One of my favourite political bloggers, Shuggy, has a short post up here about opinion and it’s validity (or lack of). My own favourite variation on this is the view that ‘opinions are like a*seholes - everyone has one, but no-one really wants to hear them.’ (an aphorism that I can’t recall the source of [...]
Filed under: Being a politician, Conversational localities, Distributed moral wisdom, Web 2.0 and democracy, What makes a good representative? | No Comments »
In a very good edition of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Analysis’ programme towards the end of last year, the columnist David Aaronovich recounted a programme that he produced in the 1980s featuring the Archbishop of York, John Hapgood.
The Archbishop, as far as I can see, had the kind of views that would appeal to a Guardian [...]
Filed under: Being a politician, Consultations, Conversational localities, Deliberative democracy, Distributed moral wisdom, Pressure groups | Tagged: Certainty, Distributed moral wisdom, Eavesdroppable, Groupthink, Irony, Neutrality, Podcast, Wisdom of Crowds | 2 Comments »
I find it almost impossible to take a blog seriously when its central claim is that any British government in the recent past of forseeable future is really lurching towards totalitarianism. It is with this proviso that I offer a semi-approving link to this post.
The elected police chief - like the elected Mayor - cannot [...]
Filed under: Centralisation, Direct democracy, Distributed moral wisdom, Mayors | Tagged: Distributed moral wisdom, Elected mayors, Political parties, Regional government | 5 Comments »
Over at the Democratic Society blog, Anthony has written a very good post on the balance between decisions that have a democratic flavour to them (in the crudest sense of the word - decisions that reflect the broad stated will of those who express a view) and the need for high-quality decisionmaking.
Filed under: Deliberative democracy, Distributed moral wisdom | Tagged: Deliberative democracy, Populism, Representative democracy | No Comments »
Democracy is the worst form of government except all the other forms that have been tried from time to time - Winston Churchill
Funny aphorisms have a habit of making a case better than any footnoted essay, and Churchill’s view remains the most quoted argument I’ve seen in the defence of liberal democracy. But what is [...]
Filed under: Centralisation, Distributed moral wisdom, What makes a good representative? | Tagged: Representative democracy | 4 Comments »
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