and put forward, people would comment pro and con, people would read it and when both sides were ready it would be up for weeks for a vote. Voting can take place at any time so any downtime would not be critical.
As far as dominant members are concerned I’m not sure there is a definitive answer for that. However, voting could be done anywhere and as it should be two factor with a biometric the person would have to be there. You can only do so much. Otherwise you are suggesting that we cannot move out of the very expensive and time consuming booth process ever because of this issue. As it is Girl’s Aloud have shown that it is not just some cultural groups that follow blindly but modern girls and that is with the voting booths. Personally, I’m for moving forward.
I agree we need to move forward but I see two essential requirements before anyone is given one of the machines. 1) a proven ability to read, write, speak and comprehend English. 2) Migrants must have been resident, working and paying tax for at least five years as well as 1.
Ivan,
As I asked before, to what level? We all have different levelsof understanding.
And who said anything about migrants. Even born in the UK if you don’t pay tax you can’t vote.
“Even born in the UK if you don’t pay tax you can’t vote.”
Eh? What do you mean there Lord T? There are loads of people who don’t pay tax but who vote. My kids for the past few years foir example. Anyone not working or working a little but earning below the tax threshold. Mothers (like my wife for 15 of her years) who stay at home and bring up kids (or just stay at home). Loads of old people. There are huge numbers of non-taypating UK voters. I am confused.
People that earn below the thresholds and are retired etc. are all tax payers. It’s the contributions that are zero. It means that you need to be contributing to qualify. Contribution does not just mean moving in and living off the state from an entirely different culture.
However, in saying that if you leave school and don’t get a job but claim benefits should you be allowed to vote? I say No but I’m in two minds about where to draw the line on further education. It’s because you can get people voting themselves wages for doing nothing that we are in the state we are in.
‘To what level?’
A good question Lord T. There has to be some way that the requirement of being able to read and speak English is incorporated to bring the nation together. For example, over here in France everything official is in French, as it should be, and if you want it in any other language you have to pay the translator yourself. It appears that in the UK a lot of the budget of various LAs is taken up with producing information in just about every language of the world – this is wrong and should be stopped.
I do agree about the no tax no vote – it might get some people up off their backside and get them to do some work.
Ivan,
Easily done. We do no translations whatsoever for any reason and if you don’t understand and kill yourself using anything the supplier has no liability.
That should do it.
An excellent idea Lord T!
Nothing is translated for anything over here, all manuals are in French only – even software is in French with no option of changing it to any other language which can produce some strange results on English systems.
Ivan,
When I take over the Universe then no other languages will be used in public. All official documentation will be in English.
Saves a lot of hassle and I’m too thick to learn a new language.
Lord T,
I just startled my dog by laughing at your reply.
There is also a serious side to what I said. How can change be made by people that do not understand what it is about? Multiculturalism might have a place but I think integration should be the aim.
I have friends back in England that tell me of people in their town, people that have lived there for years but rely on their children for translation. How can such people, with no intention of changing, have an informed say in government? That being said, wherever I have been working in the world I have tried to use the language of the country I have been in – I must admit I was defeated by Arabic when I was in Saudi and am not the worlds best linguist but I get along with French and Catalan at the moment. Surely it is not too much to ask that those that participate in English government speak and understand English.
Ivan,
Totally agree. These people come here to escape something and yet want to bring with them the culture that spawned that something. It’s a bit likeliberals leaving towns to go to the country because of all the rules on keeping hedges trimmed then insist on stopping farmer Jones going shooting as he has all his life.
They just don’t get it.