“PEOPLE POWER”
How to make the government listen to YOU, for a change
With original articles by David Lange, Winston Peters, Christine Fletcher,
Dr Robert Anderson, Roger Kerr, Sir James Goldsmith and others
Edited by Jonathan Eisen and Steve Baron
More than 900,000 people have signed petitions and referendums in New Zealand in the last ten years. Unfortunately, all
of them were totally ignored by every government of the day. On issues ranging from stricter sentencing for violent
criminals, to fewer MPs; from the commercial release of GE to a fairer deal for our firefighters... the will of the
people has been systematically thwarted.
The answer is really quite simple. Moreover, it's peaceful, inclusive and empowering: New Zealand must adopt DIRECT
DEMOCRACY, using Binding Citizens’ Initiated Referendums as the means. This is the system (in constant use in
Switzerland for 131 years and many other countries as well) wherein the government is legally obligated to obey the will
of the people, rather than the other way around.
The word "binding" means that the result of the referendum is BINDING ON THE GOVERNMENT. After all, as they say, we pay
their salaries. BCIR doesn't replace representative government. Rather, it augments it, and puts a check on the
government.
Great idea, but how can we get it? Governments like to rule, not to listen, and are not very likely to give back the
sovereignty that they have taken from the people.The answer, then, is that we must create a critical mass of popular
support whereby if a candidate or party wishes to secure our vote, they MUST endorse Direct Democracy.
Recent developments:
Late in 2003 NZ First became the first party to endorse Direct Democracy, doing so wholeheartedly with major public
announcements and full page ads in the Sunday papers. The story of the endorsement featured on the news networks, and
then on talkback, dialogue pages and letters columns.
Then, predictably, the Empire struck back. The NZ Herald and some status quo politicians railed against it with
arguments such as "the people aren't smart or sophisticated enough." Or "the people can be bought off by corporate
interests", or that "Switzerland is different" or that "it just can't work". However, the arguments for BCIR were so
logically (and historically) persuasive that BCIR quickly began to gain popular (and political) traction. Other parties
like ACT and The Greens started debates and discussions. Early this year even Don Brash said that National is not
“opposed” to it.
Now, with the growing awareness that MMP has not in fact delivered real Democracy to New Zealand, prominent people from
the political left to the political right have come together in one book (perhaps for the first time) in total agreement
about the need for this basic and necessary change to our constitution, one that really can deliver the promise of
Democracy. Christine Fletcher, Roger Kerr, David Lange, Dr Robert Anderson of the GE-free NZ movement, Brian Beedham,
editor of The Economist, Sir James Goldsmith, and many others, explore and develop the idea of Direct Democracy and
argue that New Zealand can and MUST adopt REAL DEMOCRACY in order to reform the system to be more accountable to the
people, and less accountable to global corporate interests and other powerful lobby groups.
Finally PEOPLE POWER reveals how we can get Direct Democracy much sooner than we think. In fact, we may be able to get
it after the coming election in 2005.
PEOPLE POWER will be launched on July 30 (at the Springs Conference Centre, Gt North Road, 11am). And you're invited.
It promises to be one of the more lively and interesting events of the year. Steve Baron of Voters Voice (Voters Voice
is the national organisation pushing Direct Democracy), already has 20,000 supporters, making it one of the potentially
largest political forces in the country. His petition will be presented at the launch.
See http://www.votersvoice.org.nz for more information.
BIOS: Jonathan Eisen is an investigative journalist and editor. His recent books include The GE Sellout, Suppressed
Inventions & Other Discoveries, The NZ Book of Records, and Solar Made Easy. Steve Baron is the founder of Voters’ Voice, the
organisation promoting Direct Democracy in New Zealand. This is his first book.
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