myata

"Supposed" freedoms and real ones is not the same thing! Supposed freedoms become real ones only by the will of free citizens to make and keep their governments responsible and accountable at all times. Putin and Chen Un know, but Canada?

And a smaller ("insignificant" as they like to call it) insult to injury: throwing citizens no scratch, residents dough at some figurehead appointed on a whim is firmly becoming the main approach to most complex problems of the modern society. Will it work? Can it? Who's interested to guess?

Could it be Canada though? Take France. In France, they have a proportional system. In France, right wing parties have been increasing their share of vote. It tells, in a language, the message, mainstream parties something. To see and try to understand and react to. France is France, it's citizens are French not some holy angels from some ideal universe. And if majority of the citizens aren't comfortable with being served by someone in attire directly associated with most oppressive regimes on this planet, French parliament reacts to the will of French citizens and makes it a law of France. That's it. Matter closed. Now, a simple, binary question: what could be terribly wrong with that picture? Who said it, why how, and proven in an open and transparent discussion that it makes some sense? Or would it be something deeply wrong with those who believe that they can take some abstract formula, without as much as understanding of what it actually means in the reality, and impose it on the society, just because they can, have no one to respond to, no checks, controls or reasonable limits? One reason only, the only one needed: because they can.

Government has developed a brain of its own and a has bottomless (thanks by the way) fountain of dough. What do you think it would do? Guess! (see what governments that are controlled by the citizens to manage citizens commonwealth for their, citizens benefit can and do always; even just not to forget what governments are for, in democracies)

Why do third-world quasi-democracies like FPTP so much? Is there something in it for them? Ease to control and manipulate the population? Absence of any independent checks and government accountability? Nice juicy rewards with minimal responsibility? Any guesses?

Its called "autopilot". Dance the push the button ritual and go deep into hibernation for 4 years plus or minus, nothing to worry, your great government will figure everything out for you, like in: "everything". Do hope to not wake up to surprises one day. Yes, and the taxes due, please.

This is sooo clueless to allow real choice and expect that the political landscape will be exactly the same. They are sooo stuck in the past, can't see a glimpse of new. Cemented. OMG, help! A short list minus USA, UK (unique deliberately and intelligently constructed democratic systems): ...Barbados, Bangladesh,.. Canada, Gambia, Grenada, Malawi..., Palau, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zamibia. Countries using FPTP This is truly, literally the last one of the dinosaurs, still claiming to be a first world democracy! NZ is proportional, Australia preferential. Just look where (which depths of history) mental laziness and complacency can take you. Don't expect happy surprises on a carefree ride.

At the expense of accomplished inability to reflect and represent the complexity of interests and needs in a modern society.

No. Everything is just fine as it has been at the times of Moses. We never need to change or do anything new. A paragon.

You fail to see the obvious logical connection. Pigs at the trough have no reasons, no incentives to make anything like the OP (pictures). Their job, main and mostly, is to keep the place at the trough and press the dough button, diligently and regularly. "The only reason to have a party is to win the government". There, first person.

Tweaking with a broken, in principle, system will not fix it. The problem with FPTP in general is not even funnies of "representation". It's that it suppresses the choice. The other side of stimulating exactly two monstrous power holding corporations is that it cannot reflect the complexities of a modern society; understand them; and manage them effectively and efficiently. And without any effective independent checks and controls over governments, stagnation is the only possible outcome. In the modern democratic world if my count is correct, only two such left. Both are remote, insignificant and rapidly losing significance backwaters of the democratic world. The system needs fresh air, urgently. The system needs to have meaningful, full and uncontrolled choice of citizens.

Citizen apathy. Carelessness. Just don't fix it. Democracy doesn't appreciate carelessness and neglect.

You really can't see that these are related... directly: entitlement; entrenchment; inability to change; aversion to change; stagnation; and decay? My my, a difficult case, I know.

Like that great system where every public service is a top standard of world? In the great picture book of great systems?

Wait, it used to be the healthcare, no?

Right. "If it wasn't broken"... to think of it, pharaohs had a great system some millennia back. Wise and caring... mostly. Czars, mandarins, sounds familiar too... close to home, somehow.

Great thoughts Michael! Would learning to limit yourself (if there's no effective limits otherwise, as it happens in some great democracies) come into the picture somehow too? Look: here's a lever. You press it, and out a little opening comes a glob of dough. Press twice, two globs. Four times, four come out and so on, you've got the picture. A question: when (and that's an assumption, not a definitive statement) would you stop working it? Even more importantly: why?

Of the happy entitled bunch? They are doing quite fine there, as far as can be seen. Such a relief, can head on my way now. "Horse off the cart" as they say in some places. .. next time they want to give me automatic annual rise, can be reached here. Keeping channels open.

First this. Isn't it interesting (amusing too) that when it's about their business, salaries and many compensations they don't need any of you as part of their "society" in any role we'll sort it out here thank you though. It's only when you're needed to prop their pretty democratic (tuk-tuk) idyll you're suddenly called to be a part of (toy elections, happy sleigh ride interactions with your employee-representatives and other such silly useless stuff). Funny how some of us couldn't see though this blatantly simple game. No judging though everybody has their issues. Some human?

Not every sport you want to be a part of.. the conclusion is natural, though it goes with the practice of critical questioning of the reality. Not all things you can change. But do you have to be a part of the things you disagree with, on principle?

For about three years I've been receiving cheerful messages "Couldn't find you a family doctor but still trying!" from a newly revamped public bureaucracy. Automatic too, paid by your taxes. Requested a service? here's one for ya. Gave up, using online access now available thanks to Covid. Expenditures and CEO benefits growing non-linearly in the meanwhile. Need to keep better people. To hope that throwing a few more hundreds of public billions could fix anything here is a hopeless dream no closer than Andromeda galaxy. The system is great as it is already, it simply doesn't need no customers, patients, citizens, just pay you taxes and get lost asap will ya?

I like this interpretation! Just like that carbon charge service", right? And looks like it's becoming a smash in the management of public matters (in certain democracies"). Old people could still recall the sad old times when they chose what services they needed (and what they were willing to pay for them - or not) but that was so long ago and not quite right. Look really, if every peasant would begin to choose their own service, where would be the place for the wise, better people, you know? No, definitely wrong. So welcome, brave new services (and don't be surprise where they will take you)!

You are not getting it. No you're definitely just not getting it. You'll be surprised to observe (and then, who knows) what state of order entrenched authoritarian systems can descend into in no time at all (in historical terms). Not me saying it, only facts of history. I've no interest in having anything to do with your forces. Roll happily wherever it takes you, all the way (that's pretty much given, in such cases) with my sincere wishes of luck. I'll just stand by and watch... when I have a free minute and nothing more fun to do.

This is highly relative. And again, so easy to oversee the obvious difference: in a sport, one plays (and pays) voluntarily. In politics we have no choice. Can I not have that great employee-representative, and have my taxes reduced accordingly, I don't mind and wouldn't complain, honest! See? You like sports where have no control over you bets, all is decided just sign here? Astounding.

Nope. Nothing original here. When you lived a few generations in far backwater environments with no incentives to change and adapt, you would see even a minor (then: microscopic) change as a dangerous and unnecessary undertaking A FEAT. And huge scary entirely unnecessary risk. You did nothing and it took you all the way here, right? Easy. And the rest, after reaching that state is trivial: a change is a disaster; disasters to be avoided; ergo any change is anathema. Q.E.D.