HughSundae(RadiobFMinterviewer):"Whataboutthe20,000NewZealanderswhomarchedagainstGE?"HelenClark:
"1
don'tcare
if
everyNewZealandermarches,
we
campaignedforGEintheelectionandwon,endofstory."
POWER
HowtomaketheGovernmentlistentoYOU,forachange
COPYRIGHT
(c)
2004STEVEBARON&JONATHANEISEN
Publishedby
THEFULLCOURTPRESS
POBOX44-128PTCHEVALIER,AUCKLANDNEWZEALAND
ISBN0-9583681-4-7
FirstEdition•2004
Whatis"PeoplePower"?
"PeoplePower"isthelegalpowerof"thepeople"towriteandpasstheirownlaws,orrepeallawstheynolongerwant.("Thepeople"canalso"recall"-thisis,fire-politicianswhentheydeemitnecessary.)Alsocalled"DirectDemocracy",PeoplePowerlegallyenshrinesthefactthat"wepaytheirsalaries,sotheyworkforus".Radical?New?No.PeoplePowerhasbeenamuchvaluedpartofthepolit-icalsystemindifferentcountriesaroundtheworldformanyyears.PeoplePower(DirectDemocracy)isverysimpletooperate.
It
worksthroughsomethingcalledBindingCitizens'InitiatedReferendums*-ratherlikethereferendumswealreadyhaveinNZ,thebigdifferencebeingthattheresultsactuallycount.Thekeywordhereis"Binding".Thismeansthatthegovernmentislegallyobligatedtoabidebytheresultsofthereferendums-whetheritwantstoornot.(Rightnow,inNZreferendumsaremerely"advisory"andnotbindingonthegovernmentatall.)Weurgentlyneedrealdemocracy,nowmorethanever,asthewishesandneedsofthemajorityofthepeopleareoftenfarlessimportanttogovern-mentsthanthoseof"specialinterest"groups,therulingpartyeliteand/ormultinationalcorporations.Ourcurrentsystemapportionsrealpoweronlytotheveryfewattheuppermostlayersofthepoliticalpyramid.Andthesefew-the"powerelite"-rarelyact(oreverhaveacted)-withtheinterestofthepeople(ortheplanet)atheart.PeoplePowerisabouthowthisproblemcanandmustbeaddressed,peace-fully,andrationally-foreveryone'sbenefit.
*
Isit"Referendums"or"Referenda"?Both"referenda"and"referendums"arecorrect.
2
TableofContents
Introduction
Page3
NZsUrgentNeedforRealDemocracy.
DrRobertAndersonPage16
FullDemocracy
BrianBeedham(TheEconomist)Page21
DavidLange
InterviewwithJonathanEisenPage29
GeoffreyPalmerMissesThePointonBCIR
JonathanEisenPage39
DirectDemocracy:OurCoalitionwiththePeople
NZFirstPolicyStatementPage42
ASureWaytoRestrictthePoweroftheState
TheRtHonWinstonPetersPage45
ASwissPerspective
ErwinAlberPage49
TheGreensand
BCIRPage51
BCIR:HowItCanWorkInNewZealand
SteveBaronPage55
BCIRQ&A
SteveBaronPage60
limitlessGovernment?
RogerKerrPage65
AnAustralianPoliticianSpeaksOut
RussellCooperPage68
BCIRControlsthePowerofElites
StevenNeitzkePage80
ChristineFletcher:Beyond
MMPPage81
HowIChangedMyMindonBCIR
SimonUptonPage95
TheReferendumPartyoftheUK
Page99
SleepwalkingintotheEuropeanSuperstate
SirJamesGoldsmithPage100
HowtoFireYourMP
WikipaediaPage110
RecallingtheFatherofRecall
HiramJohnsonPage111
SoNowWhatHappens?
112RogerMoncktonPage
3
Preface
Thecontributorstothisbookrepresentwidelyvaryingbackgrounds,occupations,incomelevels,politicalpersuasionsandphilosophies,fromthepoliticalleft,rightandcentre,However,theyallagreeononething:thatNewZealandersurgentlyneedtoreclaimsomeofthepowerwehavelostovertheyearstobothelectedpoliti-ciansandunelectedbureaucrats.Indeed,governmentshavebecomeincreasinglylessresponsivet?ourlegitimateneedsandwishes,andmoreinclinedtowardhigh-handed,oppressivecontrol.Ourvauntedsystemof"representativedemocracy"hasfailedtoguaranteethewell-beingofthepeopleandthesurvivalofahealthy,habitablepl~net..Insteadithasbecometheservantofthe"specialinterest"groups,theresultbeingincreasedprof-itsforthem,butincreasedsocialproblemsandmountingenvironmentaldamageforusandtheworld..Howdidweletthishappen?Foronething,westoppedthinkingofourselvesasc.it-izens,andco-creatorsofpublicpolicy,andinsteadbecameconsumers,hap~Ilyleavingthebigdecisionsforgovernmentstosortout,whileweallwentshopping,Slowly,aswesettledintodenial,becomingusedtotheperks,raisesan~revv:ardswegotforbeinggoodlittlecogsinthebigmachine,ourplanetwasbeingkilledoffpiecemealbytheverysystemthatwasbuyingusoffsoeffectively.Wefellasleepatthewheel,forgettingwhatrealdemocracywas,happilybuyingtheBigLiethatthisISdemocracy,wheninfactitisonlyapaleimitation.Yearafteryear,govemmentaftergovernment,betrayalafterbetrayal,onestupiddecisionafteranotherweheardthesamestory:thatifwedon'tlikeit,wecanvoteforthe"oppo-sition"nexttimearound.Thatwasour"democratic"chancetocorrectthenoxiousblundersofthepreviousgovernment.Unfortunatelyitneverworkedoutthatway.FewofushavestoppedtoaskexactlyWHYitwasthatwehadtosettleforthis"representativedemocracy"thathadbeenfailingus.sob~dl~fors?.long"wh.e~wecouldhavetherealthing-DirectDemocracyWithBindingCitizensInitiatedReferendums-astheyactuallydoinSwitzerland(for131years!)andelsewhere.Nowthankstothemountainofbaddecisionsmadebyvariousgovernments,ithasbecome
III
matterofgreaturgencythatwenotonlyask
why
wecan'thaverealdemocracy,
butdemandthatwedo.
Apologistsfor"representativedemocracy"willtellusthatrealdemocracyis"impossible"andthatSwitzerlandis"different".Don'tbelievethem.Thefactisthatrealdemocracyisachievableandpractical.AndtheSwiss?They'rejustpeoplelikeus.
4
Introduction
In2003,theNewZealandgovernmentcarriedonthetimedis-honouredpracticeofignoringthewishesofthemajorityofNewZealanders,asitspredecessorshavebeendoingfordecades.Asmallsample:•Aftertwoyearsofvigorousdebate,atleast70%ofthepeopleofNewZealandwereopposedtotheNZgovernment'sliftingthemoratoriumonthecommercialreleaseofgeneticallyengineeredorganisms.GEisanissueofhugeconcerntoalargemajorityofNewZealanderswhocorrectlybelievethatthecountry'sfoodsupplywillbecomecontaminated(asithasintheUS)andthatGEcouldendangertheirhealth.TheirbeliefsarestronglysupportedbyagrowingbodyofscientificevidenceofsomeveryserioushealthproblemsoccurringasaresultofGE-evidencewhichthegovernment(anditsRoyalCommission)hassteadfastlyignored.•Inthesameyear,2003,thesameminority(Labour-led)government,withthehelpofanotherminorparty(TheGreenParty),pushedthroughlegislationtoradicallyaltertheconstitutionofNewZealand,byabolish-ingthePrivyCouncil,ourindependenthigh-estcourt.Thisoccurreddespitethefactthat,••••••••••thevastmajorityofthepeoplewanteditkeptintactoritsstatusatleastvotedoninabindingreferendum.
"NewZealand-ershavebeensystematicallybetrayedbygov-thatrnmentsarrogantlyassumethattheyandonIythey,knowbest."
•In2003,alsoagainstthewishesofthepeople,thesamegovernmentsignedatreatywithAustraliatoseverelyrestrictthefreeaccessofthepeopletooftenlife-savingnutritionalsupplements-onedaybeforetheoutcomeofaselectcommitteehearingwastobepublished-opposingthemove.•Inrecentyearsanumberofcontroversial,importantanddeeplyfeltmoral
5
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People Power
An easy read book in support of more direct democracy in New Zealand.
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