Craig Thomson - the result of their stranglehold on our democracy

The Craig Thompson affair has highlighted one fundamental problem with the way our system of government has deteriorated.

If Australia is a democracy, why are the people powerless between elections?

But since Federation the political parties- with smaller and smaller memberships - have gained a stranglehold on the system. They have given themselves privileges and advantages never dreamt of by our founders. Taxpayers even fund their campaign expenses. And far from representing the people who elected them, too many politicians take orders from their party and even their factional bosses. They represent their party bosses. Not the people.

Even at elections, the effective choice has been predetermined by a small clique. The Craig Thomson affair is the result.

And not the only one.
The only way to counter this undemocratic stranglehold is to give the people the right to recall any elected reserved representative or a whole Parliament to an election.

This could be effected by a constitutional amendment. The only way to clean up the mess that we are in – a mess created by the politicians – is to empower the people to act as a check and balance on the politicians. Do sign our Petition calling on the parliaments to act.