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April 01, 2005
Labor's electoral reform
Victoria's leading the way in electoral reform, it seems, what with the revelation by one of its administrators that more than half the "members" of the Victorian ALP don't, in fact, exist. Their membership fees were paid purely for the purpose of electing certain candidates - this is really cute - at meetings that didn't happen, after which their involvement abruptly ceased.
The procedure eliminates the risk that electors might get to vote for candidates that might genuinely represent their interests, rather than the interests of the professionals who know so much more about the practice of power than - ho-hum - the man in the street. It's brilliant, when you think of it. Absolutely brilliant!
The obvious next step is to abolish compulsory voting ... indeed to abolish anything as costly and time-consuming as an election. What we'll do, instead, is out-source the entire democratic machinery to the Victorian ALP's faction chiefs. We'll save millions. Why bother, for instance, printing electoral rolls? That alone should save a few million, and the savings in paper should appease the Greens. And having elections that don't actually happen will avoid tedious conflicts with football Grand Finals etc.
It's anything but funny, of course, because it's not just the party that's been corrupted by these dirty little manoeuvres. The entire process of democracy has been trampled underfoot by cynical faction leaders.
Our esteemed Premier, and ALP state secretary Erik Locke both claim that the allegations can be handled through the party's internal processes. Just as soon as somebody discovers where they are. We suspect they're in the same place as Steve Bracks' missing moral principles. Gosh he looks good on TV. Almost cherub-like. But terribly, terribly flawed.
Can somebody please tell us this: we know the issue isn't exactly new, but why hasn't this become a MUCH bigger story? Somehow it seems to have been managed on to page seven, for God's sake.
Maybe that's the real news. We've all become so inured to corruption that something that should bring governments down causes scarcely more than a ripple.
Posted by cw at April 1, 2005 05:30 AM
Comments
CW, posting at 5:30am. You'll have to stop that you know. This is seriously deserving of serious study.
Posted by: chriscurnow at April 1, 2005 07:23 PM
You noticed! It was one of those restless nights. Eventually I gave up and switched on the computer.
Posted by: cw at April 1, 2005 09:52 PM