25-03-2009, 10:11 AM
Quote:But we believe that any mechanisms to re-engage people with democratic processes and regenerate trust will only succeed if they fulfill five conditions.
First, they must register with the public. To achieve this, they must be regular and pervasive.
Second, they must be credible - people must believe they matter. To achieve this, either there must be sustained feedback to participants in deliberative engagement exercises, or they must devolve the decision from government, e.g. to a citizens' summit.
Third, they must be open and transparent - participants must be aware in advance of the degree of influence they might have. There must be a shared understanding of when and how these mechanisms will be used. Government must not embark on engagement for the sake of it.
Fourth, they must be systemic - otherwise people will regard them as cynical window-dressing gimmicks by politicians. They represent a permanent change to the policy development process.
And finally, they must be consistent with representative democracy - new mechanisms should feed into Parliamentary consideration of issues.
6. enact laws that impose criminal charges against Members of Parliament who vote along party lines for purposes of personal advancement and who fleece their own nests.
7. enact laws that concurrently or retrospectively make any breach of public trust by a Prime Minister punishable under the treason act.
And so on and so forth. The five conditions laid out by Michael Wills are all politicians spin and ministers toffee and won't change the problem one iota.
The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.
Carl Jung - Aion (1951). CW 9, Part II: P.14