On Thursday 24 Feb 2005 06:26, Sid Dabster sid_dabster@yahoo.ca wrote:
*** Proposal for a FLOSS/Linux Political Party ***
I suggest a Linux Party is formed to promote the idea of free software (and possibly related ideas). The last European Election with the patent issue showed the relevance of politics to the free software movement. Voting purely on patents lead to some undesirable alliance partners. While as LUG Radio noted, the patent issue did not brake through into the mainstream media. If free software is to gain mass use, we need decision makers and media to be more aware. A Linux party with a free post drop and media time will do this just as other single issue parties have.
During the Euro Elections I took it upon my self to see if we, the Free Software Community could unseat the sitting Liberal Democrat candidate. Not that I had any opposition to the Candidate Personally or Politically, but because they were expecting to gain a seat, and their stand on Software Patents were inimical to the Free Software Community.
The actions I proposed were a) to lobby the Lib Dems, b) to encourage anyone that people came into contact with, to vote either UKIP or Green, in order to take AWAY votes from the Lib Dems. c) to actually vote for either UKIP or the Greens. The result was that some took the trouble to write to me, or post to newsgroups, to tell me why they either did not have the time or inclination to lobby the Lib Dems, (effort they could have used to write to the Lib Dems), others told me that UKIP or the Greens were not people they could vote FOR, missing the point that the vote was AGAINST the Lib Dems. Voting for Minority Party's hits the major Party's disproportionally, even when the sitting party wins, if its majority is reduced not by one of the other major party's but by one of the minor one's.
It is my opinion in these days when democracy has not turned out to be what some imagined it should be, that apathy is our worst enemy, but that an opposition group can be more useful than a single issue pressure group.
If a Party is to be organised then it may be more useful to organise a Political Organisation to vote against certain individuals or parties, rather than for a single issue pressure group. Perhaps someone will know if the various election regulations covers those who are campaigning AGAINST an individual or Party.
On Sun, Feb 27, 2005 at 03:18:08PM +0000, John Seago wrote:
It is my opinion in these days when democracy has not turned out to be what some imagined it should be, that apathy is our worst enemy, but that an opposition group can be more useful than a single issue pressure group.
If a Party is to be organised then it may be more useful to organise a Political Organisation to vote against certain individuals or parties, rather than for a single issue pressure group. Perhaps someone will know if the various election regulations covers those who are campaigning AGAINST an individual or Party.
I would prefer it if we had a better voting system, e.g. one where you can vote more than once, i.e. once for each party you support. So the presence of a vote for party A and party B on my ballot paper and a lack of a vote for party C in effect means that I don't care if A or B win, but I certainly don't want to support C.
In preparation for the next general election I don't know if I can bring myself to vote for any of the parties because they all suck, just some more than others. If in effect I could vote for all the parties who were crap instead of the ones that were totally crap then it wouldn't be a total disaster.
This has the nice side effect that I could vote for single issue parties, and when they get lots of votes people think that maybe the issues they are raising are a good idea and the mainstream will take them up.
Adam
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adam＠thebowery.co.uk -
John Seago