Plebiscites: why stop at one?

Today we have the internet, which tends towards the question as to why we have yet to organize a form of social organization and political decision making that takes proper advantage of our ability to move bits of information around the world at the speed of light. Why, in other words, do we need representing when we can communicate our intentions practically anywhere, at any time? This may well present as a dangerous line of thinking for those with an investment in things as they are.

It has been said that the attitude of the Turnbull government towards the NBN has been dictated by its relationship with Rupert Murdoch, and his desire to suppress the development of high quality internet services in Australia as a threat to his business interests. If this is so, maybe this goes some way towards accounting for why we do not as a society spend more time engaging directly in the formation of policy, despite the preponderance of means to do so. If Murdoch is afraid of the NBN, imagine how he would respond to the idea of regular plebiscites. But then again, whose democracy is it? Maybe this is one of the questions that instituting regular plebiscites should seek to address.

From a more banal point of view, we certainly seem to spend enough of our time 'liking' various things on social media. If we are so accustomed to seeking approval for social posts, why not social policy? If constantly seeking the approval of others is not the most appropriate approach to social relationships, maybe this unhealthy aspect of social media can be harnessed for the social good instead, in enhancing the relationship between political decision-makers and their constituents, at the very least.

This assumes of course that political decision makers want closer relationships with their constituents. A notable facet of the plebiscite over SSM was the way that the constituents of many of the more vocal opponents of the issue voted with it. Representatives who embrace positions counter to their own constituents might prefer the broader population to be passive, atomized, afraid of their own shadows, ignorant of anything outside of their own narrow world, and susceptible to, well, hot air. Some will always find the idea of greater freedom for others a threat to their privilege.

In this case then, ours is not a problem of ability, but of will. We could apply the old cooperative adage of the administration of things, rather than the government of people, becoming a far more self-managed society, far more mature, self-actualised and proud in the greater levels of personal autonomy we enjoy. We could learn to discuss issues patiently and respectfully, rather than attacking one another in the press and from behind the safety of the internet.

Some might object to the idea of direct democracy on the grounds of the capacity of the mass of the population; as Milton once pointed out, however, 'they who have put out the people's eyes, reproach them of their blindness.' People who do not have wisdom and intellect sufficient for self-management still in theory have wisdom and intellect sufficient to choose their political representatives, or so the story goes. Clearly, if we can be trusted to choose our own political representatives, we can be trusted to vote directly on the issues that affect us, even if not the most wise depository of the public interest. We can of course learn.

The only way to get better at taking control of the course of our own lives is to have the opportunity to do so. What better way to do so in the immediate term than through the introduction of internet-based, directly-democratic, issues-based voting? Most of us already use the internet for banking, or to access government services such as Medicare, Centrelink or the tax system. We could add a voting platform to the My.Gov website, a smartphone app, permanent voting areas in your local shopping centre.

Introducing regular national plebiscites could be a way of dipping our toes in the proverbial pool for a wider rollout at state and municipal levels. As the world becomes more volatile, as natural resources decline and climate change becomes more acute, we will all need to be more engaged in the issues of the day, and better informed to stay on top of changes as they arise.

Jefferson once observed that 'men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties":

….those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes…those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them cherish and consider them as the most honest & safe, altho' not the most wise depository of the public interests.

While those who fear and distrust the people, and who wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes have plenty to fear from the idea of regular, internet-based plebiscites, those who have confidence in them have plenty to like.

As seems to have been demonstrated by the example just gone, they offer people a reason to be engaged and informed, to be involved beyond the simple act of voting. As ways for the mass of the population to develop a sense of themselves as a united whole who can change society for the better, they could challenge the negativity, and vicious cycles of fear, blame and retribution that seem to characterize politics as usual today, all of which drives our descent into social and environmental catastrophe. Instead, through regular plebiscites as a first step towards more active participation of the populace in direct self-management, we might pursue a democratic renaissance powered by an active citizenry, encouraged into positivity and virtuous cycles of courage and compassion by the strengthening of our own individual and collective sense of agency.