A benevolent dictatorship could be just as effective as a democratic electoral system. It all depends on the knowledge and wisdom of those entrusted with power. Dictatorships are almost never benevolent and this is not worth consideration.

On the other hand, it is not generally known, that, in Australia an enormous immoral, legalised monopoly has been established. It is possible for one person to own 60% of the daily and weekly press, television and radio stations.

This should be reduced to 1%, because the news media is not a necessary monopoly and therefore should not be owned by government. A public monopoly could be even worse.

Under present conditions the people have been so influenced by the media monopoly that they have been persuaded to vote against their own interests. This is a disastrous side effect of land monopoly and the failure of governments to finance from socially-generated revenue, plus the robbery of taxation, public debt and inflation.

MINORITY RECEIVES $54,000m, UNEARNED
Under present conditions 10% of the people have been enabled to own about 90% of the land value of Australia and in consequence to receive about $54 billion of unearned income every year (the total site rental value is about $60 billion, 90% of which is $54 billion).

The favoured few alone can afford the cost of a controlling interest in the media.

The same people also can afford to corrupt governments, endow universities, conditional upon empirical economics being substituted for the science of political economy and even to silence the so-called Christian churches, which should be the custodians of morality.

A democratic electoral system is still the best option because honest candidates are more likely to be elected by each elected person representing a proportion of the voters.

AUSTRALIAN Flag NEW ZEALAND Flag

In general there are three different systems in use throughout the world, stated in order of their desirability.

1. Proportional Representation, with multimember electorates of about ten. This applies in Switzerland, but with the 'party list system' under which voting is for parties, not for individual candidates. The backroom boys then select the politicians in accord with the proportion of the votes for the particular parties.

Proportional representation, without the party list system, is easily the most democratic system ever devised. If properly applied less than 10% of voters can be disenfranchised.

2. Preferential voting, in single member electorates; generally in use in Australia. Up to 49% of the people can be disenfranchised.

3. The first-past-the-post system, in single member electorates, in general use in the U.K. Up to 66% of the voters can be disenfranchised.

Britain has only had a majority government once since the turn of the century (Mr Clement Atlee, who followed Winston Churchill.) This was a post-war backlash.

First-past-the-post is easily the worst system ever devised and has been largely responsible for the demise of once- "Great" Britain. (end of section 7)

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