| Chapter 8. | The TRUE DEMOCRACY E-Parliament. Will it work? |
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Considering the turmoil at times in today's parliaments, one may wonder how will the TD e-parliament, with hundreds, some nations even thousands of independent TD MPs, work? One: The problem in the parliaments of today are the political parties. Each party has its own ideology and policies. Add to this party politics and one has the explanation why controversies and confrontation prevail in today's parliaments. Furthermore, because of the disconnect between people and politicians, governments and parliaments depend on polls which are half right or half wrong. Surveys, fact finding tours, commissions and experts are at best a limited information base and cost lots of money. On top of this, majority governments use ‘closure', a very undemocratic means to force legislation or, if the issue tends to cause ‘political suicide' it is made to languish. Nothing of this sort distorts the issues in the TD e-parliament. Here the problems are tackled as soon as they appear and the only hindrance to a consensus are the TD MPs, their opinions and views. This cannot be changed. For example - legislation is needed to modify health care to incorporate and find the monies for new machines and medical procedures, etc. The new committee consists of the ‘three parties': the ayes, the nays und the fence sitters. But before the first committee meeting the MPs assigned to this committee will have broached the issue in their town hall meetings, phone-ins and personal meetings with doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and other health care workers and they have obtained all the information needed to start the deliberation in the TD e-parliament. Among the people of a nation is a wealth of knowledge and information which is today under-utilized. Instead the TD system uses and applies this source and it doesn't cost one red cent. However, the consensus seeking process in a parliament is never straight forward. There is the finance minister guarding the budget, colleagues in the same riding who represent other diversities of the same riding and finally the opponents in the committee. This obliges every TD MP to be flexible, adjust, probe, learn and explain until the final vote in the TD parliament is taken. In any event the process was thorough, well thought out, practical and the new law can be applied without any problems. Two: As mentioned, it is the central computer which assembles the committees. Consequently, no TD MP knows in advance to which committee he/she will be assigned and it will be a regular occurrence that two TD MPs find themselves in one committee agreeing with each other but in another committe they oppose each other. This constantly changing situation in the TD e-parliament dictates that the TD MPs exercise restraint in their relation to each other. Thus the consensus seeking process in the TD e-parliament will not be conducted in a confrontational manner. Instead good will, cooperation, mutual tolerance and respect will be prevalent attitudes in the TD e-parliament. Three: The participation of the people in the political process and the familiarity with their TD MPs will make them more assertive. That's the way it should be in a living and breathing democracy. This assertiveness combined with the insight that they, the people, can not solve the problems themselves but that it is the task of the men or women they have chosen to do it for them. For this reason the people will be very interested in what happens in the TD e-parliament and it is their watchfulness which will also imbue the TD MPs in their work in the TD e-parliament. To mention this again, special interests or any mob will always be in a minority in any election district. As long as their participation is constructive, nobody will mind. But any unruly or disruptive behavior will only back- fire because TD MPs will and can ignore them since their election is based on the majority of voters in their riding. Four: Opting for the special vocation of a TD MP, getting elected and being sworn in to serve the people are the attributes which will instill pride and professionalism and most TD MPs will strive to be political professionals. |