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None considered suitable

In a few days, New Zealanders go to the polls and vote in a general election.

This time we're spoilt for choice with a stunning array of parties on offer that appear to encompass the entire political spectrum from far left to far right.

The problem I, and based on my conversations in the street, many others face is that none of them present a convincing argument that gives me enough reason to cast my vote in their favour.

This is the first time I've really felt this way in the lead-up to an election and I'm wondering why.

The cost of living feels like it's at an all-time high with surging prices for fuel, power, food, housing and just about ever other expense you can't escape in today's modern world.

The two main parties (Labour and National) simply promise more of the same nonsense that has ended up getting us to this point over the past decade or so. That's hardly an enticing proposition is it?

At the other end of the spectrum are the batshit-crazy parties who promise total reform, zero or near-zero income tax and/or a fanatical redistribution of wealth that promises to punish the rich as if they were intrinsically evil and sucking the life out of the nation.

Once again, their offerings, even if only because of the lunacy they reveal, are unpalatable and unconvincing.

The way I see it is that none of these parties are addressing the real issues that have gotten us to the sorry place we call "the present". Although they pretend that their magic knives will cut up the GDP of the nation in a unique way that effectively ensures everyone's a winner, none of them address the single biggest issue facing the nation.

What's that issue?

Well in my honest opinion it's our woefully outdated political system and the way we've tried to implement democracy for the past hundred years or more.

Until we get true, continuous democracy with checks and balances, all that our elections deliver is another three year period of authoritarian rule by whatever gang or gangs of politicians we've deemed to be least offensive as a nation.

The structure of our political system is deeply flawed.

We elect people (MPs) to represent us in the halls of power but the moment they take office, they're sworn to uphold "the party line" so their duty to those who cast their votes becomes secondary to the cabinet (aka: inner circle) who have their own goals and agendas that can, and often do, usurp the interests of voters.

Any MP who dares to vote against the party diktats in parliament is doomed. They'll soon be relegated to the back benches and stripped of any real power. Sadly, this happens at a local government level as well as at a national level.

Once voted in, MPs effectively tell the community to get stuffed. When challenged as to the lack of representation they now offer, the response is usually "if you don't like it you can always vote us out at the next election". Strangely enough, that curt response seems to be very much muted in the period leading up to the next election though, replaced with promises to do better when re-elected.

Regular readers will now that I have my own ideas as to what constitutes a far more effective political system and I'm not averse to sharing it with anyone who'll listen.

For those who are new here, allow me to point you to my 2006 paper titled "Recoverable Proxy". Although it's clearly 20 years old this month, I think it has never been more valid or worthy of consideration.

Even if you're an Aardvark regular, now might be a great time to re-read my proposal and reflect on how it might well have improved the position of the nation and its people if it had already been adopted.

Sadly, as stated in the paper, it is unlikely to ever be given any real consideration by a sitting parliament because one of the most crucial elements is that of providing a power of veto to voters, such that rogue governments focused on self-interest can not ride roughshod over the rights of those who have elected them. That level of accountability will never be acceptable to any politician currently sitting.

So who will *I* be voting for next weekend?

To be honest, I really don't think it matters. My honest position is that I don't consider any of them to be suitable because the system is not designed to ensure that voters get a fair go and, as the saying goes: "Power corrupts".

Carpe Diem folks!

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