Steve Cotten has promised to be a Direct Democracy Representative MP. What is that?
- Representative democrats – follow the guidance of the majority or their constituents – while not neglecting minority groups.
This is not how party MPs work. Party MPs are Partisan / Delegate representatives who don’t have to listen to their constituents.
- Partisans – follow their party’s policies. And political parties are influenced by funders (big business, unions, rich donors, activists and lobby groups)
- Delegative – and on other issues they act the way they think best.
Which would you prefer?
No party has a monopoly on wisdom. If North Devon voters voted me in as a Representative MP, they could tell me to mix and match – who knows what they would say – stand with Labour on wages, Conservatives on Defence, Libdems on Social Care, the Greens on Carbon Reduction and Reform on Migration..?
A system of direct democracy would also help to control the power of activists by making them focus on voters rather than bypassing voters and trying to persuade and intimidate MPs and parties.
It would be up to voters to choose, not one single party or a powerful activist group.
Does Direct Democracy work?
Of course it does.
They have it in Switzerland which is not in the total shambles the UK is in (thanks to our party system and government by experts).
And, with modern technology it would be cheap, easy and secure to set up with direct voting and panels.
Why don’t political parties support Direct Democracy?
For the obvious reason: they don’t want to listen to voters.
Are voters expert enough to vote on issues?
Look around you..!! They could hardly do worse than the UK’s professional politicians and experts. Look at the mess that all the parties have got the country into.. and they constantly ignore majority opinion on the big questions: jobs, housing, migration, net zero, the NHS, education. In a real democracy everyone is qualified to vote on these subjects.
Vote for Steve because he will support you.
He won’t be forced to ignore you and do what party HQ, activists, big business, unions, experts, the media tell him to do. And he won’t be in the pocket of party funders.