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Freedom
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Relax, you are free to think, no partisan bias, this is a political party-free zone....
Recent Developments...
Collaborative research between SEEL (Systems Engineering Economics Lab), VisualModel.com and Navatec.com has come up with an applied decision analysis system which addresses the state of affairs where decisions affect a large number of people all with different preferences. This challenge was addressed in the book "The Briton's Quest for Freedom .. Our unfinished journey..." and the solution provided was the so-called Minority Principle as a substuitute for our currently defunct Majority Principle.
The output of this collaborative work is a transparent system for deferring to any number of preferences and yet producing a broadly acceptable options. A recent reference to this can be found at VisualModel.com as well as at the George Boole Institute Decision Analysis Initiative.
The feasibility of the Minority Principle in identifying better quality and acceptable options depends upon the use of decision analysis models known as deference models. Central to their operation is a balanced review of options so as to make people aware of natural constraints so as to set preferences into feasible limits (a process referrred to as prior approximation). The outcome is decisions become uncontentious reducing potential conflict and the role of semantics in decision-making is another area of enquiry suppoorting the operationof deference models.
In a recent article in Emancipation (to be relaunched in November 2009), Hector McNeill states that,
"the current complexity of events facing society makes their resolution through tiny organizations, such as political parties, with less than 1% of the electorate as members and an impoverished intellectual capacity, virtually impossible. Politicians and leaders, so-called, will take decisions but they will seldom be the right ones and very often they are more often likely to be the wrong ones. This recent output by SEEL is an exciting advance in the exploration of the Minority Principle and it sets out the methodology whereby the Principle can be applied to achieve more satisfactory decisions in those fields where the number of people affected by a decision is large. Typical applications are in the field of legislation, referenda and plebicites as well as on serious questions as to the act of declaring war on an identified group or nation. The overall approach has significance is evaluating different constitutional systems for elections of members of governments including an assessment of the efficacy of such options as proportional representation as well as the effectiveness of political parties.
By applying simple and proven principles transparency is enhanced and contention reduced and the quality of decisions greatly enhanced. A fundamental finding of this work is that politial parties, in their current form, are not geared to undertaking such a transparent process since their motivation is invariably orientated towards the use of expediency so as to bias outcomes to their particular preferences and which, of course, do not agree with the preferences of the majority. This state of affairs is precaious and dangerous and this instability is sustained by the machinations of political parties. This work has an important role in demonstrating to constuituencues why political parties are incapable of looking after the interests of the constituncies of the country and why they represent the main obsrtacle to better decision-making to the benefit of all."
A link well worth visiting....
Those who agree with much of what Shami Chakrabati of Liberty has to say on panel appearances often sense she is not provided with enough time to deliver a more complete message. I have just come across a video recording in the Clare Politics Archive of a talk by Shami Chakrabarti to the Clare Politics Group in October, 2007. This is very well worth visiting and watching in order to gain a more complete understanding of the clarity, balance and significance of her message.
To see this video click here:... Shami Chakrabarti's talk to the Clare Politics Group
On the subject of Liberty, this year they celebrate their 75th birthday. Why not recharge yourself with some common sense and visit the site by clicking on the image on the right?
The frontiers of freedom further afield...
On the international front, the erosion in freedom has been monitored by State Watch for some 18 years. Why not pay State Watch a visit?
Our state of play
The General Assembly content is building up and we have several new pamphlets and propositions to post. To some degree we are posting these to coincide with topical events since this helps people understand their significance. However this introduces a somewhat random bias into the topics posted as opposed to any fundamental bias in their content.
As a result of a review undertaken in early 2008 we abandoned an original intent to make this site an e-voting venue. There were three fundamental reasons for this.
1. the ease for abuse under current technological standards in telecommunications (email, internet dialogues and mobile telephones) can assist those wishing to secure fraudulent and misleading outcomes.
2. In spite of a high penetration of Internet access amongst the UK population, people's habits result in online system-based participation not being representative of the population as a whole and can therefore produce misleading outcomes. The Internet broadcasts but reception and response is extremely selective.
3. Coincidentally the government did not go ahead with a referendum on the European Constitution and the broad trend in press coverage assisted rather than countered this decision. Although we had the intent of undertaking an e-referendum the two points above discouraged us from doing so.
Annoucement:
as a result our first review of Emancipation magazine after 12 months of operation, Agence Press Européenne has decided to extend this operation by adding an Internet video channel "Emancipation TV" to provide syndicated output on the themes supported by the Emancipation Editorial.
We expect first broadcasts to be initiated during April, 2009.
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Petitions
We had also intended to create petitions around pamphlets and propositions at the General Assembly but the UK government e-petition site was used by many commentators to suggest this was not needed. We have observed the outcomes of the government site and it is plain that their site is used as a barometer of discontent rather than a serious issues of concern to the administration of constituency affairs. The government knows who signs such petitions and knows the angle of the proposers. In essence, petitions of this sort act as political party intelligence rather than acting as a means of legitimate complaint or propositions for change.
Pamphlets & propositions
We are therefore advancing with the strategy of developing and promoting pamphlets and propositions. These will be designed to be fairly short so as to make a specific and clear point. However, from the emails we are receiving there is a paucity of appropriate information on the general topic of "politics without parties", even on the Internet and an investment of considerable time in searching what is availbe. As a result many find it is not possible to complete satisfactory independent enquiries and explorations of the concepts we are presenting so as to help shape people's views on the matters covered. Indeed, research undertaken by Agence Presse Européenne only confirms this point of view with respect to the British media where there is insufficient coverage of what seem to be matters of concern to most people. This is why the aim of the General Assembly is to help people fashion their own preferences free from any coercion, where there is no partisan pressure or bias. However, the fact remains that the lack of sound comprehensive media coverage and Internet information available leaves much to be desired.
This is why we supported the recent initiative by Agence Presse Européenne as a followup to their findings to set up two new online media called Emancipation and Real Incomes where issues on constitution and constitutional economics, relevant to the prospects of the people of Britain, are being set out in more detail and free from the usual partisan angles.
Some of the issues we face as a country are not simple but involve a range of interacting effects. Unfortunately the political establishment is not particularly good at providing any guidance through this maze but also they add noise and disinformation as a basis for depreciating opposition and strengthening their grip on power; all at the expense of the people of Britain.
Emancipation magazine
It became very evident in early 2008 that there was a need for a topical news coverage which reviewed political events from the standpoint of the upholding of the preferences of the people as well as the options for politics without parties. For this reason we launched Emancipation, an online magazine. Indeed the efforts in this area and the removal of e-voting and e-petitions from the e-mancipation site was associated with a failure to renew the domain name! However, this was re-registered in March 2009. What we have on this site is an updated version of the site as of November 2008.
The real world of politics without parties
The reality of a world where politics is free from political parties is well-founded. However, there remains a danger that those wishing to change the state of affairs will plough ahead trying to promote the election of independent representatives (MPs) without sufficient attention being given to the fundamental constitutional changes necessary to protect people from the ills and abuses of representation of any kind. This is a complex topic and not only involves the need for education and considerable research but also a realization that politics without parties i.e. factions and interest groups even changes how we approach economics. We hope that the combination of short focused pamphlets and propositions at the General Assembly and a more comprehensive review and analysis of relevant economic and constitutional issues available through Emancipation and Real Incomes and books we will be releasing can help demonstrate that it is possible to review our national concerns in an environment free from the tired cliches which constitute political debate.
I have been encouraged that some of those who are expressing interest in Emancipation's efforts are associated with the main political parties as well as those who have not voted for some time in British elections. There is also an unexpected level of interest on the part of many who are not from the United Kingdom.
It is of fundamental importance that individuals be free to shape their own preferences based upon their personal needs and desires using objective information. In this way we can move forwards towards a political system which enables an enhanced degree of freedom of expression based upon propositions fashioned bottom up by the people of this country. In this way we can distance ourselves from the bankrupt and contentious winner and loser situations generated by those pre-decided propositions coming from the inner sanctums of tiny private political parties. We need politics without parties.
Hector McNeill
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