[Campaignforrealdemocracy] Fwd: direct democracy through the back door

[Mark Barrett]

HI Everyone

Here's an idea just sent me from Nigel Ware. Assuming we could identify a
suitable constituency does anyone know anyone who could help set this up ?
James ?

Mark
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: nigel ware <nigelrware at me.com>
Date: 27 April 2010 17:52
Subject: Re: direct democracy through the back door
To: Mark Barrett <marknbarrett at googlemail.com>


Basically I have an idea, which might already exist some where? To find some
php script writers who can create a political forum website that we can
offer the use of to local MPs.

The site would work as a forum and could be used for a local MP to gauge
public support or to gauge their constituents gripes etc. Polls could also
be run on the site, polls could be created by any user of the site. The site
could run both locally and nationally for national debates on laws etc.

To make this site really work and become a powerful tool for direct
democracy it needs to work best at the local level and would need to be
advertised locally and obviously in time nationally. The main reason to get
a local MP on board and enthusiastic is that they can get the money that
would be needed to create and run and advertise it. I think that the term
"direct democracy" may need to be avoided at first due to most if not all
MPs as far as I know, being against direct democracy, so this site would
have to be sold as a major tool for local MPs.

As the site becomes established and popular and for example in my
constituency with the MP having a 10,000 majority at the last election, gets
the numbers of users for my constituency up to 5,000 or so, then how could
my MP ignore the popular demands made on the site.

I am sure it would not take long before various threads locally and
nationally along with the polls on the site would start to demand voting on
national budgets, going to war, and further down the line law. I think the
polls on the site would be most popular, as the governments petition site is
a bit of a joke with its 12 month maximum duration time limit.

As I said this is all just an idea buzzing around my head so feel free to
shoot it down in flames or play with it as you see fit.

On 25 Apr 2010, at 15:38, Mark Barrett wrote:

> Hi Nigel. Thanks for your message which was forwarded to me. Please
> send info and I will link you in to lots of others who might be able
> to help. Cheers, Mark
>
> On 25/04/2010, nigel ware <nigelrware at me.com> wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Can you tell me who I can contact with some ideas I have for introducing
>> direct democracy to our awful political system we have at the moment?
Please
>> send me email addresses as I want to run some ideas about and see if they
>> can be finely homed by more clever doods than myself.
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