The Danish Experiment

[xoxoxoBruce]

Demovote 101
What are we doing

We are devising a way to hack direct democracy into representative without changing the rules by building two things: 1) A web-based platform for Danish citizens to vote on all legislature put forth in parliament. 2) A political party to vote according to the general vote on the platform.

Why are we doing it

We believe that the current representative democracy holds a faulty incentive structure for politicians making it inefficient. We follow politics closely and see a need for reform. Giving back decision making powers to the public makes it impossible to block legislation that citizens want and pass legislation that they do not. By taking agency out of the equations, everyone shares a common goal.

Why is it a good thing that we're doing it

Different suggestions of democrative reform may work great in theory, but we do not have sufficient data to know whether they'll work in practice. Facilitating direct democracy within the framework of representative democracy means not having to change parliament, while still being able to receive data and insights from people voting on real decisions with real outcomes.

What do we wish to gain from it

First, we believe there are several immediate upsides to the party obtaining seats in parliament;

the accountability all politicians have to meet,
the transparency it provides for the people,
the demand for engagement it imposes on everyone.
Secondly, we believe we can gain many insights, which can be used to further improve democracy, e.g.:

who votes on what,
what legislature matters most to the public,
where do citizens agree more or less with each other,
where do citizens agree more or less with parliament,
...and probably many others, which are hard to imagine at this point.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Maybe the Danes are cohesive enough to pull this off. Would it work here if by some act of god the politicians were forced to accept it?

[glatt]

Direct democracy sounds like a great idea, but the tyranny of the majority will trample on the individual.

[BigV]

Not to mention the fact that a lot of popular shit is short sighted. In Washington, as in many other places, we have the power of the initiative. Some have been good, some have been appealing, but with dire unexpected consequences. Witness Prop 13 in California back in the day. Capping the growth of property taxes at1%/year, regardless of the the rise in the costs of state obligations. It was kinda fucked up. Here in Washington, Tim Eyman (sp?), may he burn in hell, successfully promoted a flat $35 for car tabs. WILDLY POPULAR would be a gross understatement. Yet, the road maintenance budget didn't give a fuck. Potholes still cost the same to fill, etc.

I like having good results. Planning carefully improves the chances for good results. Experts, deliberative bodies, checks and balances, these things encourage careful planning (but don't guarantee it or guarantee a good outcome). Pandering and selfishness do not.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Like the politicians (or the lobbyists that own them) have been doing a good job. The Danes are adding the voice of the majority(barring electronic shenanigans) to a multi-party parliament, not a majority vote. Someone to argue the will of the majority. You're stuck in the two party quagmire we have here.

[Gravdigr]

I am disappoint in this thread.

I was expecting danish.

[BigV]

Not all experiments are a success.

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

I am disappoint in this thread.

I was expecting danish.

This thread is in a coffee shop with no coffee and no shop. You should've known there'd be no danish.

[Gravdigr]

You make a valid point.

[Gravdigr]