Poll: Should Citizens Be Allowed To Vote For Undemocratic Parties?

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Thread: The Right of Democracy

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  1. #1
    Praefectus Fabrum Senior Member Anime BlackJack Champion, Flash Poker Champion, Word Up Champion, Shape Game Champion, Snake Shooter Champion, Fishwater Challenge Champion, Rocket Racer MX Champion, Jukebox Hero Champion, My House Is Bigger Than Your House Champion, Funky Pong Champion, Cutie Quake Champion, Fling The Cow Champion, Tiger Punch Champion, Virus Champion, Solitaire Champion, Worm Race Champion, Rope Walker Champion, Penguin Pass Champion, Skate Park Champion, Watch Out Champion, Lawn Pac Champion, Weapons Of Mass Destruction Champion, Skate Boarder Champion, Lane Bowling Champion, Bugz Champion, Makai Grand Prix 2 Champion, White Van Man Champion, Parachute Panic Champion, BlackJack Champion, Stans Ski Jumping Champion, Smaugs Treasure Champion, Sofa Longjump Champion Seamus Fermanagh's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Right of Democracy

    Certain behaviors can and should be curtailed in the interest of societal safety.

    In a Democracy, the existence of a political party -- provided they are not actively breaking the law or calling on/encouraging others to do so -- should never be curtailed. Freedom of political expression must be extended to the loons and idiots so as to preserve the full range of freedom of expression.

    However, the public is free to (and should be free to) consider members of such parties to be idiots, poltroons, perverts etc.

    Freedom to express your views is matched by my freedom to reject and belittle them.
    "The only way that has ever been discovered to have a lot of people cooperate together voluntarily is through the free market. And that's why it's so essential to preserving individual freedom.” -- Milton Friedman

    "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." -- H. L. Mencken

  2. #2
    Chieftain of the Pudding Race Member Evil_Maniac From Mars's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Right of Democracy

    Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh View Post
    In a Democracy, the existence of a political party -- provided they are not actively breaking the law or calling on/encouraging others to do so -- should never be curtailed. Freedom of political expression must be extended to the loons and idiots so as to preserve the full range of freedom of expression.
    Why are parties who believe in a more authoritarian - or even just a different - manner of governance necessarily idiots or loons?

  3. #3
    Member Member PBI's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Right of Democracy

    I voted "no". I agree with Kush; the authority of the voters is not limitless, and they certainly do not (or at least should not) have the right to disenfranchise future generations and force them to accept their choice of party in perpetuity. A party which promises to abolish democracy should be barred from standing, and the power to suspend elections should be defined as being outside the authority of the elected government.

    Quite aside from that fact I would utterly distrust the motives of any party which promises to abolish democracy as soon as they are in power. But it is not unprecedented for a wave of populist sentiment to be ridden to get a party elected against the best interests of the voters, and it is necessary that the voters must always have the power to correct that mistake at the next election rather than being lumbered with a bad choice forever.

  4. #4
    lurker Member JR-'s Avatar
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    Default Re: The Right of Democracy

    Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh View Post
    In a Democracy, the existence of a political party -- provided they are not actively breaking the law or calling on/encouraging others to do so -- should never be curtailed. Freedom of political expression must be extended to the loons and idiots so as to preserve the full range of freedom of expression.
    agreed.

  5. #5
    Ranting madman of the .org Senior Member Fly Shoot Champion, Helicopter Champion, Pedestrian Killer Champion, Sharpshooter Champion, NFS Underground Champion Rhyfelwyr's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Right of Democracy

    As much as I would rather the British monarchy did not get any more powers (Charles and Camilla ain't tellin' me what to do!), I think if we are being honest democracy in the UK is a farce. We have a parliament of career politicians, all major parties are so similar we may as well be a one party state, and the working-class in particular is so disillusioned with politics it is turning to fascists such as the BNP or nationalists in Scotland and Wales, or just not voting at all.

    This is not the fault of the electorate. Scare-tactics are the order of the day, and in the recent Scottish Parliament elections I'm glad to say these backfired on Labour.
    At the end of the day politics is just trash compared to the Gospel.

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