Comments on: Consultations Versus Democracy http://thethirdestate.net/2009/09/consultations-versus-democracy/ What Is The Third Estate? Everything. What Has It Been Until Now In The Political Order? Nothing. What Does It Want To Be? Something. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:19:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Reuben http://thethirdestate.net/2009/09/consultations-versus-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-4381 Reuben Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:28:20 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=2293#comment-4381 But you could say this about an and every policy. THis is the imperfect but democratic element in the consittution. THat people vote for a package of personalities and policies. At the very least you could say that people voted for him knowing his plans to scrap the c charge extension. Who said anythimg about the 'whims and passions of the people'. VOting concerns the deliberate. The language of whims and passions is exactly that which the conservatives and whigs of the 19th century deployed to justify keeping the constitution undemocratic. But you could say this about an and every policy. THis is the imperfect but democratic element in the consittution. THat people vote for a package of personalities and policies. At the very least you could say that people voted for him knowing his plans to scrap the c charge extension.

Who said anythimg about the ‘whims and passions of the people’. VOting concerns the deliberate. The language of whims and passions is exactly that which the conservatives and whigs of the 19th century deployed to justify keeping the constitution undemocratic.

]]> By: Salman Shaheen http://thethirdestate.net/2009/09/consultations-versus-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-4377 Salman Shaheen Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:21:42 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=2293#comment-4377 Well, no, people didn't really vote on the extension of the extension of the congestion charge. They voted on whether they wanted Boris or Ken for mayor. In large part, Boris was elected because people were turning away from Labour in droves, as evidenced by the contemporaneous and subsequent elections around the country. That he didn't win by a crushing margin is testament only to the popularity of Ken as a person and of his policies, including CC. It would be difficult to say whether or not people voted on the congestion charge without conducting a separate referendum. I don't think that can be inferred from the results. On a side note: should issues of environmental protection be a matter of public choice? The only way problems as large as this can be solved is through government regulation, and the only way to arrive at sensible decisions is through expert opinion - not through the whims and passions of the people. Well, no, people didn’t really vote on the extension of the extension of the congestion charge. They voted on whether they wanted Boris or Ken for mayor. In large part, Boris was elected because people were turning away from Labour in droves, as evidenced by the contemporaneous and subsequent elections around the country. That he didn’t win by a crushing margin is testament only to the popularity of Ken as a person and of his policies, including CC. It would be difficult to say whether or not people voted on the congestion charge without conducting a separate referendum. I don’t think that can be inferred from the results. On a side note: should issues of environmental protection be a matter of public choice? The only way problems as large as this can be solved is through government regulation, and the only way to arrive at sensible decisions is through expert opinion – not through the whims and passions of the people.

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