Dismantling The Binary

I believe we should move away from the notion of Left and Right and we should dispense with the idea of an opposition party. This set up creates a false binary that constantly tries to suggest that one party is the opposite of the other.

The politician class should be represented as having viewpoints that differ, but not that exist on a spectrum which can be characterised as right and wrong, purely by virtue of whether they are right or left leaning.

Generalities are burying specifics. On a case by case, issue by issue, basis, we should be looking at which solution is best.

Irrespective of party, politicians are public servants that are supposed to represent all of their constituents, not just those falling on one side of the bipartisan divide.

If the notion of separation and division is baked into the language of how we discuss the operation of those taking part in democracy, how can we hope to move to a place that is more functional and inclusive of the needs for all citizens?

I also think that once people are voted into power their job should not be to force through the viewpoint of one side. Representing your constituents should manifest itself in working as part of a team to achieve solutions. Each team should have equal numbers of members from each party, and the goal should be to work towards a goal that benefits everyone, not the partisan agenda of one party.

Wouldn’t this result in a deadlock? No, because deadlock is rooted in the notion of opposition and having two parties working against each other. That set up has been leading us nowhere.

We don’t need one side to win and one side to lose; we need the country to win. Political footballs that get kicked around and go through this cycle of one party supporting a particular outcome and building in a certain direction, only for the other party to undo it when they get in position, benefits no-one.

Results should likewise not be considered successful if they benefit one group. Do they enhance the lives of the whole? If not then they represent a failure.

If a politician is revealed as uncooperative in working with those from another party, and hinders the attainment of results, they should be declared ineligible to run for another term. Term limits should be locked to prevent stalemate or favouritism.

Following a term as an elected representative, the person in question should be prohibited from profiting from any sector they had influence over.

Money isn’t free speech. Lobbyists should be restricted to presenting expertise via panels that seek to educate representatives. Money should not be changing hands in any way for an agenda to be pushed. This again would be limited by building all committees assigned to handling aspects of the country into nonpartisan teams who have to work together.

Compromise isn’t defeat, it is the only logical way to move forward.